Pizza is constantly evolving. Whether it’s a crazy fast cooking method, inventive toppings or upgraded ingredients, it remains a popular and classic favorite. And it’s always served by the slice or by the pie, right? Wrong. For husband and wife Tyler and Marina Blake of Boise, Idaho, pizza is served in a doughy cone.
A 2015 trip to Italy, where they fell in love with the street food, had them thinking about a way to bring the concept home to the States. They hired an engineer to help them design the unique appliances needed to make pizza cones and worked on their recipes. Once the custom made equipment was ready, they launched the Coned Pizza food truck in 2016. They started with the truck because it allowed them to keep their day jobs in customer service-related occupations.
With very little restaurant experience and a novel concept, the Blakes went through a big learning curve. Some people thought they were ruining pizza, but enough fell in love with the idea that Coned expanded to two food trucks, two brick and mortar restaurants and two concession stands at the Boise State football stadium.
They quickly learned that each operation is quite different, but the enthusiasm for the pizza cones, which are equivalent to a whopping two and a half to three slices, is always off the charts. “Each line of business has unexpected challenges, and no matter how well you plan, things will go wrong; that is guaranteed,” Tyler said. “We have learned to function under high-stress environments and utilize quick, critical thinking to resolve problems we experience.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Coned was forced to close for several months and lay off their entire staff. It was a struggle, but they managed to open back up and are now thriving. They use high quality ingredients in their 10 varieties of pizza cones (plus make your own), but the best seller and family favorite has always been pepperoni.
Now that Coned is an integral part of the Boise pizza scene, they’re ready to expand even further with franchise locations. Said Tyler: “We are very excited at the prospect of getting to share our product with more people and continue our growth.”
AUTHOR
Sarah Strong is a New York City based writer who holds a master’s degree in food studies and is obsessed with television. You can follow her on Instagram at @feedsstrong to see where she eats, what she cooks and what sneakers she’s wearing.
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