<p>What if the smartest way to start a pizza business isn’t opening a restaurant… but avoiding rent entirely?</p><p>In this episode of the What&#39;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.</p><p>From prepping in a commissary kitchen to selling out at brewery pop-ups, they’ve built a business that prioritizes flexibility, creativity, and community.</p><p>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.</p><p>If you&#39;ve ever thought about starting a pizza business but were intimidated by restaurant rent, this episode offers a real blueprint.</p><p>Highlights:</p><p>02:57 – Arriving at the Petaluma commissary kitchen</p><p>03:12 – Why pop-ups still need a legal kitchen space</p><p>04:25 – Storage rules and health regulations for food businesses</p><p>04:57 – Managing trips between the kitchen and the event location</p><p>05:39 – Preparing ingredients for hundreds of pizzas in a shared fridge</p><p>06:39 – Organizing dough trays and prep workflow</p><p>09:41 – Why their commissary kitchen supports the local community</p><p>10:43 – Supporting artists and designing the Gabacool brand</p><p>11:19 – How they originally transported their entire pizza operation in small cars</p><p>12:00 – Designing a van setup for maximum efficiency</p><p>16:00 – Packing equipment and organizing mobile pizza operations</p><p>20:00 – Why brewery pop-ups work as a business model</p><p>23:57 – Building real relationships with brewery partners</p><p>25:10 – Selling out early and the challenges of high demand</p><p>30:00 – The realities of running a pizza pop-up every weekend</p><p>37:24 – The physical demands of catering and pop-up events</p><p>38:53 – Creating a clean and memorable pop-up brand experience</p><p>46:05 – Lighting, propane, and the technical side of running a mobile kitchen</p><p>50:00 – Dialing in oven temperatures for outdoor pizza service</p><p>01:00:00 – The moment a pop-up setup starts feeling like a real restaurant</p><p>01:05:49 – Creating weekly specials using local farm ingredients</p><p>01:06:20 – Non-food tasks required to run a food business</p><p>01:06:30 – Branding, merch design, and social media strategy</p><p>01:08:55 – Running a business without a traditional office</p><p>01:10:48 – Designing marketing materials from a phone or tablet</p><p>01:11:04 – Michelle’s background in events, design, and hospitality</p><p>01:15:30 – Learning to run multiple pizza ovens during service</p><p>01:16:40 – The trial-and-error process of improving systems and workflow</p><p>01:16:47 – Winning a scholarship to Pizza University</p><p>01:19:00 – Overcoming imposter syndrome in the pizza industry</p><p>01:31:25 – Dough ball size, fermentation, and pizza technique</p><p>01:34:00 – Jeremy’s culinary school experience and career path</p><p>01:35:42 – Breaking down how their pizza bakes in the oven</p><p>01:50:24 – Reflecting on making over 20,000 pizzas and building a community</p><p><br></p><p>Follow them:<a href="https://www.gabacoolprovisions.com/">https://www.gabacoolprovisions.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557383763722">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557383763722</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/gabacool_provisions?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr">https://www.instagram.com/gabacool_provisions?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&amp;utm_source=qr</a></p><p><br></p><p>Thank you to our show sponsors:</p><p>Bacio Cheese:</p><p><a href="https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up">https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up</a></p><p>Corto:<a href="https://bit.ly/457DNII">https://bit.ly/457DNII</a></p><p><br></p><p>Join my Instagram Community Channel: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/">https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/</a></p><p>Patreon Page: <a href="http://patreon.com/whatsgooddough">patreon.com/whatsgooddough</a></p><p>DM <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/#">@whatsgooddough</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/">https://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/</a>email me: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p><br></p><p>Topic:</p><p>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</p>