Chef Brad Kilgore's Frozen Pizza Brand Is Launching At Higher Ground

By: Sarah Finkel | February 11, 2024 | Culture Food & Drink Events Community

The month of February might be all about valentines and affection, but the only true love we care about is the kind that’s melted in cheese and doused in red sauce—yes, we’re talking about pizza.

Starting Feb. 15, rooftop oasis Higher Ground at Arlo Wynwood will serve a limited supply of both pies and slices of the innovative frozen pizza brand, Pizza Freak Co., curated by Miami-bred culinary all-star Chef Brad Kilgore and Philly-based Vetri Cucina alum/Drexel Culinary Instructor Chef Brad Daniels.

This is all foreplay leading up to the main act: the official launch party that promises free-flowing negronis, craft beers, live music and unlimited slices of pizza on March 6, with local legend Chef Kilgore himself in attendance. Chef Kilgore is no stranger to the hotel’s culinary department, serving as the current award-winning chef at Higher Ground and Arlo Wynwood’s ground-floor restaurant MaryGold’s.

What began as a pandemic project taking place in Drexel University’s Food Lab evolved into two years of intense research and development, resulting in the perfect frozen pizza concoction that maintains the same freshness and taste of gourmet pizza minus the fuss.

The brand still adheres to the same methods used by chefs in restaurants and then some, starting with selecting top ingredients from trusted suppliers, working with slow-fermented dough to build a signature crust and presenting it in a trademarked “Freak Frame” that requires 25 minutes in any conventional oven before being served.

“Pizza Freak Co. is not just a frozen pizza; it's a game-changer,” Chef Kilgore said in a press statement. “We are thrilled to have Arlo Wynwood as our first official hotel partner. Higher Ground's lively ambiance is the perfect setting to showcase what Pizza Freak Co. is all about — quick, easy and delicious pizza that pairs perfectly with cocktails any day of the week."

Guests can choose from a variety of palate pleasers. The slightly adventurous may gravitate toward the Umami Mami, $6 per slice and $35 per pie, consisting of a blend of pepperoni, garlic chili crisp and Miso-Lemon Ranch. Those seeking a little mushroom mayhem will enjoy the Trufflenator, available at $7 per slice and $39 per pie, featuring wild mushrooms, leeks, truffle crema and rosemary. And for the classic pizza lover, the three-cheese blend offers a simple but powerful combo of cheeses at $5 per slice and $29 per pie.

Pizza Freak Co. can be ordered online through the “Direct-to-Doorstep” program at select Philadelphia-area grocers and Chef Kilgore’s projects in Miami, including Higher Ground.