BIWABIK — The question isn’t whether the topping of consideration belongs on pizza for Dylon Horne — he’s firmly in the pro-pineapple camp, yet this is not that conversation — instead he’s focused on one with a cult following in Minnesota. 

Top the Tater. 

“Gotta find a way to work in Top the Tater,” said Tyler Nesset. 

If you’re going to define an Iron Range-style pizza, might as well go all-in right? 

Horne and Nesset capitalized on a similar thought process once before with the Grilled Cheese Galore food truck, and the “Iron Ranger” sandwich that featured the regional dip. For Biwabik Pizza Co., located at the former Poor Gary’s location downtown, the Top the Tater idea was more of an exercise in what they envisioned for the new pizza shop that had yet to open its doors at the time.

So don’t bust out the Old Dutch Ripples quite yet.

Biwabik Pizza Co. officially opened Nov. 6, and Horne said they debuted with a more basic menu of pizza toppings, wings, burgers and other foods. Adding more depth to the menu is one of the primary goals as they settle in for a long run in the namesake city, but the priority was a solid start to things. Perfect the process, get the results and grow from there.

“This is a journey for us and not just wham-bam we’re open,” Nesset said. “This is just where we’re starting. We can take this and grow it into a bunch of fun things.”

With Biwabik Pizza Co. opening its doors, the demise of the small Iron Range pizza shop was apparently greatly exaggerated.

Poor Gary’s in Eveleth was reopened under the ownership of Lenny Birk, from Lenny’s Tattoos, in early October with some limited delivery around the city’s neighboring towns in November. Birk, in a brief chat while in between businesses, said the strong community response had kept them busy. 

Still, the June closure of Poor Gary’s in Biwabik was particularly felt on the East Range. Only one specialized pizza shop was open among the three cities, and delivery wasn’t an option, even from Virginia restaurants. 

Nesset had known The Biwabik Pub owners for years, and one day off-handedly remarked about opening a new restaurant in the shared, now vacant space. The idea of a storefront downtown appealed to him, and the pub owners said “go for it.” 

It all moved very quickly from there.

“Within 24 hours we made the decision that we were going to do it,” Horne said. 

On opening night Wednesday, downtown Biwabik was a moving scene as cars lined the Main Street parking spots. Pizza and beer was back at both bars in the city, known as the gateway to Giants Ridge, one of the Range’s largest and most popular year-long tourism draws.

Iron Range cities have lost a lot over the years in part through job reductions in the mining industry and a constantly fluctuating local economy, but they have a certain resiliency.

There’s pride in the communities. An aspiration for a future of thriving downtown districts, with local businesses that regularly draw in locals and tourists alike. 

The sense of pride wasn’t lost on Horne and Nesset as they worked toward opening Biwabik Pizza Co. into something sustainable. Not just for the sake of their own livelihood, but to show small towns are still worth investing into.

“I saw it growing up all the time — businesses start, businesses close and they stay closed — and I think for a lot of people, this really kept community spirit up,” Nesset said. “For too long, the Iron Range has been declining. Now we get to grow.”

Horne and Nesset were entrepreneurs on the Range before the pizza shop opened. Looking to get out of corporate jobs, their first step was starting the Grilled Cheese Galore food truck this year. 

When the storefront opportunity arose, they sold the food truck to a young family in Virginia, keeping that business local as they focused on the new venture. A Facebook post announcing Biwabik Pizza Co. soon followed this summer, and they went to work. 

Building out the physical kitchen was the biggest challenge, Horne said, because the food truck was a small box where cooks could access most everything in a few movements. This kitchen was bigger and basically rebuilt from scratch, so any delay from ordering the wrong equipment or not thinking of a little piece of the puzzle, could have completely altered their timeline. 

The menu will develop as the owners and staff get their footing, he added.  More crossovers with the food truck are possible, and the staff, while training during a late October afternoon, traded around their own ideas for recipes and toppings to experiment with.

“I don’t think you see a lot of small towns that have access to a variety of food sources,” Horne said. “I think I’ve noticed, on the Iron Range, having all these food trucks that can go to all these small towns and bring in different food options, that’s a benefit for the Iron Range and it’s been fun to be a part of it.”

Biwabik Pizza Co. was self-funded by Horne and Nesset less than a year after jumping into business with the food truck in January. Things moved fast, they noted, and were able to open the brick and mortar storefront less than six months after signing on to fill Poor Gary’s vacancy.

To pay homage to their Grilled Cheese Galore beginnings, the Biwabik Pizza Co. logo is a smiling slice of pizza — the food truck had a smiling grilled cheese sandwich — and the pizza’s bright green shoes represent the signature green color of the food truck.

Hiring was next on the list, an expected challenge that turned out not to be one. They posted an interview event online, offering $15 an hour, and hired seven people in short order. The higher pay rate was a worthwhile effort, Nesset said. 

The idea was to strike a balance of investing in people and communities to keep everyone thriving, without discounting the small business owner part of the equation. It’s a lesson they learned coming off the success of Grilled Cheese Galore.

“We’ve found that when you invest in your team and employees, they help invest back into your business, and it leads to better outcomes,” he said. “We wouldn’t be as successful without the team we had in the food truck, and we won’t be successful without our community.”

Nesset and Horne, are hoping their success can eventually change the narrative of Iron Range cities from decline and despair to one of optimism, one of success and one of growth — one Top the Tater pizza at a time.

Biwabik Pizza Co. is located at 215 Main Street. Online ordering is available at  www.BiwabikPizza.com. Orders can be called in at (218) 750-7040. You can find them on Facebook at Biwabik Pizza Co.

Poor Gary’s in Eveleth is located at 420 Fayal Road. Orders can be called in at (218) 744-5508. You can find them on Facebook at Poor Gary’s Pizza – Eveleth.