PHILADELPHIA: Brian Dwyer holds the Guinness World Record for
largest collection of pizza memorabilia. He’s also the driving
force behind Pizza Brain, which he calls the first pizza museum in
the US
The quirky Philadelphia establishment is part art gallery, part
restaurant. It’s a place to enjoy a slice or two of artisan pie
while looking at pizza-related photos, records, knickknacks and
videos.
“We thought it was a funny idea, and we started doing some
research,” Dwyer said. “And when we discovered that nowhere on
earth was there a physical place, a monument built to pizza, we
said, ‘This is going to be huge.’“
Hundreds of people turned out for the Sept. 7 grand
opening.
One wall is covered with framed pizza-related photos and magazine
covers; another boasts dozens of vinyl records, like the soundtrack
to “Mystic Pizza.” Display boxes show off pizza-bearing figurines
from Homer Simpson and Spider-Man to the Tasmanian Devil and
Pillsbury Doughboy. A cluster of small TVs plays pizza-related
shows.
Dwyer, 28, said he had some pizza mementoes a couple of years ago
when friends decided to create an art exhibit called “Give Pizza
Chance.” Reaction was so positive that he continued collecting,
becoming the world-recorder holder with 561 items in July
2011.
He now owns a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Pizza Drop” arcade game
and Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter.
A few months later, Dwyer quit his supermarket job to work on Pizza
Brain full time. He and his team bought the rowhouses and raised
some dough online — more than $ 16,500 — through the crowd-funding
website Kickstarter. Grassroots publicity and social media created
major local buzz.
Dwyer said he was caught off-guard by the response. He calls pizza
“the great equalizer.”
“I think that’s why pizza is so powerful — it’s inherently
communal,” Dwyer said. “Pizza is one of the few things that
everyone can agree on.”
Speaking of which, what about the food? The menu offers pies with
an array of artisan ingredients and offbeat toppings including beef
brisket, pulled pork and meatloaf.
On his first visit last week, customer Sean McGettrick played it
safe with a plain slice garnished with basil leaves. He gave it a
thumbs-up and pledged to return.
