Cravings
Catalyst Pizza Company
When in Doubt, Pizza
Story by Andrea Jacoby O’Shell
Photography by Ezra Marcos
Once an Italian peasant food, pizza now holds a special place in American culture. No matter what is going on in life, pizza is arguably the ultimate comfort food, and there for you in almost any situation. The entire food pyramid can be enjoyed in one single slice. It’s great if you’re on the go or as a way to bring family together for a laid-back, relaxing evening. No matter what, pizza has, and will, always be there.
Mom & Pop
Anna Thomas is wearing a T-shirt that says, “Pizza is cheaper than therapy.” She is the front-of-house master and co-owner with her husband, Zack, often sporting an equally humorous pizza-themed shirt, while running the back-of-house. What began as a dream built on $20 has grown into two brick-and-mortar businesses. Now they sit in the dim light of the former Bohemian Club of downtown Medford, built at the turn of the 20th century, home to Catalyst’s newest venture. Anna thoughtfully reminisces about a once-tiny red pizza truck dream that has now become a 7,000-square-foot restaurant. Despite their success, Zack and Anna are kind and humble about where they started. They’re also scrappy and full of ingenuity.
Truck to Tavern
Zack and Anna Thomas are the definition of resilience. They moved to the West Coast at the behest of friends and a change of lifestyle, taking their six-month-old with them in 2016 from Virginia Beach. They had fallen in love over the “jam band” lifestyle, driving up and down the East Coast and imagining a future on the West Coast. What they didn’t imagine was how each decision would be a catalyst that would ultimately land them in Grants Pass, slinging East Coast-style pizzas.
When they landed in Paradise, California, in 2016, their only plan was to build a positive, memorable life for their son. Sadly, after two years in Paradise, the Thomases lost everything in the Camp Fire, including their first pizza food truck, called “Sliced.” “The fire in Paradise was the catalyst—not the fail,” Anna says with confidence. Although she recalls the pull to go back east, “my best friend convinced us to move.” So, they buckled down and made the move north to Grants Pass. “We decided we had to move onwards and upwards.”
Their tenacity and drive to care for their child led them to open their second food truck called, “Pressed,” where they made sandwiches and paninis. Once they were up and running, they rebranded to their pizza roots and aptly named it “Catalyst Pizza Co.” for their life-changing move from Paradise to Grants Pass. “We had a small wood-fired oven that held three pizzas,” says Anna, “and Zack worked every single day as a 6’4” guy in a food truck with three other guys; it was constant chaos,” she says laughing. They were extremely grateful for their second home at Weekend Beer Co. in Grants Pass. The New York-style Pizza truck was going so well that they decided to open a second truck, focused on Detroit-style pizza. In case you don’t know the difference, NY-style is a thin, foldable, triangular slice the size of your face, and Detroit-style is large and square with thick, caramelized edges.
The Proof is in the Pizza Dough
When Zack and Anna started their business, they knew they wanted to build a legacy for their kids and create a strong foundation. This meant hiring young people who wanted to work hard and learn, and give back to the community that gave so much to them. All this alongside a pizza dough recipe that’s as strong as the ties that bind. “We have been lucky to have Rex and Isaiah, who started working on the food truck at the age of 18, and they are still here almost five years later, which makes it feel more like family than staff,” Anna notes with pride. And the recipes go beyond just pizza dough. “We make our own homemade hoagie rolls for our sandwiches,” adds Zach. Not to mention a cornucopia of delicious appetizers, salads, and wings.
It’s that community influence that has created a span of Catalyst Pizza fans across Southern Oregon. “We love to be funky and fun,” says Anna. That’s paired with their use of the latest technology to make things run smoothly. The tech will never replace the people, though. “We have our ranch queen, Miss Kerri, and she’s been around since our little red food truck days!” And you’ll still find her most days behind the counter of Catalyst mixing up her famous ranch recipe. Of course, another important recipe is Zack’s dough recipe. It’s one that’s been experimented with and perfected over the years. He now has it down to a three-day ferment that is the heart of their perfectly crispy crust.
Zack continues to expand his creative outlet through his daily specials, concocting nuanced pizza recipes that keep the people coming back for more. However, nothing can surpass the success of their classic pies. Their best-selling pizza of all time is the “Catalyst OG,” filled to the brim with toppings: pepperoni, sausage, salami, basil pesto, roasted garlic puree, housemade tomato sauce, Grande Mozzarella, all topped off with a balsamic reduction drizzle. “We always use the best, high-quality ingredients,” assures Anna. At the end of the day, Zack is a pizza purist. “I love either cheese or pepperoni.”
“Onwards and Upwards”
Zack and Anna have persevered and pursued for years, now seeing the fruits of their relentless labor. Today, they are building a legacy for their two young children, and their rescue pit bull, Queen. “We didn’t want a Pizza Hut—we wanted a cool place for our kids,” Zack says, and Anna nods. The Grants Pass location, small but mighty, has several arcade games; Zack and his older son’s favorite is Golden Tee. Now that dream can expand into Medford, where there is room to make even more “core memories,” a crucial part of their business plan.
The upstairs part of their new Medford location is truly made just for that. Arcade games will line the walls, and a sectioned-off toddler area that reads “Trust our Crust” is a place where littles can safely burn off their energy while parents relax with a local beer or glass of wine. The entire second floor is watched over by custom floor-to-ceiling “Sacred Squatch,” reminding all who come of the pizza’s Pacific Northwest roots.
One of the most eye-catching features of Catalyst is the number of posters on its walls. From epic bands to classic movies and everything else in between, it ignites that nostalgia deep within. Sadly, Zack and Anna had a large poster collection from their “Jam band days” that they lost in the Camp Fire. In a full-circle moment, they reached out to those beloved bands, and many of them happily sent posters to line the walls of their Grants Pass location. Customers immediately noticed the posters and asked if they could donate their own posters so others could enjoy them, too.
The past few years of collecting have now overflowed to the new Medford location, where posters from favorite films are displayed over burnt orange walls, juxtaposed with the building’s original brick. The space is filled with eye-catching art, like pizza caricatures reminiscent of early 2000s cartoons, and 1990s-style graffiti, all by local artists. Catalyst’s artistic side also buddied up with its tech side, “We use classic music videos across the restaurant matching up with the music being played,” says Zack. “We just added this in Grants Pass and will also be a big part of Medford.”
So, if you’re a pizza enthusiast, always chasing that epic next slice, and you’ve walked several city blocks following your nose to that distinct, wafting scent of crust on a stone—I recommend you head down to Catalyst with a full appetite. Don’t forget a bag of quarters for the retro arcade games for a night we all dreamed of as kids, satiated only by the crispy crust and generous toppings – hot, fresh, and ready.
Cheers!
Catalyst Pizza Co.
314 Southeast H St, Grants Pass
Catalyst Pizza Co.
123 W Main St, Medford
