A Portland pizzeria with international acclaim is establishing roots in Bend.

Ken’s Artisan Pizza, recipient of the fifth-best pizzeria in the United States in 2024 by Naples-based 50 Top Pizza and third on the same list in 2023, chose the former Seven Nightclub on Bond Street as the home of its second location.

The pies will be fired in a Le Panyol oven crafted by Timothy Seaton, the same artisan who made the oven for the Portland location, allowing the Bend pizzeria to blister its pizzas with the same consistency that has diners lining up in the Rose City.

Owner Peter Kost assumed responsibility for the restaurant in 2022 from Ken Forkish, a James Beard Award-winner.

Kost said the international acclaim the pizzeria has received is humbling.

“It’s a testament to the people that I have around me,” he said, citing their commitment to consistency and the talent of Executive Chef Vince Krone.

Making 50 Top Pizza’s list

50 Top Pizza is an independent online guide that evaluates pizzerias around the globe after making three anonymous visits. It recognized Ken’s for its fragrant, light, crunchy dough, its attention to quality and the seasonality of its ingredients.

A translation of the Italian review on its website reads, “The style of the pizza is inspired by Neapolitan pizza, reinterpreted to be immediately understandable to the American palate, and the final result is truly remarkable.”

Much like receiving a Michelin star, however, ranking among the top pizzerias in the country is daunting because it changes how the restaurant is viewed in the eyes of the public, Kost said.

“Now you have to live up to that and be consistent and always strive to do even better,” he said.

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Award-winning flavors

Ken’s 12-inch pizzas have earned accolades due to good old-fashioned consistency and high-quality ingredients.

“What we feel makes it special is the consistency of how we treat the dough,” Kost said. “That’s it. There is no magic wand, it’s more how you stay consistent to what you do and treat the dough with respect.”

The mozzarella, ricotta and sausage are made in-house, along with the ice cream on the dessert menu. Toppings are purchased at the local farmers market.

A press release referred to the Italian-inspired pizzas as having an “American accent,” which Kost said is due to regional factors such as the water, daily temperatures and humidity.

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From Portland to Bend

Kost carries on the legacy of Forkish, who opened Ken’s in 2006.

The two became fast friends after Forkish opened a bakery three blocks from Kost’s restaurant, Lucy’s Table, which he sold in 2005. Forkish tested pizza at Ken’s Artisan Bakery for about a year before opening the pizzeria and Kost helped with taste-testing.

Now, Forkish is retired and Kost has

full creative control over the restaurant, but Kost said he wouldn’t change a thing.

“The foundation is his and whatever has come since then is only because of that foundation,” Kost said. “I could change it all if I wanted to, but I’d be the dumbest person in the world if I did.”

Kost received offers to open a second location in the Portland area but said he felt it would diminish the originality and uniqueness of the founding pizzeria. He knew he wanted to find another location in Oregon and Bend felt like the right next place.

The Bend Ken’s is slated to open in

November, after which area diners will have the opportunity to taste the award-winning pizzas, deciding for themselves if it deserves accolades in their book.

It will be joined by a brick-and-mortar location of the smashburger food cart, The Americana, and a hotel in the historic Downing Hotel building.

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Details

What: Ken’s Artisan Pizza

Location: 1033 NW Bond Street, Bend

Contact: kensartisan.com or @kensartisan on Instagram

Coming this fall