Foodie Friday: The Cap’ns Slice
BERLIN, Md. – The Cap’ns Slice in Berlin is a small pizza shop bringing the power of the slice to the people.
Endless Creativity
All of the pies here are named after—you guessed it—captains. Owner Yancey Carapico says he’s dreamed up more than 115 specialty slices since opening shop.
“We like to use a lot of different ingredients and creations just to be different from everyone else … I don’t think that I’ll ever run out of pizza ideas as long as I live,” Carapico said.
Roquan Smith
We start with the Roquan Smith, named for the defensive captain of the Baltimore Ravens.
This pizza begins with a mozzarella blend, house-roasted mushrooms, and a blistering breather in the oven. Once it’s crisped up, Carapico dots the pie with house-whipped lemon ricotta and completes it with shaved parmesan and a generous drizzle of black truffle oil.
“The parmesan is giving me that little bit of nuttiness, and somehow they have gotten it to melt well, which is wizardry to me … That’s pretty close to a perfect white pie right there,” quipped Foodie Photog Mike.
“I think these little dollops of ricotta are the main character. They’re lemony, light, and they’re the perfect thing to cut through all of the heavy umami flavors,” Foodie Friday Host Hannah Cechini added.
Captain Claiborne
Next up, is Captain Claiborne. As to who exactly this pie is named after, Carapico says that’s up for debate. But one thing is for sure, the sesame seed crust sends it to the top of this eatery’s team. “It’s so simple, and it just takes a pizza to the next level,” Carapico said.
Carapico circles the dough with San Marzano tomato sauce. “It’s 100 percent San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy. And then, we just add a little dash of Sicilian sea salt.”
This pie also gets a mozzarella blend, but here’s where it gets funky: it includes house-made nduja sausage from Gilberts Provisions on Main Street. “They put in their own house-fermented chilis and fermented garlic,” Carapico said.
For the finishing moves, the Claiborne gets fresh burrata. “It’s excellent. You see that when you open (the burrata) up it’s so luxurious. We’ll just break that up and spread it all over,” Carapico explained, before snipping fresh basil leaves over the whole affair.
“The San Marzano tomato sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, a little bit tangy. Very fresh, and the basil just amps all of that up … You can’t say no to burrata. It’s just delicious. It’s melty, gooey, and it’s the perfect date for the sausage because it’s like creamy versus spicy,” Hannah said.
“It’s got all the colors of the Italian flag, and immediately makes you think of a classical pizza. But there are so many neat twists … Every bite has a crunchy texture, the sweetness, I’m starting to get a bit of heat from that nduja. There are so many neat elements that are so well-balanced,” Mike said.
The Cap’ns Slice
The Cap’ns Slice is located at 8 Pitts Street, Berlin, Md. You can call them at 667-288-1039. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.
