Norfolk's Bakehouse at Chelsea Introduces Wood-Fired Pizzas at Elation Brewing

Norfolk’s Bakehouse at Chelsea Wood-Fired Pizzas is expanding its operations with a second pizza oven at Elation Brewing. The Bakehouse’s owner, John McCormick, has been dreaming about the variety of toppings he could put on his Neapolitan- and Sicilian-inspired pizzas, which he had to limit due to the small size of his bakery. The new location, less than 3 miles from the first Bakehouse, will give him more room to experiment with toppings and serve more customers. The partnership with Elation Brewing was agreed upon before the pandemic, with both McCormick and Elation’s co-owner, Kenny VanHook, envisaging a pizza oven in the brewery’s space.

Introduction

From The Virginia-Pilot By MATTHEW KORFHAGE

John McCormick’s Pizza Dream

A Larchmont Lager at Elation Brewing in Norfolk (Matthew Korfhage/Virginian-Pilot)

Bakehouse Expansion at Elation Brewing

For a while now, John McCormick of The Bakehouse at Chelsea has been keeping a dream journal of sorts — all the things he’d like to put on a pizza.

But in his tiny wood-fired bakery in Ghent’s Chelsea District, he had to be careful about what he put on top of his Neapolitan- and Sicilian-inspired pies. Not every ingredient travels well, or looks as good when it arrives.

“I always had to think about the fact that I was probably putting the pizza in a box,” McCormick said.

But soon he’ll have a little bit more room to play. By the end of March, the Bakehouse plans to be slinging its pies on a second wood-fired pizza oven inside Elation Brewing at 5104 Colley Ave., less than 3 miles from the first Bakehouse.

Expanded Pizza Menu

There, McCormick hopes to serve all the pizzas the Bakehouse has become known for — the fresh-mozzarella Margherita, the chorizo, and poblano, the white pie, and the salami and arugula — already popular beer accompaniments at the multiple breweries and beer bars in the Chelsea district.

But at Elation, with more room for dine-in customers and more prep space in the kitchen, he’ll be a little more “unshackled.”

Collaboration and Plans

The partnership with Elation was hatched right before the pandemic, he said. He and his wife were already fans of the brewery’s beers, and its comfortable high-ceilinged space and tent-topped patio. He casually dropped a hint to Elation co-owner Kenny VanHook: Wouldn’t a pizza oven look nice in that corner over there?

By the next time they saw each other, both business owners had already started drawing up the plans in their heads.

Question & Answer

Q: Why is Norfolk’s Bakehouse at Chelsea Wood-Fired Pizzas expanding its operations?

A: The Bakehouse is expanding its operations with a second pizza oven at Elation Brewing to have more room to experiment with toppings and serve more customers.

Q: What kind of pizzas does John McCormick of The Bakehouse at Chelsea specialize in?

A: John McCormick specializes in Neapolitan- and Sicilian-inspired pizzas such as the fresh-mozzarella Margherita, chorizo and poblano, white pie, and salami and arugula.

Q: How did the partnership between The Bakehouse and Elation Brewing come about?

A: The partnership with Elation Brewing was agreed upon before the pandemic, with both McCormick and Elation’s co-owner, Kenny VanHook, envisioning a pizza oven in the brewery’s space.