Rising Stars: Meet Terrence Michael Renk

Today we’d like to introduce you to Terrence Michael Renk.

Terrence, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I moved back to Charleston after a 10-year work relocate to Southern California in 2018 after years of tirelessly spending hard earned money on some very expensive rentals, I came to the realization that my home in Charleston was already here and that was home. (I rented it when I was away) the other realization was that I can’t be doing hair for the rest of my life. I had a new motivation and vision. I was going to be a baker. There are so few commercials bakers in Charleston that can supply restaurants and coffee shops with all the breads and pastries they need on a daily basis. I thought this was a good opportunity. The challenge is having the space and keeping the price of operating low. Having lived in big cities most of my life and commuting sometimes up to 1/2 hour each way I knew I did not need to set up shop downtown or even close to downtown, I would have the goods delivered. So, looking at Charleston’s growth It changed a lot in the 10 years I was away. Where was the next growth going to go. MT. Pleasant has already extended its boundaries; West Ashley had some potential. Johns Island was already over picked but Hollywood just a short 20-25 min drive. This was perfect. I purchased the building I’m currently in to Pioneer this venture. As I closed on the building Purchase in August 2019 and started working with architect Neil Stevenson to sketch out the buildings potential and plan, we were struck by the Pandemic. This put a spin on everyone’s lives business and opportunities. Supplying bread to restaurants was a not-so-good idea anymore. No one will be open to enjoy. I had to pause and rethink. I stepped away and looked at the community I was in and noticed very few restaurants and no Pizza. Well Pizza has always been a favorite of mine, especially having the opportunity to live in NYC lower east side a few doors from Sal’s Pizza. I loved watching them throw the dough and make Pizza simply and to perfection. Not the Pizza I grew up with. I was from Minnesota. We were raised on Mid-west crust. Thin, no yeast, and cut into small squares.

If I was going to do Pizza it had to fall into my lifestyle and travel experience to be true to my heart. One of the biggest influences of this idea is my living in Santa Rosa, California in my late 20’s the food was fresh abundant and all the restaurants talked this language.

Sustainable, traceable, and responsible food suppliers and farmers.

Long story short. If I build a Pizzeria with a fresh market grocery attached, I could have fresh veggies and herbs and local sourced ingredients on all our Pizzas.

That’s where “It’s that fresh” that we attach to our brand came from. Kind of a farm to Pizza concept. That term has been used so many times that I don’t use it.

The Pizzeria has been open since November 2020 and has been growing fast. We have a great staff and amazing handmade recipes. We do it the old-school way. We make it in-house. Our Pizzas both NY style crust and our Honey and Molasses Mid-west crust are made daily. Our New York style is proofed to perfection to give a light airy crunchy carriage with a beautiful sourdough whiff to it. This does not weigh you down. Our Fennel sausage and meatballs are all spiced and made in-house and we slice our pepperoni from stick daily. We prefer not to have the caking agent on our Pep.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Big question. Lots of rough roads, from building permits to finding contractors during covid. Our biggest challenge like all other is staffing. I was fortunate to meet and hire an amazing manager and take-charge guy named Billy Fitch and Alex Davis, They made it much smoother than it could have been. We have had roughly 18 hires since we opened and currently have 7 on staff. This is the best staff we have had since we opened. They are ambitious, creative, and are all multitaskers. Our other challenge is food cost. 12-30% up since we opened. we raised our prices just barely so we did not have to reduce the quality of our Pizzas or the portions. We believe in loading ’em up. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Hollywood to Hollywood. I’m a retired hairstylist who worked in the television and film industry as well as many cities around the USA. Claim to fame. Won an EMMY award for “Outstanding achievement in hairstyling for a drama series” for the show “all my children” 2011 I’m most proud of having the opportunity to mentor so many individuals in the hair industry as a traveling hair colorist/educator 

I look forward to allowing the talent besides me to grow through our Pizzeria and Healthy food market. 

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Going with my Grandparents and cousins to the zoo and just feeling free and part of a yearly ritual. 

Contact Info:

• Email: hollywoodhealthyfreshmarket@gmail.com
• Website: www.ilovehollywoodpizza.com
• Instagram: @ilovehollywoodpizza
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilovehollywoodpizza/
• Twitter: @charlestonpizza
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hollywood-pizza-hollywood