By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
Growing up in Milford, Connecticut, Nick Sanford never lacked for lunch options. The small city just southwest of New Haven “had pizza trucks everywhere,” Sanford recalled.
When Sanford moved to the Syracuse area three years ago, the food truck scene was practically a ghost town.
“Oh, man, they’re missing out in Syracuse,” Sanford remembered thinking.
Sanford, who lives in Brewerton, decided to bring a taste of his old home to his new home in 2015, when he founded the Toss ‘n’ Fire Wood-Fired Pizza food truck. Toss ‘n’ Fire now has two mobile units, trailers with built-in pizza ovens, that travel across Central New York for food truck rodeos, community events and catering opportunities.
Toss ‘n’ Fire celebrated its second anniversary and the start of its third food truck season this past Saturday at Willow Rock Brewing Company in Syracuse. Sanford said Toss ‘n’ Fire often partners with local businesses.
“Willow Rock has definitely been one of the nicest places we’ve worked with,” he said. “We don’t sell beer, and they don’t sell pizza, so it kind of works out.”
In addition to its second anniversary, Toss ‘n’ Fire has another reason to celebrate. In October 2016, Sanford set down stakes in North Syracuse with Toss ‘n’ Fire’s first brick-and-mortar location.
“It’s the biggest question we get [at events] … ‘Where’s your location? Where can I get your pizza again?’” Sanford said.
In addition to customers’ pleas for a permanent location, Toss ‘n’ Fire needed a home base for its growing catering operation.
“We were looking for a headquarters for catering. It really helps to have a centralized location for us to work out of,” Sanford said.
With Ironwood in Manlius and Apizza Regionale in Syracuse, Sanford wanted a little breathing room between Toss ‘n’ Fire and its competitors. He chose a former pizzeria in North Syracuse as his restaurant’s new home.
“Route 11 is crazy, crazy busy,” he said of the location. “We can’t pay for the advertising being here gives us.”
Sanford said North Syracuse has been “very welcoming” to his restaurant, and customers both new and old stop by to get their pizza fix.
“There are a lot of people who were regulars with the food truck who became regulars here,” he said.
What sets Toss ‘n’ Fire apart, Sanford said, is its unique ingredients. Toss ‘n’ Fire is best known for its salt potato pizza, which unites Syracuse’s favorite spud with applewood bacon and a blend of three cheeses. Sanford said Toss ‘n’ Fire imports “00” flour and San Marzano tomatoes from Italy.
“You can put anything on pizza,” Sanford said, “so I think you should do that, make something different.”
Sanford said he had always dreamed of opening a pizzeria, and his first job in Connecticut was slinging slices. He attended culinary school, focusing on restaurant management, and ended up working for Panera Bread, which easily transferred Sanford when he and his wife decided to move closer to her family in CNY.
After a year of research, Sanford decided to start the Toss ‘n’ Fire food truck. He became a founding member of the Syracuse Food Truck Association, learning from area veterans like PB&J’s Lunchbox and Chicken Bandit.
“It was a huge, huge help for me to learn from other food truck operators,” Sanford said. “It’s always better to talk to someone who’s doing it or [has] done it when you’re trying to start a business.”
Like most endeavors in the food industry, running a successful food truck is hard work. While the Syracuse food truck scene is relatively small, Sanford has seen other enterprises come and go.
“It’s definitely tough being a food truck in this area, mostly because of the weather. You get six months if you’re lucky,” he said. “It’s like any other business: You’ve got to put your all into it. It’s not something you can do two days a week.”
Sanford said much of the credit for Toss ‘n’ Fire’s success goes to his staff.
“I definitely couldn’t do it without the team I have here,” he said. “I have a great staff, and they’re all really awesome.”
Toss ‘n’ Fire Wood-Fired Pizza is located at 315 N. Main St. in North Syracuse. To see the menu, hours of operation, upcoming events and catering options, visit tossnfirepizza.com.
