Chicago Brothers Pizza San Diego

A neighborhood pizza spot is coming to the Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch this fall.

Fresh Brothers Pizza, which has 14 locations throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, plans to expand into San Diego by October 2016.

Adam Goldberg, founder and CEO, said the Village is a perfect place for one of their restaurants as they are a very community and family-oriented business.

“When I was taken around Carmel Valley for the first time, I thought Fresh Brothers needs to be in Carmel Valley and Carmel Valley needs a Fresh Brothers because we will cater to this community with great service and high-end product, ” Goldberg said. “I saw kids coming out of high school coming over to the Village to have lunch, moms and dads dropping kids off and getting shopping done at Trader Joe’s, and families getting ice cream sandwiches at Baked Bear. It just fits right in with who Fresh Brothers is. We cater to the family.”

Goldberg opened his first Fresh Brothers with his wife Debbie in 2008. He had been in the television entertainment industry for more than 15 years but was looking to switch things up to be able to spend more time with his family, including his young twins.

He reflected on how he had grown up working in his oldest brother Scott’s pizzeria in Indiana, outside of Chicago, learning the trade with his hands in the sauce and delivering pies. Both he and Debbie had the idea to bring Scott’s Chicago-style pizza to Southern California, quitting the entertainment industry “cold turkey” to open their first restaurant in Manhattan Beach.

Within 28 months, the pair had opened five Fresh Brothers locations.

Goldberg said what sets Fresh Brothers apart is its high-end product — there are no additives, no preservatives and no GMOs and they are known for their excellent quality fresh California tomatoes and high-end mozzarella cheese.

When people think Chicago pizza, they think deep-dish style but Goldberg said while they do offer deep-dish, many of their pizzas are thin-crust, with skinny and “mega-grain” options.

The Fresh Kids Special features a sauce created by Debbie that includes five finely- ground vegetables mixed right into the sauce. Kids have no idea they’re eating their veggies — the pizza was featured on “The Doctors” television show and Goldberg said it is a top seller.

The restaurant offers loaded build-your own salads and nothing at Fresh Brothers is ever fried: wings, bites, tenders and even the Fresh fries are baked. For those with special diets, Fresh Brothers offers a full gluten free menu as well as vegan options.

“We’re very concerned about people with allergy issues, ” Goldberg said, noting they worked with the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness on a program for all of their kitchens to make sure they are safe.

Fresh Brothers is also a nut-free restaurant — as Goldberg said, “We can feed everybody, ” he doesn’t think anyone should have to miss out on eating a great pizza.