Bryan Engledow owns and operates Five Loaves Pizza.[/caption]
The Jersey Village High School graduate would go on to make a career in that industry. For 15 years, he worked in the heart of Hollywood, serving notable celebrities from Stevie Wonder to Florence Henderson, he said.
Since returning to his hometown in 2013, Engledow met his wife, ran for Jersey Village City Council and opened Five Loaves Pizza on Telge Road in March.
Diners can customize their own pizza and calzone creations with hand-tossed dough and fresh ingredients. Engledow is developing a root beer float bar and his own soda line.
“I wanted to break the mold of the way pizza places operate, so we went in a more choose-what-you-want direction,” he said. “We want you to paint your own picture.”
Patrons can choose from a variety of ingredients, including three different sauces, three cheeses, six meats and 10 fruits and vegetables.
Engledow said he hopes to eventually have five Cy-Fair area locations with the Five Loaves name, including a cafe, a barbecue restaurant and a Mexican eatery.
Engledow, who serves as the missionary pastor at Fairbanks Baptist Church, said his restaurant also serves a higher purpose. Five percent of net sales help support Ezekiel 37 Ministry, an organization supporting a community and building a school in Africa.
“We preach to villages all around in Karamoja, Uganda, and we’re sponsoring 56 kids, but we wanted to do more,” Engledow said. “It doesn’t feel like enough, so let’s build a school in their village. The [children] within two miles will come.”
Proceeds from the restaurant will help fund longer, more frequent trips for Engledow to visit the village. Once the school opens this summer, he said he would make three or four six-week trips annually.
Feedback from the Cypress community has been positive since Five Loaves Pizza opened, and Engledow said the project in Uganda is something everyone can support.
“I’m not going to sit here and bombard you with Jesus the entire time you’re eating,” he said. “But I will share that we’re building a school. Who doesn’t get behind kids getting educated?”
12640 Telge Road, Ste. D, Cypress 832-653-2433 www.fiveloavespizza.com
