Lexi Rosenthal
The hands of a Spicy Pie employee pull blazing- hot pizza crusts out of the oven, spreads the base layer of sauces, and sprinkles an array of toppings to create a delicious masterpiece… but little did everyone know that some of these hands also create eye-catching art in and outside the walls of Spicy Pie! Lexi Rosenthal, Director of Marketing and Operations, shares about the impact employee art has had on the company and the community!
Q: How and when did employees start creating art for Spicy Pie?
A: The employees have been creating art at Spicy Pie for as long as I can remember. Whether it has been doodles on a cardboard pizza box, painting a hallway, or writing on the chalkboard sign each store has, each piece of art is special in its own way.
Q: Who are the employees that have created the artwork?
A: Some Spicy Pie employees who are also local artists include Ian Warner, Matt Wuorinen, Edwin Degges, Jodi Claflin, Hannah Van Sickle, and many others who contribute their artistic talents! We welcome EVERYONE on our team to share their artistic abilities!
Q: What has been your favorite piece of artwork? Most surprising?
A: I don’t have a favorite, though I do love the pizza angel mural at Spicy Pie West Fargo. It was painted by Ian Warner, a longtime Spicy Pie employee. The pizza of the month chalkboard drawings are always so original and fun as well! All of the artwork is surprising to me. I think it is incredible how these individuals can be so creative with their artwork and their pizza creations!
Q: Where is the artwork typically located and how have you been using it to promote Spicy Pie?
A: All of our stores have chalkboard A-frame signs that are updated by employees to promote the new pizza of the month or daily specials. The South Fargo store has a chalkboard wall that always has a fun picture of pizza of the month created by employees. The bathroom and hallways at the downtown Fargo Spicy Pie were painted by an employee. And the large over-sized outdoor chairs at the West Fargo and Minot stores were painted by our employees as well! There is also a pizza angel on the wall at the West Fargo location that is wonderful for photo ops!
Q: How have customers reacted to the artwork?
A: Customers enjoy seeing the artwork created by our employees! Sometimes they even contribute with art of their own on our walls. We allow customers to draw on the walls in all of the Fargo and West Fargo stores and some of the drawings are quite impressive. It is fun to see!
Q: Why is it important for you to support and encourage your employees to express themselves?
A: At Spicy Pie, we encourage creativity and trying new things. We have used the tagline “our crust is your canvas” because our customers can customize a menu item however they would like! We feel the same way about the artwork our employees share with us and with our customers. Spicy Pie is an awesome place to work and making pizza is a fun job, but it is so much more than that! It’s a community where we encourage our employees to embrace their abilities, whatever they may be. Art is a huge part of many of our employees’ lives and we are happy to give them an opportunity to share their work however we can. It may be our crust, but it’s their canvas.
