So does James “Jimmy” Terwilliger. He’s been slinging wood-fired, scratch-made pizzas as Pizza Cassette since 2022. But his pizza life started during his teenage years in upstate New York, where he delivered pies until working his way up to actually making them. I could name every stop on the long, long pizza-making journey that led him to opening a permanent pop-up at The Gärten in Bay Park in 2022, but here are some highlights: Ciro’s Pizzeria & Beerhouse in Pacific Beach, Catania and Wheat & Water in La Jolla, Biga in Downtown, and as a pizza consultant at Buona Forchetta.
So, yeah. This guy knows how to make really good pizza.
As the only permanent food vendor at The Gärten for the past three years, Terwilliger’s unique New York-meets-Italian-style pizza has gained a bit of a cult following.
“Things have gone in an amazingly positive direction here,” he says. “We’ve been busier than I ever could have imagined.” So busy, in fact, that he’s been searching for a brick-and-mortar space to open a second location. But it needed to meet some specific criteria: it had to be both bigger than a tent and (crucially) have walls and a roof.
After nearly two years of searching, he found it. Pizza Cassette will open at 1459 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach sometime in the first few months of 2026. Terwilliger’s approach will remain much the same, incorporating his fine-dining experience with a commitment to scratch cooking.
“We make every single thing, besides the salami and the cheese, from scratch,” he says. “We’re grinding our own sausage. We’re grinding our own meat for meatballs. We’re butchering and brining and roasting the pastrami ourselves.”
Courtesy of Pizza Cassette
The biggest difference in PB (besides having walls and a roof) will be using a very fancy electric Italian oven (rather than the wood-burning stove at Gärten) due to the difficulty of getting a permit for open flames. If he’s not 100 percent happy with the initial results, he’s open to filing for the permit.
Pizza Cassette PB will have around 60 to 80 seats inside, with the potential to add even more in a back parking lot-turned-patio. Guests will order at a counter, then have their food brought to their table by food runners for a more upscale experience than a typical slice shop, Terwilliger says.
He calls his dough “Neopolitan-inspired,” made with half traditional double zero flour and half Type 1 flour (“plus a few secret ingredients,” he says), with a shorter fermentation time than many other Neapolitan-style pizza makers. The result is a fluffy, airy crust with a nice crunch and soft interior.
He’s confident in his model—after all, The Gärten was his proof of concept, and it’s been gangbusters. So if (probably when) things go really well with this next venture, Terwilliger is open to anything. “I would love to open a full-service fine dining restaurant that serves pizza… maybe something where we’re growing our own ingredients too,” he says. “That’s every chef’s goal.”
Pizza Cassette opens at 1459 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach in early 2026. Initial operating hours will likely be Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.
Courtesy of Westgate Hotel San Diego
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Tea With The Grinch? Only At The Westgate.
For my ninth birthday (never mind how long ago that was), I hosted all my girlfriends for a fancy afternoon tea party, complete with lacy gloves, finger sandwiches, and dainty cups that, in retrospect, I’m astonished we didn’t break. But why dust off your own china set when The Westgate Hotel probably puts out a much prettier spread than anything us mere mortals could put together? This December, they’re mixing up their seasonal afternoon teas with themes like Winter Wonderland (Dec 17–21; Dec 26–28; and Dec. 31–Jan 4 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.), Santa’s Teddy Bear (20–21 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.), and Grinch’s Tea (Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). I have a very hilarious mental image of the Grinch sipping tea in the new Bonne Vie Brasserie & Bar, so I may have to check it out for myself.
Courtesy of Cellar Hand
Beth’s Bites
If hanging with the Grinch isn’t your vibe, you can chill with the Big Man himself on one of the Jingle Belle Family Cruises that depart from the Bahia Resort Hotel at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. a couple more times this holiday season. Since San Diego doesn’t do the whole white Christmas thing, why not lean into the whole fun on the bay thing? Plus, a portion of the proceeds go to Mama’s Kitchen, which is always a festival philanthropic touch.
I’m not Italian, and I deeply envy those who celebrate the Feast of Seven Fishes. But there’s really nothing stopping me (or anyone, for that matter) from heading to Cellar Hand on Saturday, December 20 for their take on the annual celebration. The hyper-local restaurant will be serving a prix-fixe menu with items like grilled oysters, mackerel tartare, housemade budino for dessert, and a whole bunch more. (It’s called a feast for a reason.)
For those who find it difficult to stay awake until the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of places who mark the occasion in accordance with different time zones around the world. Blind Lady Ale House gets the celebration going on Belgium time with a 3 p.m. toast on Wednesday, December 31—giving you plenty of time to have a drink, some pizza, and probably a restorative nap before heading to your next soirée.
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Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
