Secret Spot Pizza hit the road as a food truck just over a year ago. But its quick success has now led to a brick-and-mortar location in the Annapolis Market House.

The business got its start in November 2023, when Chris Canty, who has two decades of restaurant experience, pitched the pizza business idea to Annapolis’ Metropolitan Kitchen and Lounge owner Tom Hanna while on a golf trip.

Months later, Secret Spot started as a 28-foot trailer, serving pies at area events, but finding a semi-permanent place to settle down was always the plan.

A stroll through a Charleston food market gave Canty and Hanna the idea that Annapolis’ own Market House would be a great home for Secret Spot. Hanna used some of his connections to reach out to the Market House’s owner, and only three weeks later Secret Spot held its grand opening. That was earlier this month.

Canty sees the business as a way to give back to the community, craft a legacy and as a workplace for his soon-to-be stepchildren and Hanna’s newborn.

“We have some good young kids that are seniors in high school that work for us,” Canty said. “And it’s like passing on the knowledge that Tom and I have from our experience in the restaurant on to them, and kind of repaying the favor for people that mentored us early on in our career.”

Hanna added that operating only as a food truck is difficult and revenue can be inconsistent. He said he often lost money traveling for remote events.

Canty said he spent the last 10 years perfecting his pizza-making craft. Now with a permanent spot, the pair said that their fare has received a positive response from the community.

“To see the joy and any excitement from other people, I think that’s probably one of the most rewarding things for me,” Hanna said.

Secret Spot serves a variety of classic and off-the-wall pizzas like “the mortadella,” which features its namesake meat and pistachio dusting, along with burgers and sandwiches. Canty said he watches food trends and gets customer input to help develop a menu with items people want.

“The end goal is to make something that people are going to like and keep it consistent and continue to make it better as we go on,” Canty said. “And not just be complacent; we want to make sure that dough and the pizzas are always evolving.”

The pair said Secret Spot is far from done — the original trailer will still be used for private events, and they hope to open more locations, including a more traditional restaurant with a bar, in the future.

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