Red Wagon Pizza Co. Beginnings
Serving happiness
“What started as a pizza food truck has evolved into a stylish brick-and-mortar in Armatage, where thin-crust pies and handmade pasta are the focus. The pizzas have an inevitable crispness that comes from being cooked in a hot stone oven. The signature Red Wagon pie is topped with house-made cheese & sausage, soppressata, banana peppers, chili flakes, and fig balsamic…”
~ Thrillist
Red Wagon Pizza was founded by the husband and wife duo of Peter and Jacquie Campbell. Peter grew up making pizza with his mom and Pop; for him, every Friday night was pizza night, and neighbors would swing by to join in the fun. The Campbells continued this tradition from their South Minneapolis home after getting married.
Owner, Chef Peter Campbell started his mobile pizzeria in 2011. His gourmet pies, fired in a rolling, wood-fired pizza oven, have been a hit at local farmers’ markets and special events for some time. In the fall of 2014, many Minneapolis press and media news outlets took notice as Red Wagon Pizza moved in the direction of permanently parking its well-known brick-fired oven pizza truck in its forever home on Penn Ave in south Minneapolis.
"It was a cascade events, of everything falling into place," Campbell said.
Campbell told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal that his plan, at the time, was set into motion when his broker, Jeff Mitchell, found a vacant but fully-outfitted restaurant space - a rare bird in south Minneapolis real estate. From there, all the elements seem to come together.
Talk North Podcast Interview
Most recently in January of 2021, Peter joined Talk North Podcast to discuss his journey about how Red Wagon Pizza came to be. Peter goes on to explain that pizza was always part of his family. His grandfather started making pizzas with his mother in the early 50s after he was home from the war. His grandfather really loved Italian food in North Jersey and pizza became a tradition every Friday night, as it is for many families!
Early family pizza nights inspired modern pizza traditions.
Peter went on to cook pizza for several restaurants and found a lot of joy in cooking for other people. He later went on to get a “real job” in more of a corporate setting. Eventually, Peter’s interest in the history of our food and wheat products pushed him to experiment with pizza and his then, kindergarten daughter, to a point of perfecting what he considered to be excellent food and pizza. He then took a chance and purchased a mobile wood-fired oven that was operated on the weekends. Peter and his wife Jacquie were then able to introduce their vision to their neighborhood of what they think good pizza should be.
Many years later, Red Wagon Pizza has made it through the pandemic with successful creativity and is now shipping its pizza nationally. Peter discusses how he has spent time trying to figure out how they will navigate in the years post-pandemic.
Listen to the entire podcast below!
How Peter Campbell Eats Pizza
“Architecture” - the build composition. Is the crust cooked properly? What is the flavor of the sauce? Is the cheese used properly and how is it topped? Every slice should have a representative of the toppings, said Chef Campbell.
The business of Pizza in Minneapolis in 2022
Today, Red Wagon Pizza Co. has moved into another new phase of business and society in our post-pandemic lockdowns. People are craving social events and interaction with their favorite spots. At Red Wagon Pizza, we’ve been very blessed to have a space that offers eclectic outdoor dining on the sidewalk of south Minneapolis, while also boasting a newly renovated indoor space. Our bar still offers seating around the kitchen that allows guests to watch and interact with our pizza chefs as they toss our signature dough into the air. Meanwhile, the seated dining room space is always filled with local friends, family, business owners, and visitors who want to experience what Red Wagon Pizza has to offer.
We think our version and vision of what pizza and food should be is an excellent offering. It’s not better than your other favorite spots, but it’s different in the sense that it’s our personal legacy and history of experimenting with food. And we are proud to offer it to you.
“Serving Happiness” is our motto and you can see and feel this happiness every time you’re in our space.
We hope to see you soon!
