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Worn Out Wednesday – Dan Birch

In this column, we interview a lot of guys with expense accounts. So it is nice to hear from a humble British ‘Pizza Professional’ who is making waves in London with his foodie hot spot, Sodo Pizza.

Dan opened Sodo last September after leaving a rotten job and realizing his passion was food. He started a pop up restaurant and it was so successful he had friends offering to invest to make the space permanent. “I had always wanted to own a food spot and thought of a pub but they are all tied to breweries. I had the idea of a pizza shop when I was in Berlin and when I came back I teamed up with E5 bake house where we spent several months testing recipes and eventually found what worked,” Dan tells us.

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Birch explained that he does use local and organic as much as he can but was honest in explaining, “that isn’t the end all be all – if the quality isn’t good we won’t use it.”  He works with guys in Dagenham who have a farming community where he sources his greens. Dan works with the guys at Ginger Pig and Picco Salumi in Islington sourcing local meats.

He took a minute away from the pizza dough to explain his style:

At work I am not very fashionable, it’s all white tees, chef trousers, a big blue apron and clogs!

My wardrobe is geared towards spring and autumn, which is all we really get here in England. SO I have loads of denim from Levis and Lee. I have a Scotch and Soda jacket I got years ago that I cherish. I am also a big fan of 70s vintage and I buy loads of it from charity shops. I bought a pair of Levis 605 for a couple of pounds that I am very excited about.

As for shoes I love my Bally brogues, Jones boots and I have a pair of Barkers for smarter occasions. All of them I found at charity shops so they are mildly worn in.

My favorite suit is from The Saville Row company. I get really great shirts from a friend of mine, Tom Penfound, who is a big model but also started his own shirting line.

As for shades I love my 80s Carrera sunglasses I found at a thrift shop in Texas and for  a watch I wear the Citizen that my mum bought me for my 21st birthday. The iconic Puma  917 mid tops are a favorite sneaker that I just found again.

I do a lot of in line street skating so I buy inexpensive tees and cut the neck out so that they are light weight. I wear Levis 511’s since they are slim fit but slightly thicker so I don’t cut myself up if I fall!

Photo Courtesy of Adam Kola

Cator Sparks
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…
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