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- Renowned pizza chef Tony Gemignani plans to expand his Slice House franchise to Utah, with the first location opening in Salt Lake City's Foothill Village by the end of the year.
- It marks the first of seven planned locations throughout the state.
- Slice House began in San Francisco in 2010 and has grown to numerous locations in California and Nevada, but it undergoing a major expansion in the U.S.
SALT LAKE CITY — Another celebrity chef is expanding their name in Utah.
Slice House by Tony Gemignani announced Monday that it now expects to open a new location within the remodeled Foothill Village in Salt Lake City by the end of this year, marking the fast-casual pizza franchise's first location in the Beehive State.
Six more Utah locations are planned in the coming years.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with our dedicated partners, Bob Baker and Don Lewandowski, to bring memorable pizza experiences to such a bustling metropolitan area and continue to expand the Slice House footprint across the U.S.," said Gemignani, in a statement.
Gemignani began his career in the pizza industry over three decades ago, building a name for himself by winning 13 world pizza championships, according to the Mercury News. He also created the World Pizza Champions in 2005, bringing together dozens of other pizza champions to promote the future of pizza making.
He has appeared on various food shows that have aired on the Food Network, CNN and Travel Channel and has opened multiple award-winning restaurants over the years.
Among those is Slice House, which opened in 2010, slinging New York, Sicilian, Grandma and Detroit-style pizzas sold by the slice and whole pie. It debuted with a small San Francisco location, but it has quickly expanded to over a dozen locations scattered across California and Nevada.
The new Salt Lake City location, at 1332 S. Foothill Drive, is one of many in development as it expands its footprint in the country. Gemignani posted on Instagram late last year that he had finalized deals to put over 100 franchises in development in the coming years, including in new states like Utah.
"It's something really special to see. So proud of my team and what we have been able to accomplish," he wrote in the post.
The company now lists seven Utah locations in development, though the exact locations beyond Salt Lake City aren't listed. The Salt Lake location is scheduled to open sometime in December, also selling pasta, wings and salad, as well as alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
"We are confident that Slice House will quickly become a local favorite in the area," said Lewandowski, a co-franchise owner, in a statement.
Slice House is the latest restaurant to move into Foothill Village since its owners embarked on a renovation project to revamp the strip mall by Salt Lake City's East Bench.
Flower Child, founded by James Beard-nominated restaurateur Sam Fox, opened its first Utah location there last week. Both it and Slice House will join the burger chain Shake Shack, which is building its latest Utah location.
Gemignani isn't the only celebrity chef bringing his name to the Beehive State, either. Monday's update comes a few months after Bobby's Burgers, co-founded by the celebrity chef Bobby Flay, announced plans to open nine restaurants across Utah beginning with a location in Orem.
"Bringing Bobby's Burgers to Utah is a significant milestone for us as we continue expanding our footprint," Flay said in July. "It's an exciting journey ahead."
