Tiburon resident opens pizzeria in Bon Air shopping center

What began as a dad perfecting deep-dish pies for his children has turned into Squared Pizza, a new addition to the Bon Air shopping center in Greenbrae. The Detroit-style square-pan pizzas have crispy, caramelized edges and a soft, pillowy interior, a tribute to Motor City style with a Bay Area edge.

Owner and Tiburon resident Joe Garfola previously held high-level roles in tech and cybersecurity at companies like Google, Blizzard and 2K. His new pizzeria endeavor, which held its grand opening over the weekend, gives him more time with his family.

Garfola is also returning to his roots. He grew up eating at the original Buddy’s Pizza, the legendary spot where Detroit-style pizza was born in 1946. It was located just a few miles from his home in southwest Detroit. Fittingly, he and his wife also logged shifts at a local Pizza Hut while in college in Michigan.

Years later, pizza nights at home evolved into a long stretch of recipe testing, culminating in a menu built on his daily-made dough, tomato sauce, ranch dressing and secret seasoning blends. Instead of the traditional 6-inch-by-8-inch Detroit-style pan, he had custom 9-inch-by-9-inch pans made.

Garfola says he’s particular about ingredient choices, sourcing flour from Central Milling in Petaluma, a whole and skim milk mozzarella blend from Wisconsin’s Grande Cheese Co. and pepperoni from Ezzo Sausage Co. in Ohio.

Choose plain cheese, pepperoni, veggie (green peppers, mushrooms, onions and black olives) or meat (pepperoni, sausage, bacon and ham), or customize your own.

In addition to pizza, the menu features bone-in and boneless wings — the winners from dozens of tastings with suppliers — served in plain, spicy or barbecue, plus traditional milk tea and flavored boba tea, a special request from his wife and two daughters.

Inside, the dining area features a central stand-up table, an arcade area in a nod to the original Buddy’s and a paneled wall of wood recovered from the Bay Bridge that collapsed during the 1989 earthquake that Garfola and his daughters also used to build a tabletop.

Squared Pizza is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 140 Bon Air Center in Greenbrae. For more information or to place an order, visit squared-pizza.com or call 415-300-0353.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with comments and find more local food news at therealdealmarin.com.