Crisped to Perfection

Cast Iron Pizza’s unique pizza style delivers flavor and nostalgia

By: Jeremy Angione | Photos By: Ashlee Glen

Cast Iron Pizza is the latest business to be opened with the help of Downtown Lynchburg Association’s Launch LYH grant initiative. Opening in December 2025, owner Jacob Black is already offering a unique take on perhaps one of the most universally loved foods: pizza.

What makes the pizza unique is all in the name. Each pizza is prepped and cooked in a cast iron skillet which makes for a crispy crust that pairs nicely with hot, fresh ingredients. Black discovered his affinity for making pizza during his college days, when he had limited food options due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Right when COVID hit, I needed to figure out how to make my favorite foods,” Black said.

He “fell in love with pizza” when he learned the cast iron method that he began to use in his home. After college, Black returned to Lynchburg and continued making pizzas, sharing them with friends. They encouraged him to apply for Launch LYH after he’d already toyed with the idea of opening a business.

“I decided to open a restaurant in the last year and a half. That was never really a plan in my mind,” Black admitted.

Despite working a full-time job, Black is still a primary cook for Cast Iron Pizza. He also handles everything from washing dishes to food prep.

“I’m very heavily involved, but that’s what I wanted it to be. That’s what I love doing,” Black said. Black receives plenty of help from his family who lend not only their labor, but also their restaurant management and cooking experience.

“Having the support of my family made it a lot easier to get this place off the ground,” Black said.

The recipe and processes of this style of pizza demands precision and details that Black refuses to compromise on.

“Making cast iron pizzas is the main challenge for the business. We had to figure out how to replicate what I was doing at home, in a commercial setting,” Black said.

According to Black, each pizza needs to be cooked in a specialized oven that reaches 650 degrees.

Even then, the recipe demands they cook for roughly 25 minutes.

“We don’t want to take shortcuts on the dough or recipe, because that’s what people have loved so far. This is pretty different from anything anybody would typically attempt to do in a restaurant setting,” Black explained.

Cast Iron Pizza can only make about 100 pizzas per day, so when they run out, they are out for the day. Black highly encourages his customers to preorder online to get their pizza.

Black is confident he can streamline the process if he is able to have more kitchen space. Cast Iron Pizza opened in a small restaurant footprint on Church Street. Black hopes they can expand the restaurant into the space next door as well.

The space is small but feels cozy. The warm colors evoke the family style pizza joints many of us remember from our youth. The names of the specialty pizzas are written large on a chalk wall. There are many classic pizzas with some unique twists courtesy of Black’s creativity and unique house made ingredients.

To further the “family and friends” vibe, each specialty pizza is named after a cat that belonged to Black, his family members, or his friends.

For now, Cast Iron Pizza is open Friday through Sunday. Black hopes to add more hours soon and even some house made breads onto the menu.

Find Cast Iron Pizza at 1103 Church Street in downtown Lynchburg or at castironpizzalyh.com.