In this post we were in Chilliwack for the weekend and when looking for an easy dinner in District 1881, so l looked to Elevated Pizza. During our visit they had just completed their recent move and opened once more, four days prior. We were happy to learn that they were already seeing traffic as the only pizza parlour in the area, and a good one at that.
Their origin isn’t in pizza, nor do they have any formal training in the art. The name refers to their career past as a meal prep company going under the name “Elevated Meals”. By chance the owner fell in to pizza making. His shared kitchen space gave him access to a pizza oven, that he decided to take advantage of. After some research and videos on YouTube, he was hooked on the craft. And having done some road testing of his pies with customers, he knew he was on to something.
Fast forward, and two location moves later, it is now all pizza with the occasional sandwich. Their pizzas are not meant to be an homage to Italy nor are they an attempt at being authentic. The owner described his pizza as New York-style but crispy, meets Neapolitan-style with a little crust. So basically a mash of what he knows pizza to be, and at the same time something all its own and contemporary.
Their secret is in the quality flour used and the fermentation the dough undergoes with a higher hydrated dough. Nothing is frozen, there aren’t even any freezers on the premises. All the dough is made the day before and allowed to rest and rise for the day after. This means their food is first come first served until they run out. And anything not sold the day of is discarded to ensure their high integrity of ingredients. The result is pizza with a crust that is very soft for a light and airy baked pizza. This is then topped with imported ingredients that match the quality of their base.
All their pizzas are thin crust, baked until well done in their stone deck oven. This is a stacked oven with three tiers allowing them to complete multiple orders at once. Their pizzas are available in two different sizes a 12 inches that is recommended for 1-2 people or 16 inches that can feel 3-4 people.
Given his passion, we took the owner’s recommendation of the Tomato Pie with Tomato sauce, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Basil, grana padano and to it added some Burrata to dress up and give bites some luscious-ness, to an otherwise lean pizza. The sweetness of the sauce was a nice juxtaposition with the salty cheese giving the pizza a hot and cold counter balance.
For something more bold we went with the Arugula pizza and too customized it with some add on nduja sausage. Sweet & spicy antipasto fig spread, semi-dried cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, balsamic reduction, arugula, olive oil, and grana padano. Where the first was a classic this was working hard to stand out with punchy flavours and fresh elements. It was sweet with the balsamic and salty with the goat cheese, definitely a more hearty option.
And we also wanted to try one of their sandwiches after learning that they make their bread/buns in house. This is done with the same pizza dough in the same pizza oven. Shaped into loaves the bread comes out crispy and blistered like how pizza crust is and does. The centre is chewy bread like sourdough with airy pockets. This served as a wonderful base for their house-made spreads and a collection of cheese and meats sliced directly into the open faced sandwich. I liked how you can tell the quality of each individual ingredient, and how together something so simple could be so delicious. I was only missing soup as things did get dry and I always like some acid to cut into things with. A tomato bisque or cream based chowder would have been lovely here.
In short, this is a solid spot for quality pizza product in Chilliwack and the only one is 1881, worth trying.
Elevated Pizza (District 1881)
9235 Sasquatch Alley #103, Chilliwack, BC V2P 0J6
(604) 392-0019
elevatedpizza.ca
