Mobile Creations gives new meaning to pizza to go

The recession resulted in reductions-in-force for many companies. Many of the people let go now comprise the 17.5% of Americans called “the underemployed.” They have jobs well below their previous education, salary or satisfaction levels. But others have turned the challenge into an opportunity to try what they have always wanted to do. One such entrepreneur is Carl Wright, who has launched Mobile Creations.

Wright has been in the food business a long time. Liking to create things with his hands, he turned from carpentry to cooking, evolving from a short order cook to an executive French chef in the northeastern US. Adversity first struck when a hurricane destroyed the country club where he worked.

So, in 1991, Wright relocated to Phoenix and had some success with a café near the State Capitol. But after being dealt another blow, this time by the economic downturn when he lost his job as a broker, he decided to become his own boss.

Most people are aware of the food truck phenomenon, sweeping the Southwest. Here in Phoenix, over 45 food trucks attracted thousands of people to Salt River Fields for the Street Eats Food Truck Festival in January. There is even an organization—Phoenix Street Food Coalition—devoted to increasing awareness about street vending.

But Wright has taken the art of “street food” to a new level; he prepares fresh cuisine right at your house or party venue. He sets up a huge wood-burning stove on-site and creates made-to-order wood-fired pizzas and other dishes. His preparation, cooking, and personable interaction with the guests become an entertaining focus for any event. “We are not hiding behind a door in the kitchen,” Wright says. “We are entertaining people, while they watch us use fresh ingredients to create incredible pizzas.”

For example, Mobile Creations was a hit at the Luxury Goods Party hosted by the new magazine—Homes and Lifestyle Media magazine—in Paradise Valley on April 4. “The exposure is great for the company. Plus I enjoy the exciting atmosphere of meeting so many interesting people at these types of events,” Wright adds.

So, while many businesses have failed in Phoenix the past few years, it is exciting to see innovative new ones, like Mobile Creations, whose owners have, despite the obstacles, tapped their talent, experience, imagination and persistence to assist the Phoenix economic recovery, as well as their own.