A new pizza and Italian restaurant called Pizza Ed. is scheduled to open in downtown Hartselle at 305 Main Street West on Sept. 1.

Created by restaurateurs Eddie and Chandra Gwin, Pizza Ed. will feature New York-style pizza and several different types of pasta, such as fettucine alfredo and spaghetti with meatballs. Pizza dough will be handmade and hand-slapped, and Pizza Ed. will use only fresh ingredients.

Pizzas will be cooked in a rotating firebrick pizza oven, creating what Eddie Gwin calls “fire-kissed” pizzas.

Eddie Gwin traveled to New York and loved the iconic pizza so much that he decided to attend Goodfella’s Pizza School of New York, where he spent 12-14 hours a day learning his craft. “If you’re going to do something, you should do it right,” he said, “and that’s what we’re going to do. If you want to get into the pizza business, you need to go to New York to learn how to make a pizza.”

Eddie Gwin said he wanted to add a late-night option to downtown Hartselle. “Most of the places (downtown) are closed in the evenings,” he said. “The more people you have down there, the more exciting it is, and the better it is for Hartselle.”

Pizza Ed. will also offer beer and wine, which will be a draw for many patrons. Eddied Gwin said there will be seven or eight TVs in the restaurant.

“We’re excited to be in Hartselle,” he added. “We are in love with the area, and we look forward to opening our doors. The downtown area is one of the coolest things in the world.”

Jeff Johnson, owner of the building and the director of the Hartselle Department of Development, said Pizza Ed. is a great opportunity for Hartselle. “The city feels a brick-oven pizza restaurant will be a good fit for the downtown and will extend late-night dining options,” Johnson said.

“Everyone from the mayor on down has been fantastic with welcoming us,” Eddie Gwin added.