February 27, 2025
Down North Pizza founder Muhammad Abdul-Hadi is offering hope by way of the pages of his cookbook, “We the Pizza: Slangin’ Pies and Savin’ Lives.”
In North Philadelphia, Down North Pizza is greater than a bit of Philly’s iconic sq. pizza. Founder Muhammad Abdul-Hadi created a North Star for hope by way of pizza slices when he opened the mission-led for-profit restaurant, Down North Pizza, within the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood in December 2020. Now, he’s offering hope by way of the pages of his cookbook, We the Pizza: Slangin’ Pies and Savin’ Lives.
“I name it a memoir with some recipes,” he instructed BLACK ENTERPRISE. “It’s layered and has one thing in there for everyone. When you don’t care concerning the recipes and wish to learn some cool tales and see some pictures, that’s there for you. If you wish to dig into the recipes and make some bomb pizza, that’s there for you, too.”
Past the recipes and images is details about the carceral system and its evolution. Footnotes all through the cookbook take individuals on a journey of how the carceral system began with slavery and the way it advanced over the centuries. The cookbook additionally sheds mild on life after incarceration, with tales from former Philadelphia inmates.
“I all the time needed to jot down a e book, and when the chance introduced itself, I didn’t need a conventional cookbook,” says Abdul-Hadi. “The e book needed to embody the model and what we signify within the neighborhood. [I wanted to show] individuals consuming pizza within the neighborhood. We name it ‘Pizza within the Wild.’ We wish individuals to have a way of the model and what we signify.”
Down North Pizza: A Mission-Led Pizza Store and Cookbook
Abdul-Hadi is from West Philly however purposely constructed Down North Pizza within the predominantly Black neighborhood of Strawberry Mansion. It’s a spot that he says has witnessed a spread of transformations — from redlining, white flight, a drug disaster, poverty, and a scarcity of assets.
“Strawberry Mansion is likely one of the most underserved communities in Philadelphia,” Abdul-Hadi stated. “A whole lot of instances, when individuals open up companies in areas like this, it hardly ever advantages the neighborhood. I needed to vary that narrative.”
Down North Pizza focuses on the neighborhood. Adbul-Hadi is especially fascinated with recidivism and giving individuals a second probability after incarceration. He is aware of firsthand the challenges and judgments that those that had been previously incarcerated face, as a result of he was as soon as of their footwear.
Inside his store, no two pizzas on the menu are the identical. The “No Betta Love” is a four-cheese pizza with “Norf” sauce. The “Break You Off” is made with lamb sausage, lemon ricotta, za’atar garnish, and garlic honey drizzle. Whereas the pizzas are completely different, two components keep the identical: Abdul-Hadi’s love for neighborhood and the reward of second probabilities.
“I wish to present the world we’re not our worst errors. We will do issues if given the suitable circumstances and thrive as properly,” he says. “The model exemplifies that, and if you come to the store, you get to see all of that tenfold as a result of that was essential to me.”
Cash from each buy — from the cookbook to the pizza — is recycled again into Strawberry Mansion by way of the pizza store and Abdul-Hadi’s basis, Down North Basis.
“We have now completely different initiatives that present direct support to people in want. We construct our initiatives off necessity.”
One initiative he’s happy with is “Shield Your Crib,” which assists individuals at risk of shedding their homes to delinquent property taxes. The Down North Pizza staff paid delinquent taxes for almost a dozen individuals by way of the inspiration, which additionally assisted residents in enrolling in a program that halted property tax will increase for 10 years.
“Our largest factor over right here is the impression,” Abdul-Hadi stated.
The part-cookbook-and-part-memoir is obtainable for buy on-line.
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