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[title]What do you get when you combine a lifelong passion for pizza and a commitment to the freshest locally-sourced ingredients? A Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza, fresh out of the wood-fired oven.
Founder Conor Cudahy has been infatuated with pizza for as long as he can remember. Since 2021, he and his team have served thousands of pizzas to customers from their 3,000 pound, wood-fired pizza oven. In 2023, they opened their first brick-and-mortar at Time Out Market in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. From the dough to the toppings, every slice is made with intention, imagination and a whole lot of love. We sat down with owner Conor Cudahy to talk pizza, passion and what goes into making a perfect Neapolitan-ish slice.
Your passion for pizza goes way, way back. When did you finally decide to pursue your passion for pizza full-time?
Cooking has always been a hobby of mine. And I’ve always loved pizza.
Prior to the pandemic, I was working as a Peace Corp volunteer in Malawi, and I was cooking everything with wood. I had made a wood-fired oven out of bricks and mud, and I got really good at baking. When I got back to the States, I was working a full-time remote job and had some extra time to continue to experiment with recipes and what not. I started developing a recipe for a pizza crust, and eventually decided to start a food truck.
We’d spend our weekends serving slices at breweries, music festivals, birthday parties, corporate events—anywhere we could pop-up. Because of pandemic restrictions, it was still a requirement that breweries served food if they wanted to serve alcohol, so there was a lot of demand for our product. This was a great way for us to get our name out there, get people to try our pizza, and get experience operating the business.
A couple years later, I was in the Market, and noticed that the pizza kitchen was empty so I decided to reach out and in January 2023 we opened.
How would you describe Lala’s pizza? What makes it Neapolitan-ish?
When I think about the perfect pizza, I think about the freshness of a Neapolitan pizza. The tomato sauce is fresh and vibrant, the cheese is cooked well, and the crust is crispy. We take that and combine it with elements of New York and American pizza, and you have Lala’s.
Do you have a favorite pizza on the menu?
We’re actually in the process of swapping out a few menu items with some flavors for the summer and fall. We’re working on this vodka sauce pizza, and in recipe testing that’s been my favorite. I can’t wait for people to try it.
For those folks who have never tried Lala’s, what would you recommend they try first? Is there a “signature” Lala’s pizza?
Oh, definitely the ‘Hot Johnny.’ That pizza has been on our menu since day one and it hits every single time. We take a classic margherita base of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil, and take it up a notch with pepperoni and a drizzle of hot honey. It’s a crowd favorite for sure.
Do you have a favorite non-pizza menu item?
Definitely the charred broccoli. We serve it with lemon zest, chili flakes, bread crumbs and parm. It’s the perfect pizza side.
Ok, now we’re going to play a little game. I’m going to ask you a few questions and I want you to answer the first thing that comes to mind. Ready?
Let’s do it.
First question. Pineapple on pizza? Yay or nay?
I love a sweet and salty flavor combo. Like, the concept makes sense, but pineapple on pizza is just a little too weird for me.
I think I can guess the answer, but thin crust or thick crust?
I’m a thin crust guy, all the way.
Fold it or flat slice?
Definitely folded like a taco.
Red sauce or white sauce?
I actually think our cheese base pizzas are my favorite.
What’s the craziest topping combination you’ve tried that worked?
A while ago, we did a weekly collaboration with other kitchens at Time Out Market and we did one with Anoush’ella. It had kofta, red onion, jalapeño and their green sauce. It was like one of their wraps but on a pizza, and it was really, really good.
Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza is located at Time Out Market Boston and open from 11am-10pm every day.