Industry Veterans Jon Mangini, Alex Carballo & Callaway Ryan Launch San Diego’s Newest Brewery & Third URBN Coal Fired Pizza
Hospitality veteran Jon Mangini of URBN Restaurants Inc. (BASIC Urban Kitchen + Bar, URBN Coal Fired Pizza, GANG Kitchen) officially opens doors this week to URBN Coal Fired Pizza El Cajon and URBN’s most exciting addition yet, the new in-house brewery operation, URBN St. Brewing Co. Tapping two of San Diego’s highly respected beer industry veterans, URBN El Cajon’s operating dream team includes nationally celebrated Executive Chef/Partner, Alex Carballo (Restaurant Hospitality Magazine’s “12 to Watch in 2012″, former Exec Chef Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido, Stone Catering) and one of San Diego’s most promising brewers on the rise, Head Brewer/Partner Callaway Ryan (Stone Brewing Co., SD; Surly Brewing Co., MN; Real Ale Brewing, Live Oak Brewing Co.,TX).
Alongside two sister locations, URBN Coal Fired Pizza in Vista as well as a location in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood, the new 4,000 square foot dual-concept launch takes URBN’s collective eastward, bringing a renewed spirit to a bustling street corner at 110 N. Magnolia Avenue in the heart of downtown El Cajon. Together, Mangini, Carballo and Ryan are thrilled to bring their vision of great beer and food to life in El Cajon’s rapidly growing neighborhood and have been meet with an overwhelming amount of support from the city and local community.
CALLAWAY RYAN: Callaway Ryan’s gravitation towards brewing started at an early age through a fortuitous trip to Germany. While traveling, he was exposed to Europe’s historically rich breweries and craft beers like Trappist ales, Rauchbier and Hefeweizen. As an avid homebrewer, Callaway quickly discovered a passion for fine beer that ultimately put him on an unwavering path towards a professional career. Today, Callaway has spent nearly a decade working alongside some of the nation’s top brewers including Minnesota’s Surly Brewing Co., Real Ale Brewing and Live Oak Brewing Co. out of Texas, and San Diego’s internationally celebrated industry pioneer, Stone Brewing Co., where he spent the last year and a half working as a senior brewer at their Escondido facility. As Callaway embarks on a new era of ownership alongside Jon and Alex, he’s most looking forward to creating recipes that are distinctly his own. “Being paid to brew your own beer is pretty much every brewer’s dream,” says Callaway. “I love the communal aspect of beer, and I can’t wait to have a bar full of people coming together around something I produced.
THE BREWERY: A multifaceted brewer, Callaway had to transition from production under Stone Brewing Co.’s twin 120-barrel systems to a much smaller scale 15-barrel, premier direct-fired brewhouse. Having spent the bulk of his career working on smaller systems, Callaway admits that he has missed many aspects of manual brewing and is excited to grow the brewery from scratch. With a variety of six staple suds to debut as the brewery opens doors, Callaway’s creations offer something for everyone — the ‘core four’ include an IPA, brown, saison and summer session along with a soon to be released ‘ESB’ [extra special bitter] and a hoppy wheat porter. With distribution already underway, expect to see URBN St. Brewing Co.’s beers on tap throughout greater San Diego in the months to come.
ALEX CARBALLO: Nationally respected as of one of Restaurant Hospitality Magazine’s “12 to watch in 2012” and noted in top industry publications such as Food & Wine, Sunset Magazine and Draft Magazine, Alex Carballo joins URBN El Cajon as Executive Chef and Partner. For the past five years, Alex served as Executive Chef and General Manager of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido, in addition to Stone Catering. A graduate of San Diego State University and the National Culinary & Baking School, Alex has helmed the kitchen at many prestigious San Diego restaurants, such as Crosby Country Club, Indigo Grill, Brigantine and The Fishery. He is a practicing member of Slow Food San Diego, which links the pleasure of food with a commitment to the community and environment; serves as a board member for Chef Celebration, is an advisor for the California Department of Education’s “California Farm to School Task Force,” and donates his time to many charities in Southern California.
THE RESTAURANT: Chef Carballo’s culinary program features URBN’s award-winning menu staple – a traditional thin crust, coal-fired pie, reminiscent of the famous pizzerias found in New Haven, Connecticut. Further down the line, Alex plans to introduce a handful of dishes unique to URBN’s El Cajon location alongside suggested beer pairings, creating a playful twist on pub favorites like signature wings, house made sausage and more to give neighborhood patrons a variety of approachable options. URBN El Cajon’s beverage program will feature 40 beers on draft, highlighting their brewery’s lineup, in addition to an eclectic selection of regional craft brews and local favorites. Lastly, craft beer education and ongoing beer dinners in partnership with a wide variety of San Diego breweries will be a monthly standard at URBN El Cajon, with a schedule to be released in the near future.
ABOUT URBN COAL FIRED PIZZA:
URBN Coal Fired Pizza is the casual-eatery spinoff from Jon Mangini, the industry veteran behind the award-winning BASIC Urban Kitchen + Bar. Mangini opened BASIC in 2006 in downtown San Diego, followed by a second location in Sacramento in 2008. With the overwhelming success of BASIC in the San Diego market, Mangini opened the doors to URBN Coal Fired Pizza in Vista in 2008 and most recently, a second location in the progressive North Park neighborhood. URBN boasts the same industrial feel and authentic New Haven style thin-crust pizza of BASIC with additional menu items and an extensive craft drink selection. Both establishments are consistently awarded for excellence in menu and concept, including an honor for Design Excellence by San Diego Home and Garden Magazine; recognized as “BEST PIZZA in San Diego” by NBC’s Golden Local, a viewer-based contest voted on by the locals; and was selected as a “Silver Fork” award winner by San Diego Home and Garden Magazine, an exclusive award that is handed out to only the best in San Diego dining and cuisine. BASIC has been featured in high profile media outlets such as The New York Times, MTV, The LA Times, and Riviera Magazine. Please visit www.urbnrestaurants.com for more information.
URBN Coal Fired Pizza
110 N. Magnoila Ave.
El Cajon, CA 92020
619-328-6922
[ CURRENT URBN ST. BREWING CO. BEERS ]
SUMMER ALE | 4.3%
LIGHT, BALANCED, BRITISH MALTS, LIGHT HONEY, FLORAL HOP NOSE
IPA | 6.50%
VIENNA MALT, WELL-BALANCED, FIRM MALT BACKBONE, SLIGHTLY BISCUITY, BUT NOT SWEET. GLACIER & PACIFICA HOPS, ORANGE, LIME AND FLORAL AROMAS, AND AND ASSERTIVE BITTERNESS
BRINK BROWN ALE | 5.1%
GRAHAM CRACKER, CHOCOLATE RAISIN, SUBTLE SWEETNESS, EARTHY, SLIGHTLY CITRUSY HOPS
SAISON | 6.2%
HAZY, STRAW BLONDE, BRIGHT ON THE PALATE, LIGHT BODY, RESTRAINED PHENOL (BUBBLEGUM), SPICY, SLIGHTLY HERBAL. GREAT PORCH BEER.
MALT BOMB ESB | 6.3%
BRIGHT, COPPER RED COLOR, TOFFEE, LIGHT CHOCOLATE, BLACKCURRANT, AND LEMONS.
GIGO HOPPY WHEAT PORTER | 6%
LIGHT BODY, GARNET IN COLOR, SUBDUED ROAST, VANILLA, MINT
*** Growler Fills Available for URBN St. Beers***
*Courtesy information