“It’s official! We have a location for the new Katie’s Pizza & Pasta … just got the keys!” Such read the post on Katie Lee’s personal Facebook page last Thursday. The news that Katie’s Pizza & Pasta is moving into the space at 9568 Manchester Road., in Rock Hill, is another step forward for Lee, founder of Katie’s Pizzeria, and Ted Collier, Lee’s fiance and business partner, as they move ahead with their new venture.
In January, The Scoop reported that Lee and Collier hoped to open an artisan Italian restaurant. The couple turned to the local community for $40,000 in financial backing via a Kickstarter campaign, which ended successfully on March 15. Not only did Lee and Collier meet their goal, but they exceeded it, garnering nearly $43,000 in pledges. When The Scoop commented to Lee that the rewards offered to Kickstarter supporters were generous – cooking classes, pre-opening tastings, pizza-making parties and delivered business lunches – Lee responded, “We had to make it worth it.”
With funding behind them, Lee and Collier are focusing on readying the 2,700-square-foot space for an opening in mid- to late-July. Lee and Collier met last Friday with the architects for Katie’s Pizza & Pasta, Tom Cohen and Tom McGraw, who also designed restaurateur Zoe Pidgeon’s I Fratellini and the now defunct Zoe Pan Asian. Lee is pleased that the future home for her restaurant in the three-year-old Market at McKnight development has never been occupied. “Because it’s a new building and completely open, it’s the perfect canvas to do whatever we want,” said Lee.
When the build-out is complete, guests should encounter a feast for all senses. There will be an open kitchen with a wood-burning oven; behind the bar will be a living green wall of herbs and reels from Italian retro films running on a projector. Pasta will be drying on racks along the walls. Look up and you’ll see a reclaimed wood ceiling; look down and you’ll find a mural on the concrete floor painted by Lee’s mother and Collier, who is also an artist. Mismatched tables and chairs along with communal harvest tables will supply seating for upwards of 80 diners, while a large patio, complete with a pergola, will offer outdoor seating during warm weather.
As for the food, expect numerous items to be made in-house, including: pizza and pasta doughs; sauces and dressings; house-cured pancetta; mozzarella, burrata and ricotta cheeses; and desserts, including gelato. Although the menu has not been finalized, interested eaters can garner an idea of the dishes that Katie’s Pizza & Pasta will offer by perusing the “menu” section of the restaurant’s Kickstarter page.
When queried about the decision to locate her restaurant in Rock Hill, Lee responded, “We want to go where there’s an opportunity. There’s nothing like us out there. There are some great restaurants, but it’s not quite as saturated” as other neighborhoods, she explained.
This article appears in April 2013.