Visits to Tony's Pizza in Montego Bay at a young age ignited a flame and a love for pizza in Marcus Snead that never went away. Fast-forward to purchasing a commercial pizza oven and having it seemingly lost in storage, only to have those circumstances quickly change due to the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Snead's distribution business that relies heavily on tourism was severely impacted by the pandemic, and while checking on stocks in the warehouse the sight of the pizza oven sparked an idea. A long-held dream of opening a pizzeria was again at the fore.

"I was walking through the warehouse in April 2020. At this time the hotels were closed and travel was restricted. I saw the pizza oven I had bought in 2019 and it was pretty much just sitting there. As it happens, I had also just met an Italian pizza chef, Marco, who was stranded here because of COVID-19. I married the two together, called him and asked him to show me the traditional Italian methods of making pizzas. We were at it for, like, three or four months. From the dough-making process, sauces, correct way of opening the dough ball to getting the pizza in and out of the oven," Snead explained.

"Eventually, travel restrictions were lifted and he went back to Europe. I had to decide what to do now. I decided to carry on by making pizzas for friends and family, charging a little bit of money to cover costs. Then I thought I might have a business here. We were still operating from the warehouse that's close to the JPS power plant, and when it was time to register the business, I said 'Electric Pizza'. We continued from there for about a year and then it was time to grow the business further with greater presence. That led to our move to Fairview in December 2022. So now we're giving our customers an electrifying experience," Snead added.

The new space was made to reflect its industrial beginnings with exposed pipes, metal and aluminum finishes. Cheese, pepperoni and the Catalina which is drizzled with honey infused with Scotch bonnet peppers as well as the Detroit-style with a thicker crust and added cheese are among the best sellers. Customers are also able to customise their pizzas and take advantage of in-house delivery and two-for-one specials on Wednesdays. Plans are also in place to increase the inside dining area and the beverage offerings to include wines.

"There's so much more that we have planned but we're making sure that the standards are maintained, [and that] each time a customer comes back the experience is the same and to know they're getting the best pizza," Snead added further.

Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Telephone #: 876-469-4570

Email: electricpizzaja@gmail.com

Instagram: @electricpizzaja

Address: Unit 2, Fairview Market Place

Montego Bay, St James