Of all the foods in this grand, glorious world, there are a few that have become nearly universal in their ability to bring joy to the masses. Happy foods, you might say. And one of the happiest of happy foods is, of course, pizza. But not all pizza is created equally, and there are some cities that have taken the pizza arts to lofty heights that many aspiring pizzaiolos in other locales try — and often fail — to adequately replicate. While Chicago’s deep dish and Detroit’s “blue pan” pies are noteworthy and delicious, most devout pizza acolytes concur that New York’s quintessential slice reigns supreme. If you’ve ever visited or lived in New York, you’re likely intimately familiar with the incomparable satisfaction of a hot slice from a corner joint anywhere in the five boroughs.
Native New Orleanians Beau and Nicole Baudier, looking for a new business opportunity in the Crescent City, recognized a distinct, slice joint-shaped void in the local pizza scene, and decided to remedy that by opening up Forbidden Pizza in the CBD late last year after finding success with their first venture, the adored local spot Ironworks Coffee + Crepes. Inspiration took hold during Baudier’s travels to New York to support Beau’s father during cancer treatment there.
“We spent a lot of time going up there with him for various treatments and surgeries for 15 years, and just kind of fell in love with New York pizza,” Beau said. “So we tried to learn as much as we could about it. We started this two and a half years ago, and at the time, there wasn’t one here that was exactly the New York style that we loved. And also, there wasn’t one that was — this is gonna sound strange — ‘health-focused.’ I’m not saying that this is a health food, but it’s a healthier, lighter version of it that doesn’t doesn’t leave you feeling terrible.” Nicole Baudier happily concurred. “We wanted to focus on high quality ingredients so that we could eat a few slices and not feel like we needed a nap afterwards,” she said, “because we eat pizza a few times a week. So it was important to find one that agreed with us.”
However, simply being obsessed with a certain style of pizza doesn’t guarantee success in recreating it over a thousand miles away, and to that end the Baudiers conducted extensive research, both scientific and social, to arrive at what they felt was the perfect slice, roping in family and friends for repeated tastings and consulting experts in the culinary and chemical fields to pin down the platonic pie for Big Easy pizza aficionados. “We import five different types of flour from Italy,” said Beau. “We use organic tomatoes. We use the highest quality cheese, non-GMO as much as possible, and without all the stuff that makes you feel bad. That’s one thing we’re really proud of, is that we use ingredients that weren’t available here at the time. Same thing with the pepperoni. We used cheese and tomatoes that were really hard to find here, and we really didn’t compromise on.” Baudier also noted that they went so far as to take water samples from New York and chemically reproduce it locally in order to achieve the perfect dough, an extraordinary measure that speaks to the pair’s ardent dedication to their craft.
So the big question is, after all this research and time and passion, does the pizza actually live up to NYC standards? As a Brooklyn resident of a dozen years with intimate experience in this particular field, I can say without reservation that the answer is a resounding “Yes!” What you’ll find when you visit Forbidden Pizza is a hip, cozy space nestled in the bustling CBD, perfect for lunch, a casual date or a late snack downtown. This last bit is where Forbidden truly shines, since the “slice joint” as a concept has never really taken off in the 504, minus the kind of sad and overly greasy wedge of pizza you might encounter on Bourbon Street after downing too many purple daiquiris at Lafitte’s. The menu is simple and straightforward, as it should be, offering the standard cheese or pepperoni slices and pies as the house’s specialty options, like the “Original Sin,” with fresh mozzarella and fragrant basil leaves, the “Italian Stallion,” which will please more carnivorous appetites with ample sausage, pepperoni, and bacon, as well as the delightful “Ricotta Rendezvous,” topped with a delightful combination of prosciutto, ricotta and hot honey. Also not to be missed is the “Burrata Bliss,” which incorporates healthy doses of that creamy Italian mozzarella for a more luscious experience. On all the slices (minus a thicker, pan-baked, Sicilian-style option), you’ll find a light, pliant crust with just the right amount of bubble and chew to stand up to the toppings, making them perfectly “foldable,” in the New York tradition of consuming your pizza single-handedly while on the go. It is, in all earnestness, as close to a real-deal Brooklyn slice as one could possibly find in South Louisiana.
“We’ve always come back to the idea of balance,” said Nicole. “I don’t like for one flavor of anything to stand out. So I feel like they have to all work in harmony together, the dough, the cheese, whatever toppings are on there. And I think that was our goal with each pizza, it being just harmoniously delicious.
About the Owners
Both natives of the Crescent City, Nicole and Beau Baudier each built different careers and lives before finding each other, getting married and moving into the local culinary space, Nicole as a nurse, and Beau as an attorney, engineer with experience in both finance and real estate. According to Nicole, “We both share that desire just to be lifetime learners. If you would have told me 10 years ago that in 2025, we would be running a pizza shop, I would have had a lot of questions.” The couple decided to launch their first foray into the local dining scene with Ironworks Coffee + Crepes, which quickly found success after its opening in 2023. The positive experience gave the two the confidence to branch out in a slightly different direction with a Brooklyn-style slice joint they named “Forbidden Pizza” this past December. More than anything, the two are dedicated to embracing their hometown and their neighbors. Said Nicole, “Being part of the community and a place like this just restores your love for the city, and that sense that New Orleans and the people here are amazing, and it’s just a great reminder of that.”
