Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Coming Soon to Louisville, Kentucky

Build-Your-Own Artisanal Pizza Chain Expected to Open Second Quarter 2014


LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 27, 2014) - Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, the leader in the fast-casual, build-your-own pizza category, today announced that it will soon be opening a new location in Louisville, KY. Scheduled to open this spring, the new 2,300 square foot restaurant will be located in Louisville's Shelbyville Road Plaza near Trader Joe's and Nordstrom Rack.

Blaze Pizza uses an interactive ordering format that allows guests to customize one of the menu's signature pizzas or create one of their own, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, artisanal ingredients -- all for under $8. The 11-inch generously sized personal pizzas are then sent to a blazing hot open-flame oven -- the centerpiece of the restaurant -- where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure that the thin-crust pies are "fast-fire'd" in under 180 seconds.

Blaze Pizza makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically-acclaimed Executive Chef Brad Kent ("The Pizza Whisperer"), which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. The restaurant's menu of pizzas and salads uses fresh ingredients ranging from inventive to classic and accommodates a range of dietary needs, with a gluten-free dough and vegan cheese option. The restaurant will also offer online ordering and a selection of wine and craft beer.

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity to take the years I've spent developing my dough recipe and now bring it to a broader audience," says Chef Kent. "I am really looking forward to introducing Louisville to Blaze."

To create its "comfortably hip" design, Blaze Pizza uses urban architectural notes inspired by fire, crafting a casual and current interior and outdoor dining area uniquely suited to the restaurant's space. Additionally, the restaurant has gone to great lengths to see that its packaging is eco-friendly -- made in the USA from post-consumer recycled and/or sustainable materials.

The Louisville Blaze Pizza will be operated by The Millennial Restaurant Group, a partnership of James Patterson Sr., Jim Patterson II, Ulysses (Junior) Bridgeman, Wayne Albritton and Collins Cogan. The partners are seasoned restaurant industry professionals who have owned and operated numerous successful restaurants in the Louisville and Kentucky markets for decades.

About Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza is an independent company founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels). The concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner, movie producer John Davis, Maverick Carter and Paul Wachter, and includes the talents of highly acclaimed Executive Chef Bradford Kent, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. The company, which has been featured by CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Good Morning America Live, is considered the leader of the rapidly emerging fast-casual pizza category. Blaze Pizza is registered to sell franchises in all 50 states and is currently expanding nationwide. For more information, please visit www.blazepizza.com or www.facebook.com/blazepizza.

Blaze Pizza - LLC
35 N. Lake Ave, Suite 710
Pasadena, CA 91101

Blaze Pizza - Louisville
10000 Shelbyville Rd.
Louisville, KY 40223