When Robert Flutie opened Flour Pizzeria & Café in Pacific Palisades in November 2023, the idea was simple: “I wanted to bring authentic New York-style pizza to LA,” says the Queens, New York native. “Growing up, I loved the sense of community that we had and how connected we were to our neighbors. My fondest memory was getting $5 on Fridays from my parents and going to the local pizzeria—I would get two slices and a Pepsi and hang with my friends.”
Flutie—who moved to Pacific Palisades in 2003, where he raised his own three children, now grown—wanted to create the same experience for his beloved adopted hometown. Working with his eldest son, Alexander, who serves as the company’s CMO, he began researching recipes and pizza-making techniques, and eventually found a prime location on Via de la Paz, across from Pali Elementary and around the corner from Village School, Seven Arrows and Pali High. Upon opening, the spot quickly gained popularity for its mouthwatering artisanal pizzas—available as full pies or by-the-slice and made with Italian grain flour and hand-stretched dough—as well as coffee, freshly-baked pastries, sandwiches, salads and more.
“It had the same sense of community that I had growing up,” Flutie says. “Friends and families coming together to support and cheer each other on in sports, theater, dance and life. We loved that patio and the proximity to the schools, but most of all we loved the old school Palisades vibe on Via de la Paz that had gone untouched. It felt like what the Palisades was like when we first moved there.”
The pizzeria was such a success that Flutie quickly began planning its expansion, choosing Brentwood as the spot for its second satellite location. Unfortunately, plans changed during the Palisades Fire, when both the original Flour Pizzeria and Flutie’s own home burned to the ground.
“Surreal would be an understatement,” recalls Flutie, who was in India on a meditation retreat at the time and witnessed the destruction via FaceTime with his kids. Remarkably, he’s no stranger to this type of catastrophe, having served as a first responder at New York City's Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. “I have witnessed first-hand mass destruction and loss on an epic level, and this really took me back to how surreal it is to see something go from one form into another in a matter of hours.”
With the Brentwood location—situated on a busy block on San Vicente in the center of town—only a month away from completion, Flutie realized that he had a unique opportunity to create a sense of comfort and community for displaced Palisadians, many who were now living in the area. “As I got ready to open, not a day would go by where someone from the Palisades didn’t come by and share their stories with us, or expressed the joy that they felt being able to connect with a piece of their home,” recalls Flutie, who plans to rebuild the original spot. He opened the Brentwood eatery on Valentine’s Day, offering complimentary pies to Palisades residents, first responders and law enforcement, and the following day he served free slices for all. Not surprisingly, the line wrapped around the block. “I like to say that ‘Pizza is love,’” says Flutie. “It transcends being just food. I am touched and grateful to have such love surrounding us, and to be able to share that love and care with one another.”
11684 San Vicente Blvd.; 424-330-0220; flourpizzeria.com