‘It's a legacy’: Deggys Brick Oven Pizza and Brewery to bring family traditions to Lafayette

The owner of Jim Deggys Brick Oven Pizza and Brewery in Lafayette is continuing a legacy that started generations ago.

The restaurant is a tribute to James DeGregorio, nicknamed Deggys — the grandfather of Paul Averett, owner of Jim Deggys. Averett was born and raised in east Texas, but would spend his summers in New Jersey, visiting the Deggy side of his family.

“It all gave us a love for pizza,” Averett said.

It was those summer days in the northeast when Averett found his love and influence for pizza. Grandfather Deggy had a love for New York-style pizza. As a family tradition, they would visit and try local pizza shops in the area.

After spending 20 years in the military, Averett said he realized there weren't many pizza shops like the ones he had when he was younger.

“So we started making our own… and it kind of grew from there,” Averett said.

In 2016, he started his food truck — a giant military truck with a 20-foot shipping container on the back with the same name. Jim Deggys sold the pizzas that he would develop into what he has now.

Following the success of the food truck, Averett opened the first brick-and-mortar location in Pineville, which is going on four years. Paisley Turrubiatertes, who serves as the general manager since the food truck, has been with Averett for the past seven years, and is someone Averett considers a part of the family.

“They created a few signature pizzas and are responsible for running the restaurant while I am expanding,” Averett said.

With a growing staff and wanting to promote and retain the top performers, they needed to expand, and Lafayette provided that outlet.

Their second restaurant is set to open in downtown Lafayette at 201 Jefferson St.— where the old Dat Dog restaurant was once housed.

“We are excited to bring our unique product,” Averett said.

The Lafayette restaurant is set to have a soft opening in the coming weeks, adding a brewery to its restaurant, one of the few in the area, Averett said. They will try to be fully open by the start of Festival International de Louisiane.

Jim Deggys is as traditional as it gets, sticking with a hand-tossed dough, using an imported brick oven pizza from France. Their woodfire oven gives the pizza a charred flavor that you can’t get from a conventional oven.

The difference between an undercooked pizza or a burnt one is less than 30 seconds. And it's less than five seconds in a wood fired oven.

“It's a two-minute cook at 700 degrees,” Averett said. “We use really good cheese and garnish everything with garlic butter. We got some really good, unique pizzas.”

Jim Deggys Brick Oven Pizza and Brewery is made up of 20 pies, from 12 signature pizzas, eight traditional pizzas and a build-your-own. They offer a pizza of the month. With the addition of the brewery, the plan is pairing pizza with beer as a monthly release.

“We are going to have a craft pizza and a craft beer that is going to be released the same day,” Averett said.

Some of the toppings include boudin, cream cheese and pepper jack cheese, just to name a few. The Voodoo pizza, made up of a white sauce, pepperoni, boudin, jalapeño, cream cheese and pepper jack, is their best seller.

The pizzas are just a small part of the menu, along with award-winning salad and wings, as well as a variety of appetizers. Even more so: They were nominated every year for their pizza, wings, salads, and voted best in central Louisiana.

It's just not the name of the restaurant that hits close to home for Averett. It's the people who make it up, too.

His son, Jared, is a daily manager who helps with construction and restaurant operations and his daughter, Kennedy, works summer vacation as a waitress at Deggys. More of his children plan to join, Averett said, as they continue to expand.

“It gives me a chance to do things with my kids,” Averett said. “We’re building this together.”

The four of them, Averett said, are building a family legacy together. They are all learning and growing together from their father for the future.

“It's a legacy,” Averett said. “We are building something we can be proud of.”

This article originally appeared on Gonzales Weekly Citizen: Deggys Brick Oven Pizza Brewery bring family traditions to Lafayette