HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Beginning this spring Huntington will have another new restaurant.

Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar will open at 841 Fourth Ave., directly across from Gallery 842. The restaurant will specialize in handcrafted specialty pizzas and fresh seafood.

The brainchild behind Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar is owner and accomplished Huntington mixologist Drew Hetzer.

Menu items will include several handmade pizzas, such as a classic New York style pizza, an avocado pizza with avocados, tomatoes, basil, and lemon zest, a white pizza called the Milano, two dedicated for the hard core carnivores, as well as a Greek Jamaican BBQ pizza and seafood pizzas.

“At the heart of any great pie is the dough and the sauce,” Hetzer said. “Our dough will be mixed fresh daily and our sauce will be roasted rather than simmered. Roasting a sauce seals in the flavors to make a rich, robust sauce.”

It’s a lesson Hetzer learned from Greenbrier trained Chef Jason Oesterreicher, a consultant on the project. Hetzer says Backyard will also offer a number of gluten-free pizzas and menu options.

“You shouldn’t have to sacrifice the joy of good taste for health. If made with the right knowledge and care, you can have both,” Hetzer said.

Backyard’s fresh seafood offerings will include oysters and other shellfish, crab and Ahi tuna.

The shellfish will be flown in fresh from the Chesapeake Bay and Apalachicola, Fla. The oysters will be served fresh off the half-shell, wood fire grilled, fried or Rockefeller. Other seafood offerings will include fresh pan seared crab cakes made with large lump crab, and sashimi-style Ahi tuna served with a ginger soy sauce and a side of seaweed salad.

Hetzer says the restaurant will also serve several specialty salads and pizzas by the slice for lunch customers.

Mixology has been as a passion and creative outlet for Hetzer. As a result, building an outstanding bar is a priority at Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar. Many locals know Hetzer as the mixologist at 21 at the Frederick and the former Club Luna.

He has a martini menu with more than 50 classic and modern martinis, many of which he created. Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar will also have an extensive selection of 20 frequently-rotating craft beers on draft and will offer house-made red and white sangria.

Many long-time residents will know the storefront as the home to Chili Willi’s in the late 1980s and 1990s. Hetzer grew up in the place.

“My mother, Kathleen Hetzer, was a server at Chili Willi’s for over a decade. My sister and I spent many evenings at the restaurant watching mom work. Owning my own restaurant, especially in that location, is a dream come true. It’s like coming home,” Hetzer said.

Hetzer grew up in the business and has worked in restaurants since he was a teenager. His first jobs were working for his family-owned fast food restaurants. Once he was old enough for a “real job,” he was hired at Heritage Station and later worked at the Marshall Hall of Fame Café, Club Luna, and finally 21 at the Frederick.

Hetzer says that he has been working on this restaurant concept for years, conducting market research, developing his business plan, and fine tuning his concept of a unique, up-scale, yet casual restaurant where guests can enjoy great fresh food and lively conversation with friends.

Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar will be open Tuesday to Sunday. For a complete menu and more information, go to www.backyardcraftedpizza.com.