The first pizzas Todd Basilone made in Talkeetna were not at what is now Mountain High Pizza Pie, but across the street at the Roadhouse.
“I got started over there with Trisha and Dieter at the Roadhouse back in the day. They invited me to come over when I was rebuilding the pizzeria, here, after the fire, and make pizza on Friday nights. And that was my foot in the door, you might say.”
The next year, in the spring of 2003, Todd got Mountain High up and running. At the time, there was some controversy over the color that he chose to paint his new business.
“We went and got paint, and all the trim I painted purple. And we painted the building—it was called ‘Deep Smoke Signal,’ and that was kind of in honor of the fire. It had little purple hue to it as well. And since there wasn’t too much going on in Talkeetna in April of 2003, I stood out like a sore thumb, you know? Everybody had concerns for what I was doing and how I was going to change town and everything. It was a little controversial, my choice in color, and I think after a while everyone grew to like it.
Today, a large frame inside Mountain High is dedicated to a collection of signatures from those who supported the building’s new paint job twenty years ago.
In the summer season, Mountain High’s large outdoor deck is often full of both locals and visitors. It’s a lot of work, and Basilone says keeping things fun is what has kept him going.
“I kinda built myself a place I wanted to be, because I had to be here all the time….I think we try to make everything as fun as possible.”
The anniversary festivities start on Friday and continue most of the day Saturday, featuring some of Alaska’s favorite bands.
“Friday will be the [Denali] Cooks, and they’ll play from 7:00 to 10:00. And then on Saturday, Past Our Prime will open up the day at 2:00, the Roland Roberts Band will be at 4:00, and Hope Social Club will be at 7:00.”
Basilone says he’s looking forward to enjoying the music and festivities as his purple pizzeria celebrates two decades in business.
