About
EVO (Extra Virgin Oven) Pizzeria is the wood-fired dream of Matt McIntosh and Ricky Hacker. Matt and Ricky met while working in the illustrious kitchen at FIG in downtown Charleston in 2003. The pair spent the better part of a year forming the concept for a wood-fired pizza shop that would focus on local ingredients. In 2005 they flew the coop to start EVO.
The first incarnation was a mobile wood-fired pizza oven – in other words, a fancy trailer – that they used for catering. Turns out, people really like fancy trailer pizza. It became apparent that the concept was ready for a brick & mortar restaurant, and they found a perfect home on East Montague Avenue in North Charleston, part of the up-and-coming Park Circle area. In 2007, EVO Pizzeria fired up its ovens for the public, and hasn’t stopped since.
We come to work at EVO every day to bring fun, delicious food and drink to our community. We source locally and regionally because we’re proud to be here. We cook with love because we love to cook. And who doesn’t love pizza?
Matt McIntosh, Co-Founder
Matt hails from Decatur, IN. He got his culinary start in Charleston at Blossom Cafe in 1998, with a two year stint as a pastry chef. He went from there to McCrady’s, working banquets, before becoming the Head Artisan Baker at Normandy Farms (while also graduating Cum Laude from Johnson & Wales).
While still at Normandy Farms, he started in the kitchen at FIG in 2003, where he met Ricky and developed the EVO concept. During this time, Matt also started Slow Food Charleston with Mike Lata and Celeste Albers, and studied wood fired oven building under the late Alan Scott. In 2005, the EVO mobile oven was born, and the rest is history.