There’s a new(ish) owner in town at Pizzeria Caldera. Joe Hurd bought the restaurant in May from previous owner Chris Hansen, and is working on some operations improvements, while sticking to the popular recipes locals have come to know and love.
“We always wanted to have a pizzeria, and our family really wanted to live in Jackson,” said Hurd, who moved to Jackson from Minneapolis with his wife and two daughters in the spring. “One of the reasons we chose Pizzeria Caldera is because the quality is so good. We love the Neapolitan, thin crust pizza. We’re excited to keep that going.”
Hurd said so far they’re working mostly on operational improvements, upgrading the equipment in the kitchen and sprucing up the decor in the restaurant. “We’re making some changes here and there, but all the good stuff is still on the menu,” he says. “Appetizers like our stuffed mushrooms and garlic bread will definitely stick around, and we’re going to add more salads to the menu.”
Pizzeria Caldera will now do local delivery Monday through Saturday from 4:30-9:30 p.m. and they’ll continue to offer their frozen pizzas (with seven different options) in town at Aspens Market, Pearl Street Market and Hungry Jack’s, with some new locations coming soon. They will also continue to donate one pizza to Hole Food Rescue for every 10 pizzas sold, something the previous owner set up and Hurd is excited to continue.
Pizzeria Caldera is the Hurd family’s first time running a restaurant, and although this summer was the busiest on record, Hurd said everything went pretty smoothly. Hurd hinted at some big announcements for the restaurant in the spring, but for now they’re focused on staying open through the off-season. “We’re happy we made it through the summer and really thankful to the community for supporting us and buying pizza,” said Hurd. “It’s been really fun to get to know the regulars and see the locals come in.”
