The Michelin-trained chef running Manchester’s one-man pizza pop-up

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Track brewery’s taproom has just welcomed the return of Rise pizza pop-up – a one-man flatbread operation that’s got us all excited again about (probably) one of the most over-saturated areas of the takeaway market.

Sam Astley-Dean is a Michelin-trained chef. He’s worked at top London restaurants Chez Bruce and Elystan Street and 5-star luxury hotels Claridge’s and The Chester Grosvenor, and now he’s here to cure our pizza fatigue.

Image: The Manc Eats

After years spent cooking in high-end kitchens, he’s switched his chef whites for jeans and a tshirt as he applies his skills to his new project, Rise – the one-man pizza pop-up that’s been quietly blowing the minds of beer lovers at taprooms and pubs across Greater Manchester.

Founded on the principles of natural, organic and ethical produce, Rise has only been going for a year – but Sam’s already making his mark on local foodies with various pop-ups in Salford Quays, Stockport, Levenshulme and more.

This month, he’s back at Track every Friday and Saturday between the hours of 3-9pm (or from 12pm on Saturdays) slinging out a choice of six different sourdough pizzas – or Pi’s, as he likes to call them.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

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Choices include the Cacio e Pepe, taking the classic cheese and pepper pasta dish and popping it on a pi with an added dash of fresh lemon, and the bright green OGB (Organic Garlic Butter) topped with slow-roasted garlic, parsley, lemon, mozzarella, parmesan and lemon.

Elsewhere, you’ll find The Rebel, combining organic tomatoes with pepperoni, fior di latte and parmesan, and the Do Ya?, a simple and delicious combination of just four ingredients – tomatoes, spicy Calabrian sausage paste, mascarpone and parmesan.

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Sam also does a classic margarita, which is made with burrata, and a vegan version with organic tomato, plant-based mozzarisella and prosociano.

Feature image – The Manc Group