How did this new February 20th proclamation come about?
By Melissa Brodt
First, I would like to introduce the man behind the pizza: Duane Paris. Duane is the franchise owner of Firenza Pizza in Boise. Firenza Pizza a fast-casual franchise owned and operated by longtime Boise residents, Duane Paris and his daughter, Jazmyn Davis. Before opening Firenza Pizza, Duane worked twenty-six years in various customer service roles supporting the semiconductor industry. He started out installing and maintaining semiconductor equipment, then transitioned into operation manager roles for multiple sites before leaving the industry to open Firenza Pizza. In doing so, he wholeheartedly became The Pizza Man. After his profession change, Duane’s friends subsequently dubbed him the “Pizza Man” (#pizzaman).
Once Duane and Jazmyn decided on the Firenza Pizza franchise, they changed their focus to finding a prime location in Boise. Their search quickly shifted to downtown Boise due to the amount of activities and people that work in the downtown area. They were very excited when they found the One Capital Center location; Per Duane, “We decided on a location that had a great patio potential and the possibility of roll up patio doors.” Duane thinks that the patio turned out great and due to it being set back from the street, it provides a very relaxing atmosphere to which his customers and the pizza aficionados agree! Duane and Jazmyn then scheduled a visit to Firenza Pizza Headquarters in Virginia to meet the team and taste the product. “There was not a menu item we tried that we did not love” says Duane. “We even brought back frozen pizzas for friends and family to try. Everyone was very impressed with the taste and quality of the pizzas.”
Duane and Jazmyn appreciated Firenza’s attention to detail and their commitment to high-quality pizza. The father daughter duo were extremely impressed with Firenza’s hand crafted and made-to order pizzas that can be customized with nearly forty fresh toppings; including house roasted garlic oil and an extensive selection of meats. Also, for those customers who do not want to choose their own toppings, Firenza offers ten chef-inspired signature pies. Firenza’s signature pies range from the Primavera Fresca which is loaded with healthy vegetables; to the Big Kahuna which features smoked ham, bacon, jalapeños and tropical pineapple; and finally, the award-winning Chipotle Chicken which is topped with crema and fresh pico de gallo. Once the pizzas are assembled, they are baked in an open flame 775-degree stone-hearth oven and guaranteed to be done within five minutes. In addition to the fresh in-house made dough, Firenza also offers a ten-inch gluten free crust and a low carb and gluten free cauliflower crust. Firenza also offers vegan cheese. Duane believes in the dream: “Both Jazmyn and I truly love pizza and customer service which we feel shines through when you visit Firenza. We empower our team members to do the right thing and treat our guests as they would like to be treated.”
Throughout Firenza’s first year of business (opened December, 2018), Duane has become acquainted with the community and often hears about individual ideas for unique pizza combinations. His idea for creating an Idaho inspired pizza came about from living in Italy where local pizzerias would often have potato pizza. Similar to how each region in Italy had a slightly different pizza, they also had slightly different potato pizzas. When the time came to develop a Boise inspired potato pizza, naturally Duane reached out to the potato experts: The Simplot Company, who enthusiastically teamed up with Firenza Pizza. Michael Zeller; Simplot Executive Chef, and Dan Ozuna; Simplot Food and Beverage Manager, spent a few days in the Firenza kitchen alongside Duane and Jazmyn to create the recipe. This resulted in a uniquely Idaho inspired potato pizza, affectionately named the “Spud Man” which will be served exclusively and for a limited time at Firenza Boise.
This unique collaboration brings Simplot’s vision full circle directly to our community. “Simplot continues to bring innovation and goodness to the plate. What began with the ingenuity and hard work of J.R. Simplot carries on through the company’s commitment to the food service industry today. At Simplot, goodness matters.”
Interview requests contact Duane Paris 208-991-8723 dparis@firenzapizza.com https://www.firenzapizza.com/location/boise-firenza/
Firenza Pizza 999 W. Main Street Boise, Idaho
11:00 am – 10:00 pm Serving for the 1st time our
special release pizza “Spud Man”
5:00-6:00 pm Special Presentations
6:00-9:00 pm Live music High Pine Whiskey Yell
