MEET: BRIAN PLUTCHOK, the Pizziaolo Behind PIZZA BY PLU
Brian Plutchok, creator of Pizza by Plu, talks pizza drops, adding pasta, DJ-ing + why some people can’t handle The Rules.
Interview : Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: D.K.O Photography/The Dishing
Location: Pizza By Plu, Guilderland, N.Y.
Tastemaker: Brian Plutchok
Current Project/Business: Pizza By Plu, Guilderland | IG: @pizza_by_plu Sunday ordering: via Toast.
Hometown: Washingtonville, NY
Current city: Rotterdam, NY
Personal style (what you wear/brands): If I'm not in a Pizza By Plu T-shirt, it's Banana Republic all day
Listening to (style, tracks, genre): House, minimal, tech house, techno, and hip hop
Favorite classic cocktail or non-alc drink: I've been on a bourbon kick lately. Weller Special Reserve over one rock, or a good Old Fashioned
Coffee or tea – and what’s your order: It's always the local heavyweight Death Wish Coffee, cream and sugar
Biggest professional industry influence(s): Frank Pinello of Best Pizza in Williamsburg; also Joseph Beddia of Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia
Industry trend that should end: Not limited to the industry, more all of society - negativity and entitlement
“Welcome to The Dishing’s Quick Serve interviews where we talk matters of taste with tastemakers in the hospitality industry and trailblazers at the intersection of food, culture and art. Today, we’re talking with Brian Plu of Pizza By Plu, a cult-favorite, pop-up Detroit-style pizza business in the Capital Region which has recently shifted gears into a brick-and-mortar storefront in Guilderland.
Thanks for talking with The Dishing, Plu! Let’s get into it.
For people who may not know about Pizza by Plu, your business has, until recently, been a unique "pizza drop" system. Your customers would sign up for 1 of 48 pie slots on a Sunday to be collected from rotating locations four days a week—literally out of the back of your car. Since Pizza By Plu became known not only for the pizza itself, but for how people order it, what are the rules of your ordering system, and why are they important for you to have?
The rules are pretty simple. Ordering for the whole week goes live Sunday at noon. Choose your day and pickup time. Show up on your day and time and pick up your pizza. The Rules give me structure and routine so that I can run this business using equipment typically not meant for making pizza. This really runs more like a catering operation, as I don't have a bunch of people working for me. I handle everything about this business, from creating the recipes and menu, to purchasing all the ingredients and supplies, and handling all of my social media and marketing. I take and edit every picture, write every post, and choose every song for each post. This whole business is an extension of my personality.
You have always focused on a Detroit-style deep dish pizza and good ingredients. How would you describe the quintessential Pizza by Plu pizza?
The quintessential Pizza By Plu pizza has an overnight cold fermented high hydration dough that's made in house, a lot of high quality cheese, two good stripes of a rich red sauce that's made fresh every week using DOP San Marzano tomatoes, and finished with some grated pecorino romano. The mozzarella goes all the way to the pan's edge, creating a crispy caramelized cheese crust. I've put years into developing my dough recipe, sauce recipe, and pizza topping combinations and flavors, and I think that fact shows in the end results. Mine is similar to a New York-style dough with a little extra hydration. Even with all of the time I've invested, I'm always tinkering and trying new techniques and ingredients. I recently made the switch to Grande mozzarella and I'm extremely happy with the results. Grande is a high quality mozzarella that is creamy and packed full of flavor.
What are some of your pie flavors and do you have a favorite?
My pizzas range from your typical cheese and pepperoni to the fan favorite “Ricotta Be Kidding Me”, which is a white pie with roasted garlic cream sauce, ricotta, roasted broccoli, and finished with a drizzle of truffle balsamic glaze.
Another popular and very different pie is the “Au Gratin”, also a white pie that has the roasted garlic cream sauce, thin sliced Yukon gold potatoes, sharp cheddar, thick cut bacon, and is finished with fresh cracked black pepper.
I have a pizza named after each of my twin daughters: “The McKenna” has red sauce, pepperoni, jalapeños, and a drizzle of Golden Waffles Hot honey, fitting her sweet and spicy personality; while “The Sweet Baby Maeve” is a BBQ chicken pizza featuring chicken, sweet baby Ray's BBQ sauce, sharp cheddar, red onions, and is finished with fresh cilantro. The sweet flavor profile fits Maeve's personality perfectly.
I'd have to say that my personal favorite is the Tyler Durden, named after Brad Pitt's character in one my favorite movies, Fight Club. The Tyler Durden is a carnivore’s dream pizza, featuring red sauce, double pepperoni, thick cut bacon, and is finished with a drizzle of Golden Waffles Hot Honey.
You built a huge following without a permanent home, so what finally made you decide it was time to move into a brick-and-mortar space in Guilderland? And has a permanent space had a significant impact on your schedule or process?
When I started renting a commercial kitchen, it was in a tech park in Colonie that didn't allow for items to be picked up without a variance from the town. So, the parking lot drops became the norm. While I loved the clandestine nature of how the drops went, the only way for me to grow the business was to spend more time in the kitchen. The only way to make that happen was to find a permanent kitchen that would allow pick ups. While I've only been in my current location since January 1st, I'm already extremely happy with how the cooking has gone and with the space in general. Not to mention, I finally have a walk in fridge at my disposal. That in itself is a game changer.
You didn’t come up through a traditional restaurant kitchen. Almost all of your career has been front of house in restaurants and country clubs. Where were you working when you started experimenting with pizza and when did it start to feel serious enough to start a business?
Before starting this business, I had never cooked a single day in a professional kitchen. I was a server, bartender, and front of the house manager at a few places, such as Uno's in Latham, PF Changs, and Bonefish Grill. I left corporate restaurants and shifted to country clubs in 2015. I used to work at Albany Country Club, and when Covid hit in 2020, I was out of work for three months. I took this time to play around in my home kitchen, testing out various different dough recipes. In the pandemic I was trying out so many different recipes to get to the perfect dough. I think I took away a little from Roberta’s Neo-Neapolitan, Bobby Flay’s and Martha Stewart’s. I used different flours and ingredients and took things that I liked from each recipe, until I came up with my own. When I went back to work, I started sharing pizzas with friends, family, coworkers, and members at Albany Country Club. The feedback that I got was outstanding. The more I experimented at home, the more I realized that was what I was supposed to be doing with my life.
After previously being nominated as a write in, you won the 2025 Times Union Readers’ Poll for Best Pizza in the Capital Region. Where were you when you found out, and what did that recognition mean to you?
Oh, I'll never forget that moment. Other than watching my daughters being born, it was one of the most emotional moments of my life. It was St. Patrick's Day of 2025, and I was in my basement starting a load of laundry. I received a message on Instagram from a representative from the Times Union. She told me that I had won first place, and I'm pretty sure, in my typical fashion, I told her to “get the F out of here”. She told me that she triple checked the counts, and even gave me the percentage of votes I had received over each of the second and third place pizzerias. Still shocked, I told her to excuse me for a minute while I lose it on my basement floor.
Has there ever been a moment, bake, or failure that made you rethink your business model or your dough, process or technique?
Any small business owner will tell you that you'll have these moments on a fairly regular basis. The important factor is how you choose to handle them. Do you allow them to break you, or do you reframe them and use them as learning experiences in which you can experiment and grow. I choose the latter.
In January 2026, you launched Pasta By Plu, offering family meal deals with half sheet pans of baked rigatoni with your signature sauce, salad, drinks and chocolate chip cookies for four people on Mondays. Why pasta now? And what’s the ordering process?
I was looking for other items to offer that focus on my red sauce. I can't do pizza on Monday because that would require me to come in on Sunday to make dough. So, pasta it is. A half sheet pan of baked rigatoni and sauce with ricotta, Grande mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, finished off with an 18-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s more expensive cheese than I’ve used before and the quality and flavor is incredible.
Music is a large part of your identity. You used to DJ in clubs like Noche and Alibi’s in Albany, and whenever you go live on Instagram while making dough you have a thumping soundtrack. What are some of your favorite DJs/artists? Is there a track, DJ or artist you bake to most often?
I grew up an hour north of NYC, so I'll have to admit that I spent a lot of nights in some of the biggest and best night clubs during the late 90's and early 2000's which is considered to be one of the best time periods for NYC clubbing. I'll always be a house and techno fan, so my favorite DJ's are Deep Dish, Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia, and the King of Sound Factory, Jonathan Peters. They've all been heavyweights in the club scene since the late 80's. Lately, I've been feeling the newer tech house movement which has some hip hop and Latin elements mixed into the groovy soundtracks. DJ's like Cyava, Cloonee, Pawsa, Michael Bibi, and Dennis Cruz are absolutely slaying it right now.
I always ask our chefs and bartenders how they balance work/life and protect their health and mental health. I know you have two little girls and your business feels more on your own terms than most. Is it to protect your time, sanity?
You're going to have to explain the whole concept of work/life balance to me. [Laughs] All kidding aside, yes, the way I run this business is meant to protect what little free time I have. I know this business runs differently than pretty much any other business. Knowing that, I've always made the ordering instructions and pizza types available for everyone to see in posts that are pinned to the top of my social media pages. If people want to order, they'll figure it out. I just had to give up on answering the dozens of messages and comments asking the same questions over and over again. It was starting to cut into what little time I have with my daughters, and that simply wasn't going to happen anymore.
You grew up in Orange County, near Woodbury Commons and have called laughingly referred to yourself “a downstate-Spanish Catholic-Puerto Rican Jew”! What are your earliest food memories of cooking at home? Who was cooking and do you have any memorable or favorite dishes?
I honestly didn't really get into cooking until about 15 years ago, so I don't have specific childhood memories regarding it. I do recall my Spanish grandfather cooking a lot, so most of my memories of food in my youth involve the smell of garlic sautéed in a pan with saffron and other Latin spices. He was a big fan of shrimp scampi and paella, so they always trigger some memories.
OK, let’s talk about your personal tastes. Where are three of your favorite places in the Capital Region or Hudson Valley for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
As for some of my favorite places that I currently frequent, I'll have to give some love to Backstage Pub in Schenectady. They have a great bourbon list, fantastic food (try the chopped cheese with hot truffle fries), and the owner Terry is the man. If I'm in a beer mood, I'll head over to Mohawk Taproom in Scotia, as they always have a great tap list that changes frequently. I'll always shout of my former neighbors Fidens, as they consistently put out great beer options. For breakfast, you have to go check out my man Dylan over at Pretty Alright Breakfast Club. I went there last week for the first time, and it may have been one of the best breakfasts I've ever had. If you're in the mood to splurge, head up to Saratoga and go to the new hot spot in the region, Noah's. I went last Saturday for the first time and it was absolutely phenomenal. Once it warms up a bit and you're in the mood for some outdoor dining, go to the Troy Farmer's Market on a Saturday and see my man Marco and his team at Two Tree Pie Co. They put out an amazing wood fired pizza. Add the garlic basil oil to your pie, you'll thank me later. Sorry, I couldn't narrow it down to three.
Describe your dream dinner anywhere in the world if there was no cap on budget, no reservations, no limits. Where are you, who’s at the table, and what’s being served?
If I'm being honest, my dream dinner would be sharing one of my pizzas with my father, who sadly passed away before he had the chance to see this whole thing take off. He lived in Philadelphia, so I'd probably have to have a Jim's Cheesesteak on the table as well.
If you could only travel with three ingredients or spices, what would they be and why?
I'm going to have to keep it simple and say garlic, salt, and whole peppercorns. You have to have those three as a good base for almost any dish that I like.
You’ve got a little bit of a reputation for being a stickler about your pizza rules. [Haha] What’s something that people always get wrong about you?
That I'm grumpy, because I'm really not. The thing with me is that I don't treat people the way that I want to be treated, because people will walk all over you. I treat people the same way that they treat me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you don't like the way that I'm treating you, you may want to take a look in the mirror and see the energy that you're giving off. If you come at me negatively and acting entitled, I have no problem treating as you as such. The only exception to that is when people give unsolicited advice, even if said respectfully. I didn't grow this business by listening to the suggestions of other people, and that won't be changing anytime soon. If a statement starts with “you know what you should do…” I check out.
You’re in your first full week since opening back up after your family and friends test days. Do you have any idea of what you might dream up next? Where do you see yourself or Pizza By Plu in 5 years?
I think only time will tell on that one. I will say that as I get used to the flow in this new kitchen I hope to add some new appetizers and dessert options.
Thanks for talking with us! We’re looking forward to cooking up a little collab with you soon, Plu!
Thank you! It's truly been my pleasure sharing my thoughts and food with you. I can't wait to see what we may cook up in the future!
Ed. note:
”In early 2024, I signed up for a pizza drop that would find me driving to an abandoned supermarket parking lot in Slingerlands where I met Plu and a gaggle of people patiently waiting for their scheduled pizza pick up time. In his trunk, Plu had the sort of heat-retaining pizza delivery bags you might associate with Pizza Hut delivery. I handed over my $25 cash and we acknowledged each other since I had sent Plu an advance warning that I wanted to write about this clandestine pizza operation. I asked if I could take any pictures to which Plu agreed, provided I didn’t share photos of his face. My pizza photos ran in the Times Union newspaper but I held onto these—until now. So here’s a little throw back to my 2024 parking lot Pizza By Plu.” — SDP
