Owners of Wetzel’s Pretzels chain open Blaze Pizza in Pasadena

Pasadena culinary entrepreneurs Rick and Elise Wetzel, owners of the Wetzel’s Pretzels chain, are trying their hands at the pizza business with a new restaurant that opened Monday on Colorado Boulevard.

As one might expect from a pair of pretzel impresarios, there’s a twist.

Inspired by popular restaurant chains like Subway and Chipotle, Blaze Pizza uses an assembly line of toppings choices and an open-hearth oven that burns as hot as 800 degrees to prepare customized artisanal pizzas in about two minutes.

Elise Wetzel said she and her husband shared a pizza epiphany last fall while craving specialty pizza but settling for another quick lunch on their way to a business meeting.

“We ended up at Chipotle on Lake Avenue. Watching their format, we thought, ‘Why can’t you make a pizza like that?’ It was kind of an ‘ah hah’ moment,” she said. “The idea is that by the time you’ve paid and found a table, your pizza’s ready.”

To bring that vision to life, the Wetzels partnered with chef Brad Kent, owner of the Olio Pizzeria & Café in Los Angeles and a Pasadena resident. Kent, a former U.S. Defense Dept. food scientist who worked to create healthier and better-tasting military rations, said he spent months concocting an unbleached flour dough that would respond well to extremely high temperatures and could be made from scratch at the restaurant.

Wetzel said the business is already prepared to offer franchises throughout the country, a model that in 18 years has expanded Wetzel’s Pretzels to more than 200 locations. Investors in Blaze Pizza include former California First Lady Maria Shriver, movie produce John Davis and Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner, according to a company spokesman.

While Wetzel expects customized pies made “freakishly fast” will set Blaze Pizza apart, she said the company is also competitive when it comes to price. An 11-inch thin-crust pizza with any three meats or cheeses and unlimited vegetable topping sells for $6.85.