By Ann Volkwein

On their third date, musician and former set designer Aaron Butkus made Erin Dougherty a pizza. A risky move, as Dougherty is mostly gluten free. Butkus’ play was to grab a GF shell, then dig into his professional experience (which includes stints at Best Pizza and Roberta’s in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) and make his magic with the sauce and toppings. “That night we started falling in love,” remembered Butkus.

Over the following months, he started working with his old dough recipes, trying new things—pan pizzas, Sicilian style, grandma pie. “And we made our version of the Pizza Hut Supreme in a cast-iron pan, which we both kind of grew up on, and we thought, ‘oh my God, this is so nostalgic.’”

The R&D kept rolling, then two years later things got serious. “The pizza that we were making was so good, and Aaron is so talented. I said, ‘We’ve got to turn this into something,’” recalled former costume designer Dougherty. Fast forward through a business course and several pop-ups where they tested the idea of slices and “bringing some New York City vibes” to the area. Things flowed straight to the former Bacon’s Pizza location on Route 23, where they opened in 2022 as Tommy B’s Slice Shop, named after Butkus’ dad.

“We love working together,” said Dougherty. “This has been a total journey as a couple and individually. Tommy B’s is our COVID baby.”

WHAT TO EAT: All pizzas can be made thin crust, Sicilian, deep dish Detroit, or gluten free. Add a squirt of garlic confit oil (it’s roasted, more sweet than sharp), then dive into their vodka pie, veggie with pesto, old-school ’70s supreme pie with housemade fennel sausage, or any other specialty combination they’ve created (or one of your own). New addition: a Sunday football menu, with wings. Long-term visions include integrating music and art into the Tommy B’s mix.

Tommy B’s Slice Shop
1817 NY-23, Craryville, NY
Open 7 days, take-out only
tommybs.com