After more than a decade of working in sales, an industry he was ‘good at, but hated’, the end of lockdown in Glasgow ushered in drastic life changes for Denis Fisher of The Pizza Cult.
Having discovered a passion for all things dough during his extra time stuck indoors, he decided to take a chance, drawing up a CV that contained no hospitality experience other than the self-dubbed title of ‘Home Pizza Chef’.
And a few pictures of his creations at the end of the document, too, just for good measure.
“My plan was to hope that no one looked too closely at the CV before calling me in for an interview,” he laughs, “and that’s exactly what ended up happening.”
“I think he may have seen a bit of himself in me, and recognised that I wanted to work my way up and start my own place.
“I tried to be like a sponge, taking in as much as I could from working in the kitchen for two months until I was allowed on the pizza section.”
The skills Fisher had uncovered during lockdown quickly saw him flourish in the new role, later moving on to take up the position of head chef at Franco Manca in the city centre, where his team would serve close to 600 pizzas on a Saturday evening.
In his own words, it was a ‘sink or swim situation’ that offered him the chance to master working in a high-pressure environment.
He took to it well, but after a year or so in the job, a weekend stroll around The Barras Market would prove to be an unexpected source of newfound inspiration.
“I had never been to The Barras before, so I decided to come for a wander with my girlfriend. It was just brilliant," he remembers.
“There wasn’t a lot of food stuff happening yet, but there were so many traders who had found a passion during lockdown and were selling their bits of crochet or baking.
“It was such a nice environment. Everyone was happy, smiling, and each person I spoke to had their own cool little story.
“I ended up speaking to a member of the management team at the time who said she had been looking for someone to come do pizzas, so it was a case of good timing there.”
While his business evolved over the past few years to include the likes of Neapolitan-style portafoglio (a sort of folded pizza sandwich), seasonal specials, and the odd masterclass session for would-be pizzaiolos, the chef says that he has also witnessed changes taking place all around him.
“At the start, I had to try really hard to get word out that we were here, because the other food places like Monster Munchies or Hutch were over in the main building.
“Now this little area I’m in has mac and cheese, tacos, burgers, crumbles, and so many other amazing things that have popped up in the past two years.
“People come to this end of the market specifically for food, and then it’s a sort of snowball effect when they find all the different vendors.
“We’re growing faster and faster every weekend.”
Read more:
How The Barras stealthily became Glasgow's most exciting foodie destination
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As one of the more established vendors in the space, Fisher takes great pleasure in extending the same welcome he received when joining the lineup two years ago.
“It’s always really exciting when we get a new trader,” he says.
“We make an effort to go and get lunch from them on their first day and support them.
“With so many new people joining all the time, this really is becoming Glasgow’s coolest food spot.
“But at the same time, we benefit so much from all of the old school traders at the market selling things like toy cars or antique glass bottles.
“It’s amazing that all that stuff is still here, and there’s such a good atmosphere because of it.”
Following news that The Pizza Cult will be expanding to include a sister outlet at the soon-to-open Clydeside Containers, Fisher is looking forward to his busiest summer to date.
But no matter what the future holds, he says he is proud that his first solo venture has laid down such strong roots in the heart of The Barras Market.
“I can’t see myself leaving The Barras,” he confirms.
“It’s such a big part of our identity and where we came from, and I just love the culture down there.
“There’s a guy across from us, Charlie, who has been working a stall there for 45 years.
“I like the idea of still being here in 45 years, making my pizzas every weekend.”
Pizza Cult is located on Suffolk Street at The Barras.
Find them on social media @the.pizzacult.
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