Jeremy and Michele of Gabacool Provisions
What if the smartest way to start a pizza business isn’t opening a restaurant… but avoiding rent entirely?
In this episode of the What's Good Dough Podcast, we spend the day with Jeremy and Michelle, the team behind Gabacool Pizza, an award-winning pizza pop-up that built a powerful brand without the massive overhead of a traditional restaurant.
From prepping in a commissary kitchen to selling out at brewery pop-ups, they’ve built a business that prioritizes flexibility, creativity, and community.
Throughout the episode, they break down their entire workflow—from prep and transport logistics to branding, menu design, and the realities of running a food business without a permanent location.
If you've ever thought about starting a pizza business but were intimidated by restaurant rent, this episode offers a real blueprint.
Highlights:
02:57 – Arriving at the Petaluma commissary kitchen
03:12 – Why pop-ups still need a legal kitchen space
04:25 – Storage rules and health regulations for food businesses
04:57 – Managing trips between the kitchen and the event location
05:39 – Preparing ingredients for hundreds of pizzas in a shared fridge
06:39 – Organizing dough trays and prep workflow
09:41 – Why their commissary kitchen supports the local community
10:43 – Supporting artists and designing the Gabacool brand
11:19 – How they originally transported their entire pizza operation in small cars
12:00 – Designing a van setup for maximum efficiency
16:00 – Packing equipment and organizing mobile pizza operations
20:00 – Why brewery pop-ups work as a business model
23:57 – Building real relationships with brewery partners
25:10 – Selling out early and the challenges of high demand
30:00 – The realities of running a pizza pop-up every weekend
37:24 – The physical demands of catering and pop-up events
38:53 – Creating a clean and memorable pop-up brand experience
46:05 – Lighting, propane, and the technical side of running a mobile kitchen
50:00 – Dialing in oven temperatures for outdoor pizza service
01:00:00 – The moment a pop-up setup starts feeling like a real restaurant
01:05:49 – Creating weekly specials using local farm ingredients
01:06:20 – Non-food tasks required to run a food business
01:06:30 – Branding, merch design, and social media strategy
01:08:55 – Running a business without a traditional office
01:10:48 – Designing marketing materials from a phone or tablet
01:11:04 – Michelle’s background in events, design, and hospitality
01:15:30 – Learning to run multiple pizza ovens during service
01:16:40 – The trial-and-error process of improving systems and workflow
01:16:47 – Winning a scholarship to Pizza University
01:19:00 – Overcoming imposter syndrome in the pizza industry
01:31:25 – Dough ball size, fermentation, and pizza technique
01:34:00 – Jeremy’s culinary school experience and career path
01:35:42 – Breaking down how their pizza bakes in the oven
01:50:24 – Reflecting on making over 20,000 pizzas and building a community
Follow them:https://www.gabacoolprovisions.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557383763722
https://www.instagram.com/gabacool_provisions?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Thank you to our show sponsors:
Bacio Cheese:
Corto:https://bit.ly/457DNII
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Topic:
pizza pop up, pizza pop up business, pizza pop up restaurant, starting a pizza business, pizza business blueprint, how to start a pizzeria, pizzeria startup costs, restaurant startup without rent, pizza entrepreneurship, pizza business model, commissary kitchen pizza, pop up restaurant business, brewery pop up food, pizza brand building, pizzeria marketing, pizza business tips, pizza entrepreneur story, award winning pizza
