Toronto just got a new food hall that includes a well-known pizza joint that left the space it used to share with now-controversial BBQ restaurant Adamson. It shares the space with two other exciting businesses at 858 Eglinton Avenue East.

Conspiracy Pizza has joined forced with patty spot Phamilyeats and ice cream concept Churnt Up for the next step on its journey.

Phamilyeats is a patty supplier in Toronto with a cult-like following. The founder and chef started making beef patties during the pandemic only to keep selling out. 

The new space opened to the public on June 3 after being renovated for two and a half months.

Conspiracy has always set themselves apart by topping their pies with BBQ meats like brisket and pulled pork, and that hasn't changed in the new spot.

You'll also find other outside-the-box pizza styles like nacho pizzas.

"We bought an offset smoker and smoke all of our own meat now. Although it's small, it's enough for us to make our brisket, ham, bacon, and pulled pork. We use a mix of maple and ash wood, which gives a milder smoky flavour to the meat," Conspiracy owner Dan Rios tells blogTO.

"Our pizzas are the same, but we are more focused than ever on making them the best they can be. We are adding more vegan and vegetarian options, as we don't want to be known only for our smoked meat pizzas. We're going to continue innovating and coming up with creative and seasonal pizzas."

In the new space, Conspiracy has a full kitchen to work with, so they're planning on adding new side dishes and desserts to their menu down the line.

In the fall, they're even planning on branching out from pizza entirely.

They're going to be using their smoked meats to make deli sandwiches, and are working on getting a liquor license so you can eat your pizza and hoagies with ice cold beer.

However, Conspiracy Pizza couldn't have brought all these new ideas to life on their own.

"Our new space is large and the rent is higher than our old location, so we knew we would need help paying the bills," says Rios.

He had worked with Churnt Up previously, selling their ice cream through Conspiracy Pizza, and spent a little while working for Phamilyeats after Conspiracy shut down at their old location in December 2020.

Churnt Up does ice cream in inventive flavours like Froot Loops, Honey Teddy Graham, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Taro, and Phamilyeats serves up homemade beef patties and pot pies.

"I approached both of them about starting the food hall together, so that we could share expenses and help each other develop our businesses," says Rios.

"It came together very organically and the timing worked out well for all of us. It's been really fun working with these two guys and I think it creates a great experience for our customers."

This is the first ever storefront for both Phamilyeats and Churnt Up. Churnt Up founder Vince Lao has around a decade of experience in the food industry, starting Churnt Up in 2017 as a pop-up concept.

"I loved the idea of sharing space with two great brands and having Dan's help with the initial growing pains was great to have to smooth the process out," Lao tells blogTO.

"Churnt Up now has its first ever storefront and it feels amazing to have people that have been supporting the brand since 2017 now seeing the full evolution of the brand having its own storefront. I'm excited to gain more experience in this venture and hopefully open more locations in the future."

Phamilyeats founder Peter Pham's experience isn't limited to patties and pot pies, having done everything from private dining to corporate catering, pub fare to Italian at the likes of Gusto 101 and Buca.

He eventually moved on from the restaurant industry to construction, but one day started baking pot pies for coworkers trying to recreate his mom's recipe.

During the pandemic, he started making patties as well, and it wasn't long before Rios got his hands on them and was wanting to sell them.

"I was getting ready to sell them until the whole Adamson BBQ fiasco happened. A brick was thrown through his window and he had to shut down and distance himself from Adam. Next thing you know, I'm desperate for help and he was available," Pham tells blogTO.

"I quit my job and had Dan help me figure out how to scale the business. Dan is one of the main reasons why I'm here today. He believed in me and my product."

"Obviously I've dreamed of having my own space but I think I wanted to do it through baby steps and this is the best way to do it. We are all surrounded by people who love what they do and will go the extra mile to serve amazing products," says Pham.

"I think that is what makes this new space so special. If we were to do it on our own, we have very limited resources and knowledge in growing our businesses. We ask questions and bounce around ideas everyday and the value of that is priceless."

"We might have another tenant down the line and there is definitely the possibility of doing pop ups and other fun things," says Rios.

"We're excited to see where this goes and what we can do with it."