LAKE ASBURY – With numerous options for pizza, George Schneider knew his product had to be unique.

First, he put the parking brakes on his food truck and expanded to a brick-and-mortar store in the Asbury Commons shopping center. Then he crafted a distinctly different New Haven crust that’s like no other on the First Coast.

With a thriving restaurant and food truck business, Emangeo’s Brick Oven Pizza is preparing to open a second store in South Jacksonville.

“Running a restaurant and a food truck definitely has its challenges, especially with staffing on Friday nights,” Schneider said. “It’s just a matter of coordinating. It’s what we love to do. We strive to produce the best product we can and maintain a friendly approach. We make sure that everybody's happy when they leave and happy when they get there.”

The best way, Schneider said, is with good food.

New Haven dough has a thinner, crisper crust that is charred in a brick oven, Schneider said. It’s cooked at 700 degrees, while a traditional New York pizza dough is cooked at about 500 degrees and is thicker, with more bubbles and a bit more of a chewy texture.

“We have our own with our New Haven dough,” he said. “It’s something I made up myself, and people seem to really like it. It's something that people are coming around to.”

Not to worry, owners George and Tina Schneider also serve New York-style pizzas.

George Schneider’s favorite pizza is a longstanding classic: pepperoni and onions – New Haven crust, of course. “That’s always been my staple,” he said.

After bouncing from event to event in their familiar food truck, featuring a teal green brick oven, George and Tina Schneider jumped at the opportunity to buy Zac's Pizza and Wings during the COVID-19 pandemic at 2851 Henley Road.

“We brought our brand to Lake Asbury and people really seem to like it,” George said. “And we’re still staying busy with our food truck.”

With help from their son Jonathan, the Schneiders are looking to open a second restaurant on Baymeadows.

“We like what we do,” George said. “It can get hectic, but it makes people happy. That makes it worth it.”