Canvas Pizza is making the leap from pop-up operation to mobile food service, upgrading from portable ovens to a custom food trailer that will more than triple its production capacity.
The Riverside-based pizza company expects to launch the trailer in November or December, featuring a double-deck oven capable of producing 11 pizzas simultaneously and reaching 150 pizzas per hour with full staff.
"Right now we're still cooking to order. We just can't push out a lot of volume in a short amount of time," said founder Arthur White. Currently, the team needs two to three hours to produce 150 pizzas for catering events using three to four portable ovens.
The transition represents a significant operational upgrade for the five-year-old business, which evolved from White making pizzas in his driveway to a five-person team working events throughout the Inland Empire. White said the company grew organically through customer demand after he began experimenting with sourdough pizza as a hobby.
"As I kept making them out of the house, people kept wanting more, so kind of just evolved into a business from there," White said. "Kind of just by everyone asking for it so much."
Canvas Pizza has already invested in the trailer's core equipment, with the oven and refrigeration units delivered and construction scheduled to begin within weeks. The company is running a crowdfunding campaign to cover the project's final costs, offering rewards from launch party invitations to catering packages.
The new mobile kitchen will enable Canvas Pizza to expand its catering services throughout a 25-mile radius from Riverside while maintaining the company's cook-to-order approach and simple menu philosophy.
White said the business focuses on quality over complexity, using a four-ingredient tomato sauce and sourdough dough that requires extended fermentation time. The menu includes vegan options using Miyoko's oat-based mozzarella cheese to ensure broad accessibility.
"It's kind of like the theory, less is more," White said. "Not like overcrowding all the ingredients, overcomplicating everything."
The trailer upgrade positions Canvas Pizza to handle consistent volume while preserving the artisanal approach that built its following. White said the business has relied on borrowed prep space and portable equipment throughout its growth, making the transition to dedicated infrastructure a crucial step.
"Everyone's been super supportive for the entire journey from businesses that have let us pop up places, even Mikey G's letting us do prep out of the kitchens," White said. "We would not exist without all these people, all the support, all the feedback that we constantly get."
White views the trailer as a stepping stone toward opening a brick-and-mortar location in Riverside, with potential for additional mobile units as the business continues expanding.
The company's growth reflects the broader development of Riverside's food scene, with artisanal operations like Canvas Pizza showing how local businesses can scale while maintaining quality and community connections.
More information: Canvas Pizza continues operating pop-up events while the trailer is under construction. Updates are available on Instagram at @canvaspizza and at canvaspizza.com.
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