Another newer addition has been a hit with pizza fans south of the city.
Brett Freedman would rather not sell you a pizza by the slice — which is a bit ironic, considering the name of his restaurant that debuted in August: DTC Slice.
His rationale, however, makes perfect sense. Pizza is best enjoyed straight out of the oven, when the spring that forms the soft-yet-crispy-yet-chewy crust is at its peak flavor and texture. Re-heating previously baked pizza slices with custom toppings is nothing more than serving leftovers.
So given the time, detail and no shortage of expense that Freedman has invested to chase his dream of the perfect crust, it’s understandable that he’d like every pizza he serves to reflect the perfection he craves.
“I don’t want to present my pizza as slices,” he says. “The quality of a slice is really hard to reproduce and scale. I would rather give whole pies. Sure, you can get a slice right away. But if you can wait five minutes…”
Since opening, Freedman and DTC Slice have built a growing following of pizza lovers flocking to its Tech Center strip mall location on East Belleview Avenue to sample his neo-Neopolitan creations.
Pizza, of course, comes in many styles, and different people have different expectations based on where they’re from and what they’re used to. DTC Slice serves a unique hybrid of Italian Neapolitan style pizza made with imported 00 flour, but with a crunchier exterior and bottom akin to New York-style pizza. It also serves a thicker, wetter Detroit-style pizza complete with the crunchy caramelized edges fans of that style seek.
Both are the result of using quality ingredients, top-of-the-line technology, expert training and a relentless quest for perfection.
Freedman’s dream of DTC Slice began after leaving his computer science corporate job following the pandemic. After a brief flirtation pursuing franchise opportunities, he decided to focus on forging his own path and chose pizza as the vehicle to do so.
Having grown up in his uncle's Boston-area pizza shop, Freedman was always interested in doing something similar. Despite becoming an accomplished home pizza cook with his backyard Oone, he had no illusions about possessing the skillset or knowledge needed to produce retail pizza at scale.
“I know an average amount about a lot of things, but I’m not an expert in the pizza field or restaurant business,” he says. “So I needed a consultant.”
DTC Slice records the temperature and hydration levels of every batch of dough, every day.
Courtesy of DTC Slice
Freedman traveled to Hawaii for his initial training, where the two of them developed the formula for the pizza he wanted to make at the scale and frequency needed to run a retail pizza business. This included not only the recipe template dictating the ratio of dough to yeast to flour, but also the granular details like the proofing process, cook time and temperature control.
But it didn’t end there. Hannmann traveled to Denver twice to not only perfect the recipe at altitude, but also advise on compiling the necessary equipment, detailing the production process, and even designing the best store layout and offering tips on how to hire the right people.
“The whole operation that he bundled up into a small package made it, while maybe not necessarily easy, very doable,” Freedman says. “Once I saw it all on paper I was like, I can do this.”
In the DTC Slice kitchen, the process is followed with ruthless efficiency. After the dough is mixed and shaped, it’s left to cold-ferment in a walk-in cooler for three days to develop flavor. On cooking day, the dough is transferred to a specially designed standup proof box that precisely controls the temperature and humidity levels so the dough proofs just right — kind of like a proofing version of a sous vide machine.
After only fourteen (not fifteen!) minutes in the proofer, the team has 45 minutes to shape, top and launch the dough into the oven for optimal freshness. “I’m making adjustments every day,” says Freedman. “Our goal is to make our pizza better every single day. We’re very scientific, so we document every batch of dough we make because we’re always changing the mixtures. We’re still tinkering with it.”
With all that gear, detail and training, letting the pizza sit and wait for a by-the-slice order almost seems like a sin. But after a rash of early one-star reviews from guests expecting slices, Freedman relented and made slices available.
But when you consider that a whole small pizza baked fresh runs about $15 (roughly the same price as two slices), waiting a few extra minutes for the fresher experience is more than worth it. And with a liquor license in hand, Freedman will soon be adding beer, wine and cocktails to encourage guests to dine in more as well.
“I did this for the community, right?” he concludes. “I found the best ingredients, best equipment to produce simple, consistent pizza for the community. It’s not all about margin. Our pizza is about love, and we’re not going to compromise.”
DTC Slice is located at 8000 East Belleview Avenue in Greenwood Village and is open from
11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit dtcslice.com
