Green Pizza Comes to Houston

Move over Montrose and Midtown: the first certified organic restaurant in town is moving in, and it's moving into the suburbs.

Florida-based Pizza Fusion, the nation's only organic restaurant chain that also requires organic certification for all of its vendors, is opening this November at Vintage Park. Never heard of Vintage Park? That's because it's located at Highway 249 and Louetta Road, close to the Hewlett-Packard campus, in far north Houston. Originally imagined as a sister site to the Galleria's own Uptown Park -- which was designed and built by the same company, Interfin -- Vintage Park is one of a recent slew of "city centers" or "urban developments" that are multiplying like Tribbles around the Houston area.

In this remarkably odd location, close to Vintage Park's H-E-B, will be Pizza Fusion. The chain is famous not only for its strict organic standards, but also for their enviromental efforts. They require their buildings to be completely LEED certified, their drivers to deliver your pizzas using hybrid automobiles and use their profits to purchase enough renewable energy certificates to offset 100% of their yearly consumption. Local franchise owner Chris Toman recently found out the hard way that Houston is one of the most difficult cities in America in which to get a LEED certification, and yet Pizza Fusion has soldiered on.

Their menu features an impressive list of not only organic pizzas and salads, but also a wealth of other foods for those with special diets or restrictions. Gluten-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and even vegan items mingle happily beside pepperoni pizzas with whole wheat crusts. There's even a gluten-free pizza crust option. But it's not just the food that's special; Pizza Fusion also carries a wide array of organic wines and a gluten-free beer made from sorghum.

While the location may seem baffling to some -- progressive, eco-friendly businesses and restaurants don't tend to thrive in Houston, much less in our decidedly un-eco-friendly suburbs -- there's no denying the fact that Pizza Fusion is an exciting new restaurant to have on the scene. Want a Pizza Fusion in your own neighborhood? Good news: they're looking to open a whopping 75 more franchises in Texas alone over the next five years. So when you get into the lucrative organic pizza business, don't forget who helped you get there -- and save us a slice of pie.