Sean Welch
Audio By Carbonatix
Hustle Town Pizza is the result of a tireless work ethic from chef Desmon Coleman.
After attending culinary school in Southern California, Coleman walked into a formidable Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, Bestia, and asked for a job. What started as a prep cook position – washing vegetables, making sauces, helping out however he could – eventually led to a more desirable spot on the line. His hustle allowed him to work up the pecking order at several restaurants in L.A.
But after the pandemic hit, Coleman decided it was time to move back to Texas. Upon his return, he like many others, tried his hand at barbecue. While he’s pretty damn good at it, the small farmer’s market where he was slinging smoked meats just wasn’t enough to pay the bills. Again, he found his way back into the restaurant scene. Between serving drinks at The Henry and Yardbird Southern Table and Bar, two popular spots in downtown Dallas, he saved enough cash to get a single Ooni pizza oven. From there he started serving pizzas out of his garage by pre-order only. That’s where we discovered him.
The Mona Lisa
Sean Welch
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At first he only served two options. A white pie with kale, pecorino romano, ricotta and scallions and a more traditional pepperoni pie topped with Mike’s Hot Honey. His pizzas quickly garnered attention around town and for a few good reasons; he uses high-quality ingredients, his dough is made from a sourdough starter he brought back from San Francisco. Pair that with Caputo 00 flour and the San Marzano tomatoes and you have yourself an elevated pie.
As his notoriety grew, he started doing pop-ups at Hop and Sting Brewing Co. in Grapevine where he paired his pies with pit master Trey Sanchez of Vaqueros Bar-B-Q. While we love the collaborations, his pies stand strong on their own.
The brisket birria pizza has dollops of brisket from Vaqueros Bar-B-Q.
Sean Welch
Over the year his stable has grown; he now boasts two Roccboxes, portable pizza ovens and has a rotation of unique pizzas. The Bougie Grandpa pizza is topped with Italian sausage, mozzarella, garlic, San Marzano tomatoes and mushrooms. While it’s a gem, our favorite has is his masterpiece: the Mona Lisa, which comes covered in confit garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, thyme, shallots and garlic oil.
After one bite it was easy to see why he chose the name. With these creations, he’s established a solid setup for himself. He’s now a permanent fixture for Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday nights at Hop and Sting, and Friday’s at Malone’s Pub in Fort Worth. The thing about Coleman and Hustle Town Pizza is that he truly is a hustler. His culinary background has set him up for success, but his work ethic has led to delicious results.
If pizza wasn’t enough, he’s now serving up brisket smash burgers as well, we recommend you get some pizza and a burger ASAP. Follow Hustle Town Pizza’s social media for the menu each week.