Following a press opening on April 4th, the owners of Cal’s Own pizzeria confirmed they plan to open to the public on April 7th at 5pm.

The restaurant will start with a ‘soft launch’ menu, with limited pizzas and dishes, in order to get used to the service and the new space. Kerry Kitchin, brother of Cal Kitchin, after whom the restaurant is named, said: “We will try to keep it simple and fast so many people can come and enjoy it.”

The restaurant will be open six days a week, while weekends will include lunchtime servings, and they eventually plan to offer lunches every day.

JesmondLocal exclusively broke the news of the restaurant’s relocation to Holly Avenue West from Chillingham Road in Heaton back in November.

Kitchin said that the store was built in co-operation with Cal Kitchin and their father, working together for the last few months. “It has been great working with our dad for these last few months,” Kitchin said. “We took time to get the vibe look and feel for the place, with lots of attention to detail. We wanted it to be so honest to us, that we are from Jesmond ourselves and we wanted to make something that feels like home. Everything in the store is a personal touch.”

The menu is likely to evolve over time. Cal Kitchin told JesmondLocal :“We kind of start making things different and we will try to make various kind of pizzas, since we have all the necessary equipment for that.”

He also added: “To make a pizza the way you have to, all the stars have to line up. It is less that once in a blue moon to succeed. The gods have to be on your side. So, we are very happy to give this to the general public and we know that not all the people can go over these prices and try this sort of food.

“We are happy to even get a loss on our product and show to people that this is what we do. We are not going for loads of money, but to show the people that this is the real deal, and that you can only get it in very few places, such as Naples, that do it the way we do.”