Last week, Cary Redfearn was given the final green light to bring his favorite thing about L.A. to Laguna Beach.
The owner of locals’ favorite, Lumberyard in downtown Laguna Beach, Cary Redfearn will be opening his concept restaurant, Slice, directly across the street in the old Stephen Frank space. The 1,259-square-foot historical space will soon be host to daily-made specialty gourmet pizza and slices, custom salads and fabulous finds in craft beer and wine. He hopes to open in time for the 4th of July weekend.
Perfect for individuals and families on the run
The quintessential “fast casual” restaurant, Slice sets itself apart as an inexpensive, healthy “grab-and-go” concept that’s designed with Laguna locals and their families in mind.
“As our kids grew up here in Laguna Beach, there have been a couple great fast casual restaurants that we would regularly go to,” says Cary.
“But, more and more often, Suzanne and I would find ourselves driving the kids out of Laguna just to get new options in good, healthy food on the go.
“With Slice, you’re able to pop in for a gourmet pizza slice of the day, or create your own custom pizza or pizza slice. And you know that … while it’s fast and convenient … it’s also super healthy because we’re only using fresh ingredients from our local farmers’ markets and gardens, and hand-making our dough and sauces every day,” says Cary.
“We’ll be offering vegetarian options as the base, but it’s not going to be ‘basic’ … you might find roasted zucchini and squash blossoms with Burrata cheese and dressed arugula one day and, maybe, chanterelle mushrooms and Manchego cheese the next,” says Cary.
Not interested in the option of the day? Mosey your way down the long number of assembly options with a helpful pizza aficionado piling on your favorite toppings as you go.
History meets hottest trend
The buildout will actually include a “build down” as the rooftop, added in 1971, will be removed to suit the building’s original historical status. From there, it’s all pretty simple. The original doors, windows and stamped concrete are in beautiful shape, and that’s just the way Cary and Suzanne intend to leave them.
The small space will soon welcome a carefully selected dough press and a 4,500-pound Woodstone pizza oven (capable of cooking any number of Cary’s thin-crust pizzas in five minutes).
A beverage station of craft brews will likely reside the East wall, and a Subway-like assembly counter offering numerous pizza topping options for customizing one’s pizza will be front and center.
In keeping with the building’s historical and industrial charm, the Redfearns plan for a long community table of repurposed wood and a window counter with accompanying bar stools.
“And that’s about it,” says Cary with a big smile as he shows me around the small space. “I mean … you can’t fit much more in here except a line of happy people.”