Peach State Pizza opened this week in Marietta, with a focus on ingredients and products made and grown in the metro Atlanta and greater Southeast.
The restaurant, located at 4475 Roswell Road in the Avenue East Cobb development, is a venture by brothers and Sandy Springs natives David and Michael Cohen. The former spent more than 15 years working for Mellow Mushroom, primarily in management roles, while the latter worked in supply chain and startup operations for several large Atlanta-based companies.
“We knew we wanted to work together, and that we wanted to build something family-oriented,” said David Cohen, who now lives in Marietta.
The pair, along with a consultant, worked for weeks on researching, developing and testing recipes for pizza, sandwiches and sides, along with a full beverage program, with an eye toward keeping things local.
Credit: Courtesy of Peach State Pizza
Credit: Courtesy of Peach State Pizza
“We wanted to do something that’s reflective of the community and supports the community,” Michael Cohen said. “The best way we could do that is by sourcing our ingredients and beverages locally where we can.”
The brothers are working with local producers Royal Produce and Athena Farms for much of their produce; Anson Mills in South Carolina for flour; and area breweries including Sweetwater, Scofflaw and Terrapin for beer.
They’re also trying to make as much of their product in-house as possible, including sauces, bacon, sausage, mozzarella cheese and pizza dough.
The pizza base, which David Cohen describes as “sweeter and tangier than traditional dough,” uses a sourdough starter, with a result that’s “in between a thin and thick crust that would hold the ingredients we offer.” Gluten-free crust will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Credit: Courtesy of Peach State Pizza
Credit: Courtesy of Peach State Pizza
While customers have a build-your-own option, the menu also features several specialty pies with Southern-inspired and locally-grown ingredients including peaches and pears and smoked brisket and chicken. Pizzas can also be made vegan with a plant-based cheese. Specialty pies will be rotated seasonally, depending on the availability of ingredients.
The rest of the menu includes starters like pimento cheese grit fritters and barbecue chicken wings; a handful of salads; sandwiches including chicken salad and brisket; and desserts like apple pizza made with Granny Smith apples and mascarpone cheese.
“Our strategy was to have a well-rounded menu,” Michael said. “We’re a pizza place, but if for some reason you can’t have pizza or don’t want pizza, we have other elevated options.”
The beverage selection includes about 10 cocktails like the Frosted Orange Fizz with local gin, orange cream cordial, lemon, egg white and soda; the City in the Forest with botanical vodka, elderflower, cucumber tonic and lemon; and the Midnight Rider with brown butter rye, local apple brandy, benedictine and black walnut.
The restaurant also offers wine and about 16 rotating draft beers, the majority from local breweries.
Besides its 3,650-square-foot interior, Peach State Pizza boasts two outdoor patios with Adirondack chairs around a fire pit, as well as lawn games like cornhole.
Starting next week, the restaurant will be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays.
Peach State Pizza is part of North American Properties’ “ongoing efforts to redefine Avenue East Cobb as a hometown hangout,” according to a press release. Other food and beverage tenants that have opened in the development include New York Butcher Shoppe and Vanilla Cafe. Press Waffle Co. is slated to open in the coming weeks.
The redevelopment includes constructing an 8,000-square-foot plaza surrounded by restaurants with patios, a deck with soft seating and an attached stage with an LED screen.
Avenue East Cobb opened in 1999, and North American Properties Atlanta entered a joint venture partnership with PGIM Real Estate in 2021 to redevelop the project.
In addition to Avenue East Cobb, North American Properties Atlanta also operates Avalon in Alpharetta, the Forum in Peachtree Corners and Colony Square in Midtown.
4475 Roswell Road, Marietta. 678-403-8404, peachstatepizza.com
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