I started Brooklyn Pizza Company in 1996, using my credit card, college loans, and endless hours of hard work. Growing up in New York, I had enjoyed good pizza countless times. When I moved to Tucson for graduate school, I soon realized that academia was not my calling and that excellent pizza was lacking in the area. Armed with my grandfather's pizza recipe from his 1970s pizzeria in Brooklyn, along with a lot of optimism and energy, Brooklyn Pizza Company was born. In the early years, 100-hour work weeks were the norm, but it was passion and energy well spent. With our great-tasting pizza leading the way, Brooklyn was a slow and steady success. Gradually and with much effort, we grew, fine-tuned operations, and avoided the financial temptation to expand into a chain, instead focusing on continuously improving ourselves while giving back to the community. A true milestone was becoming 100% solar-powered, a lifelong dream of mine. Hundreds of wonderful Tucsonans have worked at Brooklyn over the last two and a half decades, giving it their all and making it the best it could be. Together, we made—and together we still make—the best pizza in the Southwest!

Years later, when a vacancy occurred next to Brooklyn, I gave great thought to what would thrive in that space. A bar was the obvious choice. But what kind of bar? Inspired by the brilliant Southwestern sun and shining night time stars, I made those things the centerpiece of Sky Bar, in hopes of inspiring others and creating an educational and fun environment. What a perfect fit for Tucson: a solar-powered café by day, and an astronomy bar by night. Sky Bar provides a safe place for all to celebrate and learn—to plug into the sun and study with a cup of coffee, or lose yourself in the rings of Saturn, a distant nebula, or dance up a storm while enjoying a finely mixed cocktail.

As Brooklyn and Sky Bar grew, and as other employees stepped up, I was able to gradually work a little less each year. A little over seven years ago, still working passionately with  the majority of my waking moments focused on work, it dawned on me: Do I want to try something new? I decided to build a home on a creek in Oregon, start a family, work remotely, and return to the glorious desert throughout the year for some in-person work. It’s still a year-round, full-time job—which is great since I love to work. I’m always eager to return to Tucson each time, to work side by side with my staff, and of course, to eat pizza!