Crusty, crafty… pizza!

Transcona

Now open at 1311 Day St., Crusty Craft Pizza promises to bring the tastes of the old world to Transcona and beyond. The new, takeout-only restaurant offers authentic European-style pizza along with wings, Italian salads and French fries.

Owners Iryna Mehedyn and Oleksii Samokhval met in October 2022 at a hotel housing Ukrainian newcomers to Canada. She hails from Ternopil and he’s from Kyiv. They soon married and welcomed daughter Maia 15 months ago.

The couple settled in Transcona and often hosted friends, who always complimented the food. Their pizza was a particular hit.

“Our guests told us it was beautiful,” Samokhval said. “It was the best pizza they tried. After, we made the decision to buy a pizza place.”

Once Mehedyn and Samokhval committed to launching Crusty Craft Pizza, they went all in. They visited Mehedyn’s aunt in Naples, Italy, and talked cooking with the locals for a month.

“We talked with a lot of Italians about dough, pizza styles, and they shared their secrets with us,” Samokhval said.

When the young couple returned to Canada, one thing that wasn’t a secret was that many people they knew craved European-style pizza but told them a good slice was rare.

Not anymore, Mehedyn and Samokhval vow. For them, it all starts with the crust, which is thin throughout before thickening at the rim. The dough is only rolled by hand, never by machine.

“Our dough is not heavy for your stomach because its fermented for 24 hours,” Mehedyn said.

The cheese is from authentic mozzarella balls; the vegetables are fresh. Unique combinations begin with the four cheese, which includes mozzarella, brie, gorgonzola and parmesan. The sauce base is alfredo, and honey, pear and walnuts are blended in.

The classic features mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, tomatoes and mushrooms, while the prosciutto crudo boasts prosciutto, arugula and cherry tomatoes. Consider ordering salads such as Caprese, prosciutto or Greek along with a side of barbecue, honey garlic or sweet chili wings. Prefer fries? Crusty Craft offers regular or truffle options.

Mehedyn prefers the classic, while her brother Andrii likes the meat lovers. Samokhval likes both the meat lovers and four cheese.

Opening Crusty Craft is a leap of faith for the couple. Mehedyn was a makeup artist in Ukraine, while Samokhval was a lawyer and ran an events company. United by their love of cooking and the many requests for European-style pizza, they’ve become restaurateurs.

“I love to cook,” Mehedyn said. “At home, all of our guests love to eat our food.”

“We want to bring new-style pizza to Canada that people can try,” Samokhval said. “Canadian pizza is also very good, but we want to create something new. We are also looking at new combinations like seafood.”

Crusty Craft Pizza is open from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Call 204-222-1333 or visit them on Instagram and Facebook. A website is in development.