More Than Just Gung Ho: Pizza Worth Saving the World For

Ahead of the 2018 Beijing Pizza Festival, on Oct 13-14, 11am-8pm, we take a look at the giants, the classics and the movers and shakers of the pizza scene right here in the capital. 

When Jade Gray says ‘New Wave,’ he’s not talking about Siouxsie and the Banshees or The Cure. As the owner of Gung Ho receives a piping hot pizza from one of his sharply dressed members of staff, the New Zealand native unfolds the idea behind this completely non-musical term.

“There’s more of an artisanal and creative approach, as opposed to double cheese and double pepperoni,” Gray explains. “We started Gung Ho in 2010, and there was nothing groundbreaking around. The only pizza places were just Annies, Kro’s Nest, fast food joints, and a few traditional Italian places. But nobody was doing what I call ‘new wave pizza.’” This phrase, often used in regard to food to reposition a familiar product as refined (think wine and coffee), describes Gung Ho’s innovative approach to cooking.

“We have a healthier and wholesome take on pizza,” Gray says, before adding, “We really focus on the quality of the ingredients, using market-fresh, locally-sourced, organic, seasonal products. It’s what Gung Ho is about: fresh ingredients, leftfield pizzas.”

What exactly constitutes a leftfield pizza? One example would be Gung Ho’s Xinjiang Pizza, one of the brand’s more playful items, which has since been taken off the menu. “We’re never afraid to try stuff, even when we get a lot of grief for some of the things we’ve tried. The Xinjiang Chuan’r Pizza was pretty meat-heavy with a lot of spices. It wasn’t a big seller, but we had a few guys that loved it; and that’s the thing with failures, you still end up with some hardcore fans.” Grade says the team embraces their failures as much as they do their successes, some of which recently include their in-house-made vegan mozzarella as well as their keto pizza, likely the only pizza in Beijing, if not all of China, to sport a cauliflower base.

This brazen and creative spirit has been present in Gung Ho from the off, including the pizza brand’s most iconic quirk, and one which arguably boosted their recognition most throughout Beijing during the early days. “Our deliverymen had ‘Go! Go! Go!’ written on their bright pink uniforms, so we really were one of the first proper delivery companies in Beijing before the recent wave of third-party apps.” As anyone that has witnessed their scooter-straddling fleet take off can tell you, they are also one of the fiercest, releasing Gung Ho’s battle-cry motto as they speed out of the gates.

Gray also takes pride in Gung Ho’s ongoing environmental awareness projects, down to the holistic nature of the business, saying, “Part of our ethos is how can we create an awesome brand without fucking up the environment. We want to be a business, but we also want to be respectful and acknowledge that we have a responsibility to take care of our planet.” Such aspirations helped Gung Ho become the third company ever to achieve B Corp status in China, awarded to those businesses active in helping to alleviate poverty, address climate change, build strong local communities, and provide positive workplaces. These practices are exemplified by their annual Earth Day and ongoing Great Wall Clean Up events.

Another of the company’s strengths is the customer experience that Gung Ho strives to provide. “Every part of the experience is fresh. That includes the box, the decor, the playlist,” Gray says, as bass-heavy Bob Marley flows out of the speakers above. “Right now we are using the designs of a local tattoo artist, Wang Ke, on our pizza boxes, celebrating Beijing through tattoo art.” He adds: “In Beijing, people really appreciate substance, they like to keep things simple, and really appreciate authentic experiences. You can’t bullshit Beijing people.”

With that in mind, Gray says he is confident that he can once again impress Beijingers at this year’s at the Pizza Cup: “We’re not going to give much away now, but I think we’re going to marry the perfect relationship between pizza and craft beer. Our goal is to keep innovating, which is a big part of our ambition. Always fresh, always on the edge.”

As a whiff of the kitchen’s signature lamb pizza wafts through the venue, we pose one final, simple yet important question to Gray: Why should people care about Gung Ho Pizza? “Because we give a shit about people and the planet, and we make awesome pizza.” Well, there’s no denying that.

Click here for all of 2018 Beijing Pizza Fest coverage.

Tickets are now on sale and early bird ticket buyers will receive a complimentary vintage bandana, while group ticket buyers (three tickets and up) will receive a free picnic blanket. Tickets are RMB 20 for early birds or RMB 30 on the door and can be purchased by scanning the QR below via WeChat:

Photos: Uni You