The BrickHouse story

Pizza Is a Craft Worth Mastering

I’m Shweta Rai—a food enthusiast who enjoys serving food as much as eating it, especially baked goods. Running a bakery taught me that the same food can mean something different to every person. I wanted to go beyond making many things well and devote myself to mastering one craft.

Together with my life partner, Ajay, I chose pizza because few foods adapt so naturally to different tastes, moods and occasions. It can be light or indulgent, soft or crisp, simple or layered—made for one person, yet even better around a shared table. Pizza brings people together without asking everyone to want the same thing. That versatility and naturally shareable character made it the craft we chose to master.

Shweta presenting a freshly baked pizza in front of the BrickHouse brick oven — We chose one thing to understand deeply

Shweta, co-founder of BrickHouse Pizza, in her baking kitchen — Motherhood turned my care into a clear standard for every bake

The standard

Motherhood Made Quality Non-Negotiable

Quality and thoughtful ingredients had always mattered to me. Motherhood made that responsibility feel even stronger. I began asking a simple question of everything I made: would I confidently serve this to my child, and would I feel comfortable making it part of our everyday food? That question turned my preference for quality ingredients and food made without added preservatives or palm oil into a non-negotiable promise—for my family and every family I serve.

A collage showing different pizza styles, toppings and a brick-oven bake — One canvas, shaped for many different tastes

The niche

Choosing Pizza as Our One Craft

People already loved the pizzas I made, but choosing pizza as my one craft meant looking beyond what I already knew. My earlier experience with dough and fermentation helped me look beyond taste and presentation—to understand structure, texture, aroma, digestibility and the purpose of every ingredient.

I explored how pizza is prepared and enjoyed across the world and was amazed by its countless regional variations—and by the many traditional dishes built on similar ideas of dough, toppings and heat.

The journey was exciting, but more importantly, it helped Ajay and me understand what we valued most and choose the direction we wanted BrickHouse Pizza to take.

Shweta shaping pizza dough by hand in her kitchen — Going deeper into flour, dough and fermentation

The depth

Choosing One Craft Let Us Go Deeper

Choosing pizza as our niche gave us the opportunity to move beyond recipes and study the craft in depth. We began exploring where ingredients came from, the varieties available, and what each one brought to the table.

We tried flours from different regions and studied fermentation methods used across the world. What amazed us was how the same basic ingredients could produce remarkably different flavours, aromas and textures. Every experiment showed us how much there was still to understand—and made the journey even more exciting.

Shweta and Ajay studying ingredients and planning BrickHouse Pizza together — Questions, experiments and a shared set of principles

The understanding

Every Ingredient Has a Reason

Our exploration soon moved beyond flour and fermentation. We compared tomato varieties grown in India and abroad, observing how their sweetness, acidity and texture changed the sauce.

Fresh cheese was another revelation. Like many Indian consumers, I had never paid close attention to what freshness could bring to cheese. Once we experienced the difference it made to flavour and texture, it completely changed the way we thought about pizza.

We discovered the same depth in olive oil. Different olive varieties, growing regions and production methods create noticeably different aromas and flavours. Choosing one niche allowed us to examine every ingredient instead of accepting it at face value, and to select it for what it contributed—not simply because it sounded imported or premium.

Built with craft. Guided by questions. Made to be shared.

Today

What This Journey Means for You

All this learning comes down to a simple promise: pizza that tastes joyful and feels thoughtfully made.

We give our dough the time it needs, choose ingredients for what they genuinely bring to the pizza, avoid added preservatives and palm oil, and use the intense heat of a brick oven to create flavour and character.

We will keep learning and refining. Your experience should remain simple: pizza made with care, full of character and meant to be shared.

The story continues

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