Side Pie

Side Pie was an independent pizzeria in Altadena, California, created by chef and restaurateur Kevin Hockin during the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept began in 2020 after Hockin closed Collage Coffee, his shop in Los Angeles's Highland Park neighborhood, on March 19 of that year. Rather than abandon food service entirely, he built a wood-fired brick oven in the side yard of his Altadena home and began selling thin-crust pizzas through an opening in the property's fence. The unusual format, combined with promotion through Instagram and strong word of mouth, quickly attracted customers. The backyard operation was eventually closed after a neighbor complained to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Hockin subsequently moved Side Pie into a commercial space at the intersection of Altadena Drive and Lake Avenue, reopening in May 2021. The restaurant developed a recognizable identity around thin-crust pizza, live music, and Hockin's long-standing interest in the Grateful Dead. Its oven incorporated the band's skull-and-roses imagery, and the restaurant sold tie-dyed apparel drawing on the Deadhead aesthetic while also functioning as Side Pie merchandise. Side Pie became part of Altadena's local cultural scene. Hockin participated in the area's Deadhead community and organized outings connected to Grateful Dead-related performances. The restaurant also hosted all-ages shows, including performances by local Grateful Dead tribute acts, on the loading dock adjoining its outdoor seating area. Its programming helped position the pizzeria as more than a conventional restaurant: it served as a neighborhood gathering place combining food, music, and local subculture. The restaurant received favorable attention from Los Angeles food publications. The Los Angeles Times placed Side Pie among its ten best Los Angeles-area pizzerias in August 2022, while The Infatuation included it on a comparable list in November 2024. Both accounts highlighted the Kevin Lyman pizza, named for Hockin's neighbor Kevin Lyman, co-founder of the Warped Tour. Side Pie's commercial location was destroyed by the Eaton Fire on January 8, 2025. Hockin and his wife, Rosanna Kvernmo, were away that day celebrating their daughter Juliet's seventh birthday at Disneyland. Hockin said the business was uninsured at the time and that he intended to rebuild when conditions were safe. Because the available reference material does not establish whether reconstruction or a permanent reopening occurred, Side Pie's current operating status remains uncertain.

Side Pie emerged from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Hockin, who operated Collage Coffee in Highland Park, Los Angeles, closed that shop on March 19, 2020, telling customers he expected to reopen after the pandemic subsided. Instead, he developed a new food concept at his Altadena home. Hockin constructed a wood-fired brick oven in the property's side yard and, working with two other chefs, began producing thin-crust pizzas. The initial Side Pie format was deliberately informal. Customers ordered from a slot cut into the fence, while the business used Instagram to publicize availability and build an audience. The pop-up rapidly acquired a following, but its residential setting also created regulatory and neighborhood tensions. After a neighbor complained to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the backyard operation was closed. Hockin transitioned the concept into a conventional commercial setting. Side Pie reopened in May 2021 in a storefront at the corner of Altadena Drive and Lake Avenue. The move allowed the restaurant to operate as a more established pizzeria while preserving the neighborhood-focused character that had made the pop-up popular. The business became known for thin-crust pizzas and for its connection to Hockin's enthusiasm for the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead influence shaped both the visual identity and the social life of Side Pie. The pizza oven displayed the band's skull-and-roses motif, while the restaurant sold tie-dyed clothing inspired by the Deadhead look and marked with Side Pie branding. Hockin was active in the Los Angeles-area Deadhead community and led outings to Dead-related shows. The restaurant also hosted all-ages concerts, particularly performances by local Grateful Dead tribute bands, on the loading dock associated with its outdoor seating area. Side Pie gained wider recognition through Los Angeles food media. The Los Angeles Times included it among the ten best pizzerias in Los Angeles in August 2022. The Infatuation placed it on a similar list in November 2024. Both publications specifically praised the Kevin Lyman pizza, named after Hockin's neighbor Kevin Lyman, a co-founder of the Warped Tour. The restaurant's run at its commercial location ended when the building at 900 East Altadena Drive burned in the Eaton Fire on January 8, 2025. Hockin and his wife, Rosanna Kvernmo, were away with their daughter Juliet at Disneyland for her seventh birthday when the fire occurred. Hockin stated that Side Pie was uninsured and expressed an intention to rebuild once it was safe to do so. The available information does not confirm a subsequent reopening, so the brand's present status cannot be classified as definitively active or defunct.

• 2025

  Commercial location destroyed by the Eaton Fire

  [1]Side Pieen.wikipedia.org

  The Side Pie restaurant at 900 East Altadena Drive burns down on January 8.

• 2022

  Recognition from the Los Angeles Times

  [1]Side Pieen.wikipedia.org

  The Los Angeles Times places Side Pie among its ten best Los Angeles-area pizzerias.

• 2021

  Commercial restaurant opens

  [1]Side Pieen.wikipedia.org

  Side Pie reopens in a commercial space at Altadena Drive and Lake Avenue.

• 2020

  Side Pie launches as a backyard pop-up

  [1]Side Pieen.wikipedia.org

  Kevin Hockin and two other chefs begin serving thin-crust pizza from a wood-fired oven in the side yard of Hockin's Altadena home.

• 2020

  Residential operation closes after public-health complaint

  [1]Side Pieen.wikipedia.org

  A neighbor's complaint to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health leads to the end of the fence-window pop-up format.

An independent, community-oriented pizzeria combining thin-crust pizza with Grateful Dead-inspired design, live music, and local Altadena culture.

• Pizza · 2020

  Thin-crust pizza

  Side Pie's core offering was thin-crust pizza, first made in a wood-fired brick oven at the Altadena backyard pop-up and later served from the commercial restaurant. The available reference material identifies the thin-crust format as central to the brand but does not provide a complete menu or ingredient specifications.

• Signature pizza

  Kevin Lyman pizza

  The Kevin Lyman pizza was a signature Side Pie offering named for Kevin Lyman, the restaurant's neighbor and a co-founder of the Warped Tour. It received specific praise from both the Los Angeles Times and The Infatuation. The available sources do not state its toppings or recipe.

• Branded merchandise · 2020

  Side Pie tie-dyed clothing

  Side Pie sold tie-dyed clothing incorporating the visual language associated with the Grateful Dead while promoting the restaurant. The merchandise extended the brand beyond food and reflected its connection to the local Deadhead community.

• 2021All-ages live music program

  Altadena, California

  After moving to its commercial location, Side Pie hosted all-ages performances on the loading dock behind its outdoor seating area, including shows by local Grateful Dead tribute bands.

  Outcome. The program reinforced Side Pie's role as a neighborhood food and music venue.

  Source
• 2020Instagram backyard pop-up promotion

  Altadena, California

  Side Pie used an Instagram page to publicize pizza availability from its residential side-yard operation during the pandemic. The social channel helped the unusual fence-window format quickly attract a clientele.

  Outcome. The pop-up developed a local following before being closed after a public-health complaint.

  Source
• 2020Grateful Dead-inspired brand identity

  United States

  Hockin incorporated his long-standing Grateful Dead interest into Side Pie's oven design, apparel, community activities, and event programming.

  Outcome. The motif became a defining part of the restaurant's identity and its relationship with the Altadena-area Deadhead community.

  Source

• 2025

  Plan to rebuild after the Eaton FireStrategy

  Background

  The Side Pie commercial location was destroyed by the Eaton Fire on January 8, 2025.

  Action taken

  Hockin said he planned to rebuild when it was safe, although the business was uninsured at the time.

  Aftermath

  No source in the supplied material confirms whether rebuilding or reopening subsequently occurred.

  Source

• 2021

  Relocate to a commercial siteStrategy

  Background

  The residential pop-up format ended after a public-health complaint.

  Action taken

  Side Pie reopened in a commercial space at Altadena Drive and Lake Avenue in May 2021.

  Aftermath

  The restaurant continued operating as an established Altadena pizzeria and developed a broader food, music, and community identity.

  Source

• 2020

  Move from coffee shop operations to a home-based pizza conceptStrategy

  Background

  Hockin closed Collage Coffee in Highland Park at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Action taken

  He built a wood-fired oven at his Altadena home and launched Side Pie with two other chefs.

  Aftermath

  The pop-up attracted a clientele but was later closed following a neighbor's complaint to county public-health authorities.

  Source

1. 1Side Pieen.wikipedia.org