Meet Christopher DiBella | Pizza Maker & Cool Dad

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher DiBella and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I always love learning new things and challenging myself. I had been making pizzas for years and posting them on various social medias, and in recent years I had more friends make comments like “dude I’d buy that!” I made a separate Instagram solely for my pizza making, and it wasn’t until a local chef had reached out to me and started bouncing off the idea of pop-ups that I really started to consider it being an actual business.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I definitely knew very little about the business world or developing a business when I first started. To be honest, I still don’t know much about it and I’m figuring out a lot along the way.

I think what sets me apart from other food vendors is the personality behind my Instagram. The standard for most food vendors/trucks is to just post a good food pic here and there, and also a weekly schedule. I’ll post a story where I’m just talking to the camera about how I stubbed my toe that morning, and also how I think cats are the worst pet in the world. I’ve always felt more connected to a business when I know the personalities behind it. I tend to drop little jokes and use them as inside “Easter eggs” for events.

I want people to know that I love what I do. I genuinely enjoy making dough days before, running to restaurant depot, making pies in front of people, and hearing their feedback in person/online. This is so much fun for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we’re talking the Lehigh valley as a whole, I’ll say start with Easton. It’s right on the Delaware River, where there’s plenty of trails, the crayola factory, and historic sites. Grab a pizza from Colonial, some bangin southern food from The Bayou, Italian from Sette Luna, great margaritas at Mesa, excellent ceviche from Third & Ferry, amazing drinks at Mother’s, and finish it with a stop at Black & Blue. Also, Ashley’s is a hidden gem as well.

For Bethlehem, gotta start with Main Street. It’s Christmas city right now so it looks extra special. Small plates at Tapas on Main, the best Thai food (in my opinion) at Thai Thai II, and beers at Lost Tavern. Broad street pizza a mile down the way is a real underdog, as well as The Mint. For south side, you need to go to Bonn Place Brewing for beers. Best people. Social still and Southside 313 are also absolute heaters.

Other notable spots are McCall Brewing Collective, Hop Hill Brewery, Retriever Brewing Company, and Sherman Street Beer Company.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My father. I don’t talk about him often, but I would not have the mindset and passion for creativity without watching him cook as a child.

Instagram: @TheNiceSlicePA

Image Credits
Lumin Photography LLC