Mayoral Pizza

Greg Tierney has lived in the world of restaurants since age 15, when he filled the humble position of dishwasher.

Tierney certainly wasn’t on the frontlines of restaurant life as he soaked his hands in hot, soapy water, but he was close enough to light fire to his imagination. He later became a successful restauranteur through the Duck Inn in Lake Dallas, Tierney’s Café and Tavern in Old Town Lewisville, and in 2020, Motor City Pizza in Lewisville.

“I’ve lived in Texas nearly 30 years,” Tierney explained, “but I grew up in Detroit. No matter where I went, I always had the memory of that wonderful taste and texture — the crust that was crisp on the outside, but airy and chewy on the inside, and the stretchy cheese running down the sides of the pan. It’s baked in blue steel pans that were once used to hold nuts and screws in auto plants. They’re perfect because of their ability to withstand higher temperatures.”

Tierney sold the Old Town restaurant in 2019 and took a year off to devote focused time to his wife and their new daughter Laurel. It was the first time in his life to be called Daddy, and he couldn’t hear the word often enough. Then, while walking a street in Austin, his nose lifted like a well-trained hunting dog. He caught a smell that pulled him back in time. It was Detroit Pizza.

Tierney opened Motor City Pizza in a ghost kitchen in 2019, moving to a storefront in October of the following year. His reputation for success followed him, and pizzas began rolling out the kitchen doors.

Tierney knows the principle of gratitude and the deep-seated benefits of giving back to the community that supports him. That led him to create and to host the Mayoral Pizza Cookoff.

There was nothing rinky-dink about this competition. Nine mayors participated from Flower Mound, Highland Village, Denton, Hickory Creek, Corinth, The Colony, Shady Shores, Lake Dallas, and Lewisville. Each Mayor competed for his/her favorite charity, turning in the name of their pizza and the ingredients they needed to construct it.

“It was quite an undertaking,” Tierney said. “Motor City purchased the ingredients and printed the menus and all other information. Each Mayor was assigned a number, and their names were not revealed to the judges.”

Speaking of judges. Once again, the line-up was top-notch and included lead food writer for the Dallas Morning News, food editor for D Magazine, food writer for the Dallas Observer, reporter for CBS 11, radio personality for Lone Star 92.5, Denton County Judge Andy Eads, a former mayor of Highland Village, and the founder of Foodie Fridays.

Just as we said, there was nothing rinky-dink.

Some of the Mayors’ creations were The Fig and Pig, Hawaiian Maurauder, Where’s the Beef, and Sweet Piggy.

Lake Dallas Mayor Andi Nolan managed to win by a narrow margin over Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore. Nearly $20,000 was raised for the charities, and mayors as well as judges said they are waiting for a repeat performance in 2024.

Tierney enjoys involving his Motor City patrons in a variety of ways. For example, currently available is the Winston Elote pizza, provided by one of Tierney’s friends.

“The recipe came from AI ChatGPT. I have no idea what that is because I’ve never used AI or this ChatGPT. I may have to do some research, though, because the pizza is darned good!”

Good times and delicious pizza are always on tap at Motor City.

1425 FM 407/Suite 600

Lewisville, TX 75077

972.654.6276