After moving to San Diego in 2020, AJ Miller couldn’t find the East Coast-style pizza he grew up on, so he taught himself to make New Haven-style “apizza.” He sets his home oven to its 550-degree max, bakes on a heavy steel plate and finishes the pies under the broiler. “It took a couple years to really perfect my craft,” he told the California Post.
He didn’t realize how much this craft would pay off. This past summer, Miller was laid off from his marketing job and had to scramble to make ends meet. He started Echo Apizza out of his Ocean Beach apartment with a text list of about 75 customers. Word spread quickly and so did his list. More than 3,500 people now vie for the just 15 orders he makes a week. The 15-inch pies sell out in less than 30 seconds and cost $25 to $30 each.
The only obstacle Miller faces is keeping up with demand, but scarcity is sort of his secret sauce. “I think people do like what they can’t get,” he said.
After moving to San Diego in 2020, AJ Miller couldn’t find the East Coast-style pizza he grew up on, so he taught himself to make New Haven-style “apizza.” He sets his home oven to its 550-degree max, bakes on a heavy steel plate and finishes the pies under the broiler. “It took a couple years to really perfect my craft,” he told the California Post.
He didn’t realize how much this craft would pay off. This past summer, Miller was laid off from his marketing job and had to scramble to make ends meet. He started Echo Apizza out of his Ocean Beach apartment with a text list of about 75 customers. Word spread quickly and so did his list. More than 3,500 people now vie for the just 15 orders he makes a week. The 15-inch pies sell out in less than 30 seconds and cost $25 to $30 each.
The only obstacle Miller faces is keeping up with demand, but scarcity is sort of his secret sauce. “I think people do like what they can’t get,” he said.