.Pizza Prodigy

When it comes to pizza, Justin Wadstein’s lore is prolific and all about it. He grew up working at his grandparents’ pizza parlor in the Central Valley, giving him foundational knowledge and experience. After high school, he moved to Santa Cruz and worked at several pizza places here, eventually becoming a general manager.

Then an opportunity unfurled before him when a friend decided to sell his pizza trailer. Wadstein leapt at the chance to realize his longtime ambition to go into business for himself, buying the trailer and founding Sleight of Hand Pizza in 2017. He says his mobile business is an around-town pop-up (usually at a brewery or winery) and is also available for private events.

The pizza dough is made using a 30-year-old sourdough starter originally from fermented Central Coast–grown grapes, providing a base for the mostly organic cheese and toppings. Wadstein says the fan favorite pie is Killer Bees, with tomato sauce base, mozzarella, local pepperoni, Calabrian chiles, aged Parmesan and white truffle-infused olive oil.

Other popular picks are the Lemon Arugula and the Appily Ever After, a culinary collage of honeycrisp apples, applewood-smoked bacon, fresh jalapeño, goat cheese and honey. Private events also feature appetizers, such as salads or charcuterie boards burgeoning with imported and domestic cheeses, fruits, hummus and high-end meats.

Dish on your pizza pedigree.

JUSTIN WADSTEIN: I am a 14-time world pizza champion, having won several titles in both the U.S. and Italy in pizza acrobatics. I’ve also won three world pizza triathlon competitions and one title for world’s fastest pizza spinner. I still offer interactive performances at our private events, but in the last handful of years I’ve focused more on the culinary side of competitions. In 2020, I placed in the top three of a well-renowned pizza contest, and more recently our Killer Bees pizza placed fourth out of 100 worldwide competitors.

What advice do you have for aspiring restaurateurs?

I grew up deeply involved in the pizza industry, and always had a yearning to invest in myself and start a business. Without massive capital or investor-backed financing, the pizza trailer provided an affordable way to turn dream into reality. I encourage others in a similar situation to scale back their vision, start small with a food truck or trailer, focus on putting out great product and give it time to grow organically.

Sleightofhandpizza.com