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Like most of us, Laura Turk loves pizza. In 2014, her doctor put her on a high-fat, low-carb diet, and the Italian classic pie became her cheat food because pizza crust contains a high amount of carbs. So, she set out on a quest to find a quality low-carb pizza crust, which eventually led her and her husband Matt to form Boombalatti’s Pizza Company, offering take-and-bake low-carb, gluten-free pizzas, lasagna and desserts.
Laura lost 75 pounds, and Matt lost 40 pounds by sticking to the high-fat, low-carb eating style commonly known as the ketogenic diet. “When you eat that way, the body enters a state of ketosis, where the body is in a fat-burning mode,” Laura said. “When you’re in that state and you choose to cheat, and for me cheating was pizza, what happens is that it takes three days to get the body back into ketosis. Pizza is my favorite food in the whole wide world, so I just wanted a good pizza I could eat.”
Laura researched recipes to make low-carb crust and discovered the Fat Head Pizza Crust, to which she says Boombalatti’s Pizza Company pays tribute. She’s unsure who first created that recipe, but she tweaked it to her liking. “Our recipe has a base of cheese, almond flour, eggs and flax meal,” she said. “You can eat it like pizza by actually holding it up and taking a bite. You don’t need a knife and fork, like some low-carb crusts.” She also created her own zesty pizza sauce that’s low in sugar, thus friendly for the carb-conscious community.
Because there are different degrees of ketogenic diets, Laura prefers not to market Boombalatti’s Pizza Company specifically as ketogenic and instead calls their products “low-carb solutions.” She noted that alternative pizza crusts, such as those that are cauliflower-based, are aimed more for the gluten-free lot than for ketogenic diets. “A common misconception is that keto people can eat gluten-free foods, but it’s actually the other way around,” she explains. “How I cook is inherently gluten-free, so they can eat my stuff, but gluten-free foods aren’t always low-carb.”
Laura often hears from people that gluten-free pizza crusts don’t always cook evenly, so her pizzas became a hit with the gluten-free community. “I have to par-bake my crust before I top it, so if it’s not perfect, it doesn’t go to a customer,” she said. She also has many customers who are diabetic and have to limit carbs, since the body turns carbohydrates into glucose, which raises blood sugar levels.
Customers can order specialty pizzas listed on the website, such as cheese and sausage, extra mozzarella, cheese and bacon, chicken bacon alfredo, taco pizza and breakfast pizza; they can also build their own. Boombalatti’s Pizza Company also has low-carb lasagna, and Laura plans to add chicken parmesan. Desserts include a special holiday bourbon pumpkin cheesecake, and chocolate chip or “shortbread” cookies. She’s also planning to offer holiday cookie platters for catering and parties. All items are made from scratch as ordered and can be picked up during specific time frames at their commercial kitchen in Waukesha County. Laura said they hope to open a Boombalatti’s Pizza Company store this spring.
For more information, call 262-227-2660 or visit boombalattispizzaco.com.
