Slim and Husky’s Pizza, Wings and Cinnamon Rolls is the newest restaurant to open a space on the Middle Tennessee State University campus this fall. This will be their third campus location, and the 14th location total.
Slim and Husky’s Pizza was begun by three North Nashville friends who met in high school. After graduating from Tennessee State University, they started a moving and transportation company, but their real love was making and eating pizza. Literally starting in a garage, their vision is to become a household name. They are well on their way.
Clint Gray, Derrick Moore, and Emanuel Reed wanted to combine great food, music and social impact in a way that would bring people together. They started by using a pizza giveaway to bring feuding neighborhoods together near their homes.
They opened their first store in 2017, and have been opening one about every six months ever since. There are nine locations in Tennessee, three in Atlanta, Georgia, and one in Sacramento, California. One of their most impactful stores to open is the one located in downtown Nashville next to the Museum of African American Music, as it is the first black-owned business on Broadway.
The pizzas are shaped like flat breads and were developed with the help of Chef Jason Williams, who has studied under some of the best chefs in Nashville until making a name for himself in the industry. He has since shared a kitchen with some of the best chefs nationally.
With the determination of Gray, Moore, and Reed, and the food know-how of Williams, the guys have slowly been building their brand. Most of their signature pizzas and cinnamon rolls are named after famous hip-hop groups, or make reference to hip-hop culture. For example, the Cee No Green Pizza, which is their version of the meat-lovers with ground beef, pepperoni, hickory smoked bacon, Canadian bacon, and Italian sausage. Or the Sticky Fingaz Cinnamon Roll, which has caramel sauce, bacon, 1856 Uncle Nearest Whisky glaze, and pecans.
A build-your-own pizza option is available. It starts with picking one of five house-made sauces, including garlic shallot oil, classic red, spinach basil pesto, slammin’ white sauce, or spicy red sauce. Add a meat, like shrimp, smoked chicken, smoked salmon, plant-based sausage or one of several others. Then for those who do like their veggies, there are standards like mushrooms and tomatoes, as well as others like roasted red peppers. They offer several cheese options, too. Including a vegetarian cheese.
Salads are also available, and can be built from pizza toppings on a bed of mixed greens or fresh spinach. They make their own dressings: balsamic molasses, peach mustard or herbed ranch.
The MTSU location opened on August 28, 2023.
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