Psychic Pie
Sebastopol-Made Roman-Style Pizza That’s a Cut Above
by Lisa Ludwigsen
Sometimes an imaginative spin on a food favorite can make the world seem shiny and new again. So it is with Psychic Pie’s take on Roman-style pizza. Far from the ubiquitous American fast-food version, or the simple puffycrusted Neapolitan, or even the tasty, crispy wood-fired flatbread style, Psychic Pie creates a uniquely local pizza experience from a small storefront in Sebastopol.
Psychic Pie’s Roman-style pizza is sold Al Taglio—to the cut. Par-baked in large format pans and sold by weight, you can order as much or as little as you like. The minimum order measures three fingers wide, which encourages exploration of the tasty combos that rotate daily. Cut from the big pie with industrial sized kitchen scissors, slices can be taken home to finish off or baked on-site to dine in. All eat-in orders are accompanied by those big scissors—the best tool to cut the thick slices into manageable sections.
Though descriptions of “seasonal” and “local” are trendy these days, Psychic Pie co-owner Leith Miller said, “I can truthfully claim that 90% of our ingredients are locally sourced.” Those fresh, seasonal, local ingredients determine the restaurant’s eight weekly pizza selections, yummy salads, and small but mighty dessert choices. This pizza doesn’t rely on heavy sauce or loads of cheese for satisfying flavor. Instead, expect to find yummy thinly sliced potato covering a slather of crème fraîche, topped with a sprinkling of chopped dill and chives, and finished with red chili oil. Another option might be maitake, shiitake, and cremini shrooms combined with ricotta, chevre, lemon zest, and herbs. Meat lovers will find house-made sausage, pickled onion, and mozzarella topping a thin layer of light tomato sauce. Each day’s offerings are different, and like most truly satisfying food, the quality of the ingredients makes the final product sparkle.
Miller’s partner in work and life is Nicholi Ludlow, the crust maestro. His background as a longtime professional sourdough baker is showcased in a soft yet crunchy, slightly spongy, tangy pizza base that captures that traditional Bay Area sourdough taste. Miller said, “We have built solid relationships with local farms because we want to bring all the tastes of Sonoma County, including sourdough, to the Italian pizza tradition.” Ludlow’s thick crust shines as the proper backbone for all those exciting combos.
Psychic Pie’s cheerful brick and mortar location in south Sebastopol grew from a pandemic pop-up side-jam. Take-n-bake was their game back then, and word of mouth spread quickly. Leith and Ludlow are formally trained in scientific professions—Leith holds a PhD in biology, and Ludlow studied to become a podiatrist. They met in high school, and both worked at Del Popolo pizzeria in San Francisco.
The popularity of their Sebastopol pop-up provided the encouragement to open their shop in a busy mini-mall on Gravenstein Highway South in Sebastopol. Launched in February 2022, the shop has allowed Leith and Ludlow to expand their food offerings, build their clientele, and provide a welcoming vibe for diners to sit and enjoy a glass of natural wine or Sonoma County beer with their meal.Psychic Pie offers fresh salads, and for dessert, big cookies and local buffalo milk gelato from Marin County. That soft-serve buffalo gelato is an experience all its own. The food at Psychic Pie is not precious and it’s not inexpensive. It is fresh, alive, imaginative, and utterly satisfying.
Photo credit: Jo Ann Baumgartner.
Psychic Pie
980 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol
(707) 827-6032 | PsychicPie.com
Open Thu - Sun 11:30am to 8pm