This new pizzeria from a renowned Thai Canadian chef is worth the drive to Elora

Toronto is pizza-obsessed…and particular. Everyone has an opinion as to what style is best: Neapolitan, Roman, Detroit, New York, Chicago—the debate over pie supremacy is deliciously heated. Tony Bish, a Le Cordon Bleu–trained chef with appearances on The Next Iron Chef and MasterChef, is entering the chat with his serious sourdough pizza.

At Tony’s Sourdough Pizzeria, which opened today in Elora, Bish is serving just 100 of his wood-fired pies a day, each made from a starter passed down from his grandmother. He grew up eating her sourdough pancakes, which led to his obsession with baking and dough. After a three-day ferment, his crusts are crisp on the outside, airy and chewy on the inside, with tangy depth and a perfect blister from a custom wood-fired Italian Pavesi oven.

“Elora just felt right,” says Bish. “It’s got this incredible mix of natural beauty, creativity and a growing culinary scene that’s hungry for quality. I wanted to bring something special just outside the city, where I could slow down with my family and do things my way: small batch, serious dough, no shortcuts.”

Related: An Italian bakery and trattoria is opening on the Etobicoke waterfront this summer

It’s quality over quantity here, with signature pies including the Umami with stracciatella, smoked local mushrooms, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, truffle shoyu, lemon and chervil; the Farmboi with veal sausage, poached egg, smoked fior di latte, gruyere, pecorina canestrato, chili oil and black pepper; or the excellently named Basic Bish, with tomato sauce, wild oregano, garlic confit, sea salt, basil and small batch extra-virgin olive oil for only $10. Non-pizza items on the menu include a single (but substantial) saucy meatball, top-shelf tiramisu and a range of Thai iced teas, made from scratch by Tony’s wife and offered with milk or lime.

For pizza purists, an international chef making small-batch pies with local, seasonal ingredients is a slice worth chasing. And only a 90-minute drive from Toronto, it’s perfect for a pizza pilgrimage.