I seldom leave the mountains, but some things are worth the drive down the hill. I have a friend, Nolan Schoonmaker, who lives in Lafayette. One day, while talking, I found myself unusually intrigued by his place of work, Ghost Box Pizza (GBP). Before long, my GBP journey began.

After speaking with GBPs Chef de Cuisine, James Kim, I immediately knew why I had to write about it. The restaurant, born out of Acreage, GBPs flagship cider house and restaurant, was co-founded by Eric Foster and Phil Kao. They met in Denver in 2011 and bonded over their love of cider and over Michigan football, where they were both born and raised.

Foster, a seasoned homebrewer, and Kao, an expert engineer, bought a press and some apples and began experimenting. Whether it was luck or destiny leading the way, the first batch was a reason to celebrate.

By 2013, Foster and Kao founded Stem Ciders and produced the first batch, now known as Real Dry. The founding of Stem Ciders paved the way for Acreage, a restaurant, and production facility, which opened its doors in 2018.

In 2020, as with most restaurants, the Acreage kitchen was forced to shift into strictly to-go orders. But good things can come from dark times. During this period, the staff began experimenting with wood-fired Detroit-style pizzas. To no surprise, and in no time, the pizza’s popularity grew. This growth led to the opening of Ghost Box Pizza in downtown Lafayette in February 2021.

GBPs rectangular-shaped deep-dish baked pizzas have a crispy, cheesy edge and some doughiness in the middle. Another delicious fact about GPB is that they utilize farm-to-table ingredients. It doesn’t stop there. They produce all of their ciders in-house at Stem Ciders, with the highest quality all-natural ingredients possible.

Want more? No problem. There’s an underground room where they host parties and business events. The company, via the Stem Ciders organization, also offered support to the communities that were impacted by the Marshall wildfires of 2021/2022.

With a rotating made-from-scratch menu, including Colorado brews and ciders, and friendly staff, GBP deserves all the rave reviews it’s getting. And after experiencing it all myself, it has made my #1 favorite pizza restaurant in Colorado.

Ghost Box Pizza is located at 103 South Public Road, Lafayette, Colorado, 80026. They can be reached at 970-200- 8880 or via email at events@stemciders.com. To learn more about Ghost Box Pizza, visit: https://ghostboxpizza.com/ or find them on Facebook at: https:// www.facebook.com/ghostboxpizza/