The smell of California-style gourmet pizza and espresso coffee fills the air of Pie on the Mountain, a new restaurant that opened in Lansing on Friday, Dec. 11. The eatery is one of several recent businesses to open in the small town and the owners believe that they are in the middle of Lansing's revival.

Sara and Luther Beck, who recently moved to Lansing from Davidson but are originally from California, said they first got into the world of pizza through Beck's parents pizza place, Little Filly's in Palo Cedro, Calif. Beck's family recently sold their restaurant, however, and Luther Beck said "it's kind of like passing on the torch." He noted that outside of enjoying Lansing they decided to open their business there because they see it as a "very sustainable, developable area."

Luther said he has been a chef for six years and worked with a variety of world cuisines, but pizza keeps "calling" him back. He hopes to incorporate the lessons learned while cooking other cuisines into the menu for Pie on the Mountain - as well as a fun atmosphere.

"We want to bring a fresh, affordable gourmet dining experience along with the art, the atmosphere," he said. "We want it to be a whole experience - when you go out to eat, you don't want to just get something you've heard about or you've eaten your whole life. You want to learn something, you want to experience the whole going out to eat experience. Not only will the food and service be really good, but hopefully it will just be a real fun, interesting place to come."

Sara Beck noted that they "didn't want to charge ridiculous prices for it. We stayed within the local budget and within the local pizza restaurant price range."

Sara Beck described the interior of the restaurant as being "comfortable, home-style." She also wanted to express herself as an artist and created most of the paintings on the restaurants walls. 

The Becks describe their pizza as a "California style" gourmet pie and are cooked with a brick stone oven. The dough and sauce are made daily and the meat toppings are seasoned at the restaurant and baked in the oven. Sara Beck said the restaurant's ingredients "don't come in giant buckets."

There are several other menu items aside from pizza, from similar dishes like calzones and strombolis to salads, sandwiches, soup and hot wings. Fans of hot drinks can get their fix, too, as the business offers a full espresso coffee bar and a variety of black, green and herbal teas.

Luther Beck said he hopes to add daily specials that "have nothing to do with pizza, and it could be anything." The Becks also plan to install incentives for customers such as offering Frequent Pieer Miles and Pie Noon lunch specials.

Pie on the Mountain is located at 9360 Highway 194 in downtown Lansing. The business is open from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Thursday; from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday; and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. To find out more, call (336) 385-8008.