How Wild Fire Pizza went from a lockdown venture to a real Sunderland success story

What started as a lockdown project by Josh Wild, 31, from Roker, has snowballed into a huge Sunderland success story.

Three years after he started making pizzas for friends and family in his garden, he, and business partner Joe Collins, 33, from Ashbrooke, have created one of the city’s most talked about hospitality brands.

They’re one in a wave of thriving independents who are really boosting the city’s culinary offering, drawing in people from around the North East to the historic Ship Isis pub in Silksworth Row.

The Victorian watering hole has, of course, long been on the map for its beer, which is a regular fixture in CAMRA.

But, after taking over the kitchen at the site in May 2021, the Wild Fire team is keeping regulars, as well as newcomers, well fed with their range of stonebaked Neapolitan and Pizza al taglio (square slices Roman style) pizzas, as well as JFC fried chicken that’s proving more than finger lickin’ good.

Selling out of food is the norm here, where weekends regularly see 150 pizzas flying out of the pass and hungry diners queuing to get in ahead of the pub’s opening to make sure they get their pizza fix.

Though it only takes around a minute and a half to cook the pizzas in 450 degree ovens, it’s a 48-hour process with the dough bulk fermented for 24hours before being balled for 24hours and then rolled, topped, cooked and finished.

It’s been a real passion project for Josh, who was formerly the manager at Port of Call Seaham.

“It all started in my back garden,” he explained. “At the time there wasn’t anyone else doing it really and it was something I was interested in experimenting with. There’s such an open playing field with pizza and I wanted to see what I could do with it.

"I’ve known Joe for years and, at the time, he had Holmeside Coffee at the Winter Gardens. We started doing pop-ups on the terrace over lockdown and they were really popular. I’d always been around kitchens in my previous jobs, but never worked in one, so it’s been a massive learning curve.”

As pubs reopened post pandemics, they got the chance to take over the kitchen at Ship Isis.

"At the time we only envisaged doing 30 pizzas a service, but it really took off and we had to start opening for longer,” said Josh.

The pair hit on a winning formula and were able to start taking on staff, including sous chef James Ritchie who’s worked in top kitchens including House of Tides and Peace & Loaf and the methodical Michael Bandy who specialises in the fried chicken, which is named after Joe who came up with the original recipe.

While the bases are good enough to eat on their own, they’re topped with ingredients from top suppliers such as Sunderland’s Fat Unicorn, free range butchery Block and Bottle in Heaton and Properoni, who speciliase in naturally cured and fermented pepperoni using the best cuts of meat, used by some of the country’s top restaurants.

Wild Fire are also the only North East company using Delitalia flour, a company that specialises in Italian food and drink.

Because of their popularity, there is often a wait for pizzas at peak time, but it seems to only add to the hype that surrounds the food.

"We know the waiting time isn’t ideal,” said Josh. “But we like to think the end product is worth the wait.”

Never ones to rest on their laurels, Josh and Joe are constantly coming up with new ideas.

Match day menus and newly-introduced combo deals, in which people can pick up any square slice, two JFC strips and fries for £10, have proved a hit and there’s plans to utilise the pub’s two terrace areas more in the warmer weather, with DJ sets, tap takeovers, food pop ups and wine events with Fond Wine Co.

Josh said: “We’re never fully satisfied, we’re always looking at ways to make it better, hopefully improving and keeping people coming back.”

Wild Fire is one in a host of independents doing great things in the city, alongside places such as Mackie’s Corner, Cole, Pop Recs, Mexico, North and many more.

And there’ll be more to come this year with the opening of Sheepfolds Stables, which will host a wave of new food and drink operations and a host of new additions heading to Roker, including the transformation of the old shelter on Marine Walk by the Vaux Brewery team.

"There’s a really good buzz in the city at the minute, and it’s great to be a part of that,” said Josh. “There’s a real movement happening and the city’s food and drink scene is the best it’s ever been.”

::Wild Fire Pizza is open at Ship Isis is open Tuesdays from 4pm-8.30pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4pm-9pm, Fridays from 1.30pm-9pm, Saturdays from 12pm-9pm and Sundays from 12pm-5pm. It’s walk ins only. Takeouts are also available outside of peak times. The pub is also dog-friendly.