If you’ve never heard of Binge House Pizza in Downingtown —you will soon enough.
I personally and professionally follow a diverse and always evolving slice of foodie websites and Facebook pages, and spend more time than I care to admit trolling Instagram and Pinterest to glean information on anything food-ish, beverage or style-related. I also love to cook and enjoy sharing information about recipes, small businesses and business owners as well as tips, ideas and creative and inventive ways to present that undeniable perfect bite.
So when I shredded my way through the tomato vine of social media and discovered this local spot named Binge House Pizza that was generating a lot of online buzz, I had to find out what all the hubbub was about.
I searched for a storefront where none could be found—no sidewalk cafe, umbrella-shaded tables or red- and white-checkered tablecloths. Instead, on a shaded cul de sac in one of the area’s many housing developments within the bucolic outskirts of the Downingtown borough, I came across inventor, owner and chef Jim Oley—running an assembly line of self-proclaimed Detroit hybrid-style pizzas from his own kitchen oven just about every 13 minutes.
Jim has been offering pizzas to folks in the area for a little over a year now, and his following is definitely on the fast track to becoming legendary. Only available to order via his Facebook page and with convenient timed slots offered through Eventbrite, you too can grab one (or two) of these one-of-a-kind tasting pies.
I had the privilege to sit with Jim while observing him become involved with every pizza he touched. Sprinkling here, dabbing there—cooling, slicing and boxing up the warm pies while his doorbell rang about every 20 minutes with another hungry customer.
I asked Jim a few questions about this hush-hush (and now, not so hush-hush) operation. Here’s what he had to say:
Town Dish: What’s your “cheffing background” and how long you been doing Binge House Pizza?
Jim: I have no formal “cheffing background,” which might be why I don’t give a lot of credence to one’s qualifications. I believe that one should be judged on their finished product. For me, learning how to make pizzas was self-taught, born by desire and fueled by passion. I’ve been doing pop-outs since February of 2015, but I’ve been researching and experimenting with dough and other miscellaneous things since sometime in 2012.
What made you come up with this concept and how long before it really “took off?”
There were several reasons how my pop-out concept came to be. One reason is that in the beginning phase of when I was experimenting with dough recipes I was making several pizzas a night, a few nights a week for at least a year; aside from my tasting the variations in those pizzas they all got thrown away; I hated wasting them and I figured why not get feedback and see what other people like. Other factors? I just enjoy making people happy by doing something that I feel I am good at doing, and my patrons may not know it, but they’re creating what will hopefully be signature pizzas on the Binge House Pizza menu. For example, through the ordering habits and feedback I’ve learned that one style of pepperoni is enjoyed more on my pizza over another style.
My first pop-out was in February of last year; only one person reserved a pizza and it was my neighbor. Two months later I did two pop-outs that both filled up, and they’ve been filled ever since then. I started with having six time-slots available before bumping it up to 10, and now 16. That number can go up or down depending on the type of pizzas I offer for a particular pop-out. Unfortunately I’m pretty limited due to using a home oven.
Where did the name come from? (it sounds almost obvious, but I’m asking anyway)
If I didn’t jog, mountain bike, and cycle it would be really obvious by looking at me where the name came from, lol. My wife can attest to my pizza eating!
You conduct the Pop-Outs only monthly?
Yes, I have been doing one pop-out per month with the exception of a few months when I did two. I would love to have more pop-outs but I also work a full-time job, enjoy spending time with my wife and pets and try to make time to run, cycle and mountain bike. Plus, I need time to experiment with various recipes before I offer them to people at an event.
You don’t charge for the pizzas. Why is that?
Even if I didn’t have pop-outs I’d still be baking a lot of pizzas for testing; I’d rather give the pizzas away to people for free and receive feedback then to throw them away and only have my own opinion on the various things that I test. There are also business reasons that warrant me to not accept payment for the goods.
Where do you get your ingredients?
I get almost all of my ingredients from my local Wegmans. When I eventually open my shop (hint hint) I will switch to using restaurant suppliers, but I will continue to use the same high-quality ingredients.
How long does it take you to prepare for the day of baking?
Ahh, prep work—another reason that I usually only have one pop-out per month. Because I almost always work the day before an event I am forced to do my prep work after work, which causes me to be awake until around 3am. The prep work varies greatly with the various pizza offerings that I have, but dough is what takes the longest. I use a regular Kitchen Aid which only mixes a couple pizzas worth of dough at a time, so instead of doing it all at once and being done with the whole process in about 30 minutes, it takes me somewhere around 3-4 hours depending on the different sizes offered and ordered.
How long of a day is it for you during a typical Pop Out?
It’s a 10-plus hour day. The dough is in the refrigerator from the night before; I have to get the dough for the first half of the day into pans so that it can warm up and be stretched in the pans. While the dough continues to rise I am doing various other prep items like making any toppings that need to be cooked prior to being used on a pizza. I get a little break from people picking up their pizzas during the afternoon which is when I wash all the pans that have been used already and prepare them for the doughs that are used during the second part of the day. The last pick-up is usually around 6pm.
Have you ever done any pizzas that bombed?
Kind of. I’m always testing various ideas that I have with toppings and I have had a lot that just weren’t good or they weren’t home runs like I hoped that they would be, but this occurs when I’m making pizzas for myself. As far as having had any duds that have been given out at an event, I haven’t been made aware of any. There have been some where I put too much pepperoni on, or not enough salt on a pizza that needed it, but I’m not aware of any that were said to have been bad. That said, this is an “edible experiment”, so it could happen; this is a learning process. I want to use to perfect recipes before I open a pizzeria (hint hint).
What is your most popular topping?
As is the case with most pizzerias, regular cheese and pepperoni pizzas are the most popular; taking them out of the equation, my most popular topping is probably the brussels sprout and bacon. I believe that there are some other really good toppings, but much like myself, people tend to be less adventurous with food, ordering only what they are familiar with.
How do customers provide feedback to you?
People can email me ([email protected]), post on the Binge House Pizza Facebook page, comment on a particular post or do an official Facebook review.
Any secret ingredients you care to share and is there something we should know about the crust?
I may or may not use a blend of cheeses. There are no secret ingredients. The biggest secret is really knowing HOW to use the ingredients. The crust is made from the same five ingredients found in most pizza dough. Processes and attention to detail are key.
What is the size of the pizza? Feeds how many? Only order one at a time?
Currently I offer either 8×10 or 12×17 inch pizzas (depends on toppings being used). The smaller pizza is cut into four large squares while the large is cut into 12 average-size rectangles. How many people can be fed from any size pizza varies with a person’s eating habits, if they’re having any other food, etc. Generally speaking, because I have so many people who have yet to try the pizza and I’m only able to make a small amount, it is intended to be a one pizza per customer thing. There are exceptions but I try to limit them.
Who cleans up the kitchen when you’re finished for the day?
Cleaning up the kitchen after a pop-out is my job, but my wife often takes pity on me once she sees me moping around and procrastinating from the chore at hand.
Do you have plans to take your idea more public? Perhaps open your own restaurant?
I’m planning to open a pizzeria. I have the concept and I’m currently looking for locations – there are plenty available but there are many factors that need to be considered. Aside from finding a location there is a very long list of things that need to be worked on. Already working a full-time job slows down my progress a lot more than I would like, but believe me, it’ll happen!
If you could make the ultimate pizza for YOU to eat, what would you put on it?
My ultimate pizza is situational, totally dependent on where I am and who I’m with. Pizza (or any food for that matter) is always best when it’s shared with friends, family or even strangers. It lends itself to good times and for that reason any pizza that I eat with friends, family, or strangers is better than one eaten alone, no matter where the pizza might be from. As far as toppings are concerned—I don’t have one favorite topping that I get everywhere. If I want a good cheese pizza there is a particular place I go for it. If I go to another particular place I’ll usually get bacon and onions. I get peppers and onions from another place. Extra sauce and onions from another. The Primavera pizza from another place. You get the idea 🙂
Jim offers a variety of toppings (a white pizza with chopped clams made the list recently) and almost nothing is out of the question. His pies are simple—not over-thought or over-produced—and come out tasting distinct and delicious.
One of Jim’s “long-time” customers, Jim Breslin—who also happens to be a best-selling author, a contributor to PA Eats and an avid pizza expert—summed it up, “I’ve been lucky enough to catch of a few Binge House Pizza pop-outs and each time the pizza was delectable. It’s not a deep-dish pizza, but the pie is thick like Sicilian, yet it is not Sicilian. The crust is amazing. I recently tried the grinder style, which was a pizza layered with American cheese, ham, salami and mozzarella. It was delicious. I love that Jim is making these only occasionally through pop-outs but I can’t wait for Jim to open a pizza shop!”
Be sure to like the Binge House Pizza Facebook page to find out when the next pop out takes place, and don’t delay in securing your pickup time or you’ll lose it. They go that fast. www.facebook.com/BingeHousePizza, [email protected]
- Pepperoni pizza photo: Martin Frappolli
- Remaining photos: Ed Williams
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