When good times and dough are involved somewhere in Nashville, you can bet Karl Worley is probably involved. Since founding the successful Biscuit Love with his wife Sarah — first as a food truck before expanding into three brick-and-mortar locations in Nashville and Franklin — Karl has become a favorite among locals and tourists alike for his innovative takes on biscuit sandwiches. Now he’s turning his talents and focus toward another passion of his — wood-fired pizza.
Sometime in early July, Worley will open his newest restaurant venture, ‘za, in the former home of Juice Bar in the old Sunset Grill space in Hillsboro Village. (It’s a sad testament when we describe a location by two restaurants that aren’t there anymore …) But Worley thinks he can make a go of it at his cozy new pizzeria, which will feature about 45 seats divided between the indoor dining room and the covered patio. The relatively small (1,200-square-foot) space should keep overhead low, and Worley plans to offer a compact menu of about eight pies. Because he’ll be cooking these pizzas in a 900-degree inferno for about 90 seconds, substitutions will not be allowed — not every topping can tolerate those cooking conditions. Worley says he will subtract ingredients if requested, but really, just let the man cook one of his pies for you.
Worley is especially proud of his dough, made from a four-day fermentation using a sourdough starter that he has been feeding since he was in culinary school. “I really like the extra funk it gets,” he explains. After months of experimentation in his backyard wood-fired pizza oven, Worley thinks he’s got his recipe nailed down and has ordered a custom four-ton oven from Italy. My exuberance about this development is only heightened by the fact that I live on the same street as ‘za, and that Karl has promised to call me so I can walk down and watch them figure out how to fit that monstrous oven through the front window.
In addition to his tight pizza menu, Worley will offer a couple of salads and one dessert, plus a nice selection of wines and beers on tap and more beers in the cooler. Yeah, so pretty much if you’re looking for me after mid-July, you know where to find me. We’ll have more details from our interview with Worley in the May 30 print edition of the Scene.
‘za
2005 Belcourt Ave.
(website coming soon)
