By Andra Moss

It is rare to catch Peter Crippen taking a break. But he enthusiastically pulled up a seat recently at the Icebox Café to share the origin of Saturday Night Pizza, a detour into evening fare at the popular breakfast and lunch spot he and his wife, Marinell, opened in Norfolk last year.

It all began, said Crippen, because “My son, Rex, is infatuated with pizza and he and his friend Luca Maiolo suggested making pizza last summer for one of Norfolk’s Friday Night on the Green events.” A few process tweaks and a season later, the two friends are the power behind the pie every Saturday night from 4:30 to 8 p.m., working out of the kitchen at the Icebox Café.

Crippen said the weekend evening timing works out perfectly. “The guys decided they could do this on Saturday nights since they didn’t have basketball games,” he said. Moreover, Cripppen had already noted that local families didn’t necessarily want to go out to eat but also didn’t want to cook a weekend meal.

A deal was struck. Crippen offered the teens, both sophomores at Northwest Regional 7 High School, the chance to make what they love while learning about the business side of the food industry. “I said they could pay me for the product and costs and then keep the profits,” said Crippen.

The two really do run the show. “Rex and Luca are in charge of advertising, sales and marketing and the kitchen operation. Saturday afternoons they organize their checklists and start getting their stations ready,” he said. By 4:30 p.m., they are ready for the first pizza to roll out. At the end of the night, the three go over costs and do the bookkeeping. For the record, they are breaking even.

It’s a tag team: Rex Crippen handles phones and orders, Maiolo assembles and bakes each pizza while Rex pulls them out at just the optimal moment. Although most customers delight in the Saturday night takeaway option, one can take a seat in the café to enjoy their pie, if desired.

Locals ready for a slice of Norfolk pizza action can preorder on Instagram (direct message @ICBXSNP), call the café at 860-671-0005 or just walk into 10 Station Place. The 10-inch crispy crust pizzas start with a foundation of artisanal dough from Housatonic’s Berkshire Mountain Bakery.

Combinations vary from a classic margherita to white pizzas with arugula and shaved parmesan or artichoke and pesto. Andouille sausage, onions and peppers can also make an appearance.

Word is definitely getting around town. For the Dec. 6 downtown holiday stroll, every last pizza was sold. Not content to rest on their wintertime laurels, the team at Saturday Night Pizza is already looking ahead and building towards a golden, crispy-crusted summer.