EGREMONT, Mass. (NEWS10) — Hilltown Hot Pies, a mobile and pop-up pizza business, is getting a brick-and-mortar location in the Berkshires. On April 7, owner Rafi Bildner bought the former John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant at 224 Hillsdale Road in Egremont.

Bildner started Hilltown Hot Pies in 2019, taking his mobile pizza oven to farms around the region to create temporary “pizza farm” pop-ups. Bildner said the John Andrews property was a natural fit for his dream of a rural pizza spot.

“Since moving back to the area to start my mobile pizza truck and pop-up business a few years ago, I’ve looked all over the region for the right property,” said Bildner. “I’ve always hoped that this eventual restaurant would be more than just a place for extraordinary pizza, but also a space for growing food, creating community, and encouraging connection to the land and our natural environment. It’s a dream to start working to bring this corner of the Berkshire woods into its next chapter as Hilltown Hot Pies.”

The restaurant needs to undergo renovations, said Bildner, including adding a wood-fired oven. He also hopes to expand the vegetable gardens and growing space outside on the property, and create gathering places behind the restaurant.

“One of my greatest hopes with this next chapter of my pizza business is to have it be a platform for showcasing the traditions and craft of the Italian South with my community here in the Berkshires,” said Bildner. “I was so blessed to learn culinary traditions and techniques from extraordinary craftspeople throughout Campania, and I can’t wait to share these flavors, products, and recipes with my guests at the future restaurant. I hope it can be a little slice of Sud Italia in the Berkshire hills!”

No opening date has been set for Hilltown Hot Pies, but Bildner hopes to fully open the restaurant in the coming year. However, he wants to create a pop-up outside the restaurant with his mobile pizza truck before then.