Food+Drink

Fanning the Flames

Fired Up: a wood-fired pizza place giving back to the community

Thom Fountain, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

YOU’RE FIRED(UP FOR MAKIN’ DELICIOUS PIZZA)! Fired Up Pizza – which opened this summer – is bringing the heat, with a unique menu of wood-fired pizza and an equally unique business model, with a portion of profits going back into the community.
YOU’RE FIRED(UP FOR MAKIN’ DELICIOUS PIZZA)! Fired Up Pizza – which opened this summer – is bringing the heat, with a unique menu of wood-fired pizza and an equally unique business model, with a portion of profits going back into the community.

At this point, you’d think there isn’t much left to do with pizza. Every combination of toppings, ratio of cheese to sauce and crust dough have been tried, right? Well the folks over at Fired Up – which opened this summer –   are challenging that with their brand of wood-fired pizza.

When you walk in, you immediately sense the distinctive smoky smell and red-hot glow of the ovens. The restaurant – which is on Keystone Crossing near Oakwood Mall – has two levels and a very warm atmosphere, with a predominantly red and orange colors running throughout, with wood accents.

When you walk in, you immediately sense the distinctive smoky smell and red hot glow of the ovens.

The new restaurant started by a handful of investors hired Eau Claire chef Laurel Robertson to take the lead and create their unique wood-fired fare. Robertson –  who you may know from her own company Dinner’s On, LLC –  decided to take a healthy spin on the dish, which isn’t new for her. Robertson has been highly involved in promoting and advocating for healthier lifestyles, starting with the food you eat. She has worked with children in the Junior League’s “Kids in the Kitchen” program and is a former State Ambassador for Weight Watchers, Inc.

Those healthy options don’t come at the expense of taste, though. Fired Up offers a wide variety of pizzas, which range from interesting combinations to your basics (don’t worry, you can get just pepperoni if you really want to). Some of the unique combinations –  dubbed “Laurel’s Specialties” –  include a Twisted Thai pizza (with the kind of ingredients you might find in a stir fry) and a Mushroom Madness (with a blend of mushrooms, chicken and onions). But, like any good pizza place, you’re more than welcome to create your own –  the menu has a massive selection of ingredients to sample. And of course each pie is baked in the wood-fire ovens to give it that nice crispy, almost smoky flavor that that electric oven of yours just dreams it could provide.

Robertson’s menu isn’t the only interesting twist Fired Up provides. The business model is centered around giving back to the community. A “generous slice” of the profits generated by the business are given back to local charity groups. Investors hope that slice will reach 50% within the first few years of being open. That being said, Fired Up is still a for-profit business. The owners hope the model of a for-profit, yet community minded business will spread if they can be successful.

Keeping with the community spirit, Fired Up is hosting a local photo contest to help decorate their walls. Images must reflect the theme “People and Places of the Chippewa Valley.” And even the competition has a hint of charity in it: Winning prints can be sold there, but Fired Up requests that at least 10% of any profits go back into the community.

So if you were getting tired of the same old pizza, keep your head up. Fired Up may be just the place to reinvigorate your love for all things bready, saucy and cheesy.

Fired Up is located at 4689 Keystone Crossing. For more information on the restaurant, photo contest or their giving back program, find them online at FiredUpPizzaCo.com.