Small Town, Great Pizza
Christoval Texas, a small town of just 1.3 square miles and 226 people (2020) might be small in size and population, has some big pizza flavor coming out of 1982 Pizza Co.
Opened in September of 2022, this place is owned by Katy Capron. Katy is also the owner of the San Angelo/Christoval Rootbound Food Co. retail shop and kitchen respectively. No stranger to the food scene, Katy brings her business acumen, professionalism, and culinary talents to the quaint little pizza shop on Main Street.
front entrance of building
Led by herself and a team of freshman daughters from CHS, and a host of local high school teens, they have a well-oiled machine going it would seem. My wife, son, and I, along with my in-laws, came in for a pizza dinner debut on a recent Saturday evening at about 515pm. The place was not too busy at all but but the time we left it had filled up a bit more.
The menu is simple with a few signature pies to pick from or you can build your own pie as I did. Salad options are also available if pizza is not your jam (you poor thing). Best-selling pies according to Katy herself are the J-Pop and the Southside. That note drove my wife and in-laws to get a half and half of each on a large 18" pizza. My son went with his usual tried and true favorite, pepperoni and cheese. I went with a build-your-own pie and created a modified Hawaiian if you will… pineapple, green pepper, chicken, basil, and onion. I got mine on their homemade 10" caulicrust since flour, despite my love for it, just does not jive well with me. Their caulicrust is a unique blend of chia seeds, flaxseed, rice, and cauliflower. It works very well as a crispy thin-crust replacement and holds up to the structural needs of a pizza. Unlike most others I have tried before, they either hold up well but taste bland, or taste great but fall apart when eating a slice. This version also contains no dairy as many others often do. Katy herself being gluten-free, took to her test kitchen to make what she now feels is the best version of a cauliflower crust she has made. I would have to fully support this.
half & half j-pop & southside pizza
Also being one who very sadly cannot do soft cheese, (lactose be damned) had to bypass the 4 cheese blend customarily put on their pizzas, and swap it with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (contains no lactose).
My pie was on point, let me say that much. Nothing fully compares to a real deal pizza with full-on melty cheese, and real pizza crust, I get that yes. But for what I got, it fit the bill and delivered on my pizza craving no doubt. The same sentiment was shared by all at the table with my son giving his pizza a 9/10 score when asked. My wife said she would come back again and get the same two pizzas again but did give an edge to the J-Pop pizza half due to the unique cream cheese white sauce it had along with bacon, green chili, jalapenos, and fresh cheddar cheese. The other half was the Southside pie. I did try a bite of this due to the fact it had green enchilada sauce on it, I had never tried that on pizza before. I am now a big fan. It also has chicken, bacon, green chiles, and cilantro.
my byo pizza on caulicrust
The pizza sells itself. The space is open and inviting. The adjacent outdoor seating space with games like big jenga and cornhole keeps the kids (and adults) entertained. They have beer on tap and neighboring Christoval Winery wines available for sale.
I was told they have an industrial-sized conventional oven that runs at ~600 degrees to pop out 16 pizzas in about 6 minutes. I also witnessed Head Dough-Slinger Justan, a local CHS junior, hand tossing the pizza dough in the back. “100% self-taught,” said owner Katy. However he learned it, the kid has got it down to an art form.
This stacked team of local HS students from CHS, Wall, and Veribest complete the roster of employees. I truly appreciate a business owner who involves family and local youth to run a business like this to help them build their professionalism, people skills, and other real-world characteristics that come from working in front-line restaurant settings.
So all in all, if it’s a different kind of pizza you seek, a pizza you have not yet tried before, a pizza delivering many options, top quality, and affordability, this is the spot for you. Go on in and see for yourself. See what you’re missing in small-town Christoval.
