The landing page for Blue Mountain Pizza uses three words to tout what they do: Pizza. Beer.
Music. Click the link to Learn More and you’ll find a slightly less succinct description: Good Beer.
Good Food. Good Times.
But as anyone who has visited the tiny but mighty restaurant on Main Street in Weaverville
since it opened 22 years ago knows, there’s a lot more to the story of this beloved community
treasure. From giving local musicians their first shot at performing live, to high school kids their
first jobs, to donating over $600,000 since 2004 to local non-profits, organizations and civic
groups to serving a free Thanksgiving meal to hundreds every year, Blue Mountain Pizza is
known near and far for their good work.
“Since day one, giving back to the community has always been central to Matt’s mission,”
explains Stephen Hartsell, general manager and co-owner. “He says that without them, there is
no us, that their support keeps our doors open and we in turn show our appreciation by giving
back.”
Matt is Matt Danford, who spent most of his professional career as a high-level executive for a
corporate housing company based in Washington DC, but traveling all over the world. When
he retired, he moved to Weaverville, intending to settle into slow-paced small-town life.
It turned out he loved his new home, but retirement not so much. The notion of owning a
restaurant piqued his interest and when the perfect location presented itself, he dove in, and put
the simple concept — pizza, beer and music – into play.
Unlike Danford, Hartsell had no intention of getting into the restaurant business, he was simply
looking for a part-time job while studying engineering and sustainability at A-B Tech. “I grew up
in Weaverville but had never eaten at Blue Mountain,” he admits. “I heard it was a good place to
work with good people so I applied. I started as a dishwasher and delivery driver.”
That was in 2009, and though he did internships in his actual field of study, he kept one foot in
the door at Blue Mountain, ultimately embracing the fact that it was where his heart and passion
were. “I just really loved the people, the staff, the customers. Matt was so great with his staff, he
set the tone and I really liked working there,” he explains.
He took a management position in 2016 and was named GM in 2021. After Helene, as Danford
really did transition into retirement and assumed the role of Owner Emeritus, Hartsell became a
co-owner.
The game plan – like the menu – remains pretty much the same. There is live music every
night of the week from a small stage in the small, ten-table room; many are regularly on the
calendar like Billy Owens and Friends, Mark Bumgarner and Carolina Bluegrass. Open mic
nights are held the last Monday of every month to give newcomers a shot at a future slot.
Hartsell acknowledges that the menu is big for a small place, but the kitchen has all of it – pizza,
pasta, salads, sandwiches, stromboli and even quesadillas under control. First and foremost is
the dough.
Hartsell reveals the process. “It’s our recipe that we have tweaked over the years. We have
someone making dough in eight-hour shiftsix days a week, starting the day before the dough will be used, made into individual portions; then so it sits for at least 24 hours. We also make a
GF dough.”
Each pizza is hand-tossed, a skill that Hartsell says takes time to master. “It’s definitely a
learning curve. If you drop it, and you will, the 5 second rule does not apply. We go through a lot
of dough in the training process.”

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA’S GREATEST HITS

 Third Thursday Fundraising Program: Matt has done this since the start. Every month
we select an organization in Weaverville or nearby that has a direct impact on the
community. We keep a box by the register where customers can drop in a donation, and
we match that total at the end of the month. Every Third Thursday, we donate 25% of the
day’s revenue to the organization. In 22 years, we have donated over $600,000.

 Annual Thanksgiving Feast: Matt started it in 2005, the second Thanksgiving he was
open, so 21 years and counting. It’s very traditional: turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed
potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. Between noon and 3
p.m., you can dine in with us, call and order then pick it up, or we have limited delivery to
people who are homebound. Thanksgiving 2025 we served 885 meals and over 10,000
meals since it started.
 Garlic Knots: They are everyone’s favorite thing. They are twisted by hand first thing
every morning and proof all day long. We bake them with parmesan garlic butter, then
they are tossed in our homemade garlic oil sauce and delivered with a ramekin of marina.
 Top Three Pizzas: The pepperoni, the mountain extravaganza and the cow tipper. That
one has steak tips and was developed by one of the former managers. We encourage
staff to come up with things we can add to the menu.
 Ice Cream: We added homemade ice cream to the menu in 2013 and it’s very popular.
We always have chocolate, vanilla and butter pecan, and at least one seasonal flavor like
strawberry or blueberry.
 Thursday Spaghetti Night: When we started it was all you can eat, but we just couldn’t
keep up with the demand in such a small place. Now it’s a dinner – spaghetti, meatballs
garlic knots and a salad. Dinner for 4 is $24.99, for two is $14.99. I don’t know how many
pounds of spaghetti per meal, but it’s a lot. We want to make it affordable for a family to
go out to eat.

Blue Mountain Pizza