The Good Life – May-June 2024

HAVING A BEER WITH | PETER "CASEY" ABSEY
HAVING A BEER WITH
PETER "CASEY" ABSEY
WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON
PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
Well known to the crowd of
downtown regulars, Peter Absey
somehow maintains an elusive
vibe. The man in glasses dusted
in flour after hours of prepping
the week’s dough seems more at
ease back in the kitchen than his
front of house. If I had to guess, it’s
the free-flowing, HR-be-damned
discourse known well by servers
and sailors alike.
When we sat down for what
became more than a couple of
beers overlooking Brewhalla’s
central mall, I wasn’t sure what
to expect from the creator of
Blackbird Woodfire Pizza … who
goes by Casey. Why Casey? He
hasn’t the foggiest. It’s a nickname
he’s had basically since birth. He’s
got the birthday cards to prove it.
His brother, James, goes by Gus.
Not Jim. Not Jack. Gus. Go figure.
I had to let the name thing lie, not
for lack of curiosity. We were here
to drink beer and eat … err, talk
pizza.
Blackbird had just celebrated its
10th anniversary – a monumental
accomplishment in a cruelly tough
industry, pandemic or not – and
the backyard oven baker turned
professional pie slinger seemed
content yet keenly focused. As a
hardworking restaurateur who still
puts in at least 50 hours a week,
Absey was gracious in sharing
his Friday afternoon with us. Like
most subjects, he, I assume, had
no idea what he’d signed up for.
Salut.
WHERE’D YOU GROW UP?
East Grand Forks, Minn. I graduated
from Northland Technical and
Community College with a degree
in Respiratory Therapy. I’ve been
in Fargo since 1986.
WHAT’S THE BLACKBIRD ORIGIN
STORY?
I’ve always cooked and baked.
We’re Lebawegian [part
Lebanese, part Norwegian], we
10 | THE GOOD LIFE