Their first date was pizza at a drive-in movie. Now, they’re opening a sourdough pizzeria.

Pizza lovers, get ready. Another pizzeria is coming to Charlotte soon.

Gravity Sourdough Pizza Co. is officially joining the lineup of food spots at Camp North End on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

The restaurant, known for its wood-fired specialty pizza, is run by fiancés Alex Osterhoudt and Amanda Wagner — who are no strangers to the city. After hosting several outdoor movie screenings with their company, Aurora Star Lit Cinema, the duo is bringing their specialty pies to a permanent space at Camp North End.

“We’ve been in the mix at Camp North End for a few years, and the stars aligned for us to open Gravity Pizza’s first brick-and-mortar,” co-founder Alex Osterhoudt previously said in a statement. “We have business owner friends who have been successful and feel very supported here, and there’s an energy in the Camp community that makes me excited to be an entrepreneur.”

‘Full circle labor of love’

Though the restaurant was just founded in 2023, the pizza-loving pair has been perfecting their recipes for years — which is why Osterhoudt, who at an early age dreamed of owning his own establishment, says Gravity Pizza has been a long time coming. (Fun fact: The two had their first date at a drive-in movie sharing pizza.)

“At home, we started making our own sourdough bread and bagels, which then led to making pizza,” Wagner said. “We thought it would be a great enhancement to add pizza to Aurora Star Lit Cinema movie showings; Alex quickly got to work renovating a retro trailer we could use to cook and serve from at events. From building the trailer to perfecting our dough recipe, the whole experience has been very fun and rewarding!”

Made with sourdough crafted from a starter dating back to the late 19th century, Gravity Pizza’s wood-fired pies have a crisp and chewy crust and topped with house-made sauces, spreads and sustainably-sourced ingredients.

The pizzeria will open its doors with a consolidated menu of specialty pizzas, shareables, and dessert through the holiday season. Gravity Pizza will launch its full menu in the new year, including several pizza options:

• Cheese

• Pepperoni

• Tommy Boy (red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, ricotta, caramelized red onion, basil, hot honey and parmesan)

• Pear Pressure (white sauce, mozzarella, pears, goat cheese, oven-roasted sweet potato, maple honey, caramelized red onion and rosemary)

The new restaurant, which will be designed to have “an elevated diner vibe mixed with a galactic motif,” will also have sandwiches, salads, desserts, beer, wine, cocktails and more.

Gravity Pizza

Location: Camp North End, 1824 Statesville Ave, Charlotte, NC 28206

Cuisine: American, Pizza

Menu

Instagram: @gravitypizzaclt

This story was originally published July 23, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Their first date was pizza at a drive-in movie. Now, they’re opening a sourdough pizzeria.."

Chyna Blackmon

The Charlotte Observer

Chyna Blackmon was a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription