Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Weisberg.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am 48 years old and spent my entire life since infancy visiting my grandparents in Bay Harbor. Miami was always home away from home for me. I had a very successful 25-year career on Wall St. I have always been a pizza geek. Most kids are pizza geeks but then palates change and become more refined. Wall Street afforded me the luxury and opportunity to entertain clients 4 to 5 nights a week in what I would consider the finest restaurants in the world. However, living in NY as I aged my passion for pizza grew not diminished. I wanted a change. I wanted to dovetail my love for pizza into a business. I was introduced to Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn by a former Wall St. colleague. Paulie and I hit it off and I began my professional pizza journey with an 18 month unpaid internship where Paulie taught me all things pizza both in the kitchen and out. I agreed when I started to work for him that if I developed an aptitude for the craft of pizza that I would open a Paulie Gee’s of my own. 4 years later we are approaching the Paulie Gee’s Miami 1 year anniversary.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I expected the road to have bumps and detours and my expectations in this regard have been exceeded by 1000%. We chose our location based on several factors the main one being it was an existing restaurant. An interior renovation turned devolved into something of size and scope that was more apt for an 80 story condo tower in the middle of a national park. Coming from NY, I was ill prepared for the challenges small business owners face in Miami. To be fair the City of Miami is exploding and I’m not sure any city agency can truly be prepared to meet the demands of hyper-growth and things can get buried in the shuffle. Paulie Gee’s Miami wasn’t isolated in its efforts to open but one of 100s of businesses that are trying to open. It’s easy to talk about now because I can see the forest but when stuck in the trees it was the most horrible feeling.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Paulie Gee’s Miami – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We make traditional Neapolitan pizza in an all wood burning oven using traditional and nontraditional flavor combinations. We are known for our pizza and our unique restaurant space that is located in an old Chinese restaurant. What sets us apart from others is our dough. In addition, 20 percent of our menu is Vegan. We make in house Vegan sausage and cheese that is absolutely amazing. It’s delicate and tasty and almost impossible to replicate. The Hellboy is our number one seller. Fresh Mozzarella, Parmesan Reggiano, Hot Soppressata, Tomatoes, and topped with post oven chili infused honey. Our mostly Italian wine list is amazing and quite affordable. We also carry 8 rotating local craft beers all from Dade County.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Currently we plan on perfecting what we have and always coming up with creative pizzas. We are now responding to the requests we get for special events which our space is really suited for but TBH was never our plan.
Pricing:
- All Craft Beers at $7
Contact Info:
- Address: 8001 Biscayne Blvd.,
Miami, Florida 33138 - Website: http://pauliegee.com/miami/
- Phone: (786) 558-8315
- Email: info@pgmiami.com
- Instagram: @pauliegeesmiami
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pauliegeesmiami/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/paulie-gees-miami-miami-3
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
