'Brewed Our Last Batch': New Lenox's Hickory Creek Brewing To Close, Pizza di Farfalla To Take Over Space

NEW LENOX, IL — Two New Lenox businesses that have worked side-by-side for several years will see their stories overlap still, even as one closes its doors.

Hickory Creek Brewing Company will soon shutter as its owner Gary Meyer retires, but the spot won't sit vacant for long, if at all. Meyer's strip mall neighbor Pizza di Farfalla, led by Giovanni Oriente, will move in there—a sweetly serendipitous ending for one company and a much-needed new chapter for the other.

Meyer announced the transition on Tuesday, saying that after eight years in business, it's time for him to step away.

"We have brewed our last batch, but we have plenty of beer to sell, so stop in while you can," the brewery shared on social media.

The two local businesses—both passion projects of the men behind them—have been fueled by grit and ingenuity.

Meyer's Hickory Creek got its start in another New Lenox strip mall in 2018, later opening in its current home at 1333 S. Schoolhouse Road in 2023. Before his first brick-and-mortar location, Meyer brewed beer in a 150-year-old watershed on his New Lenox Township property. Even then, he had dreamt of operating in the very space where he'll soon pour the last beer.

Oriente's Pizza di Farfalla started in November 2022 as a part-time shop only open on Saturdays at the time. He started branching out, popping out pizzas at pop-up and private events. Slowly and certainly, his pies' popularity rose like the handmade dough at its base. In 2024, Oriente left his position as chief financial officer of a company and his 18-year career in finance and accounting to focus full-time on his own business.

The carryout service first was offered just at the brewery's neighbor specialty coffee shop Gost Coffee, but then expanded to include Hickory Creek. He currently still operates out of Gost and has long hoped for a place to call his own. In recent months, Pizza di Farfalla has continually grown—steady, then explosive—by customers' word of mouth and then by that of Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy.

Portnoy visited the spot a year ago to sample the product for his "One Bite" Pizza Reviews. Many covet Portnoy's pie praise on his YouTube channel with nearly 1.5 million followers. He boasts an Instagram following of 5.6 million and X following of nearly 4 million. Oriente landed high praise from Portnoy, who called the spot a "must-hit ... worth the trip."

It seems fitting he gets to stay put in the strip mall where so many have gotten to know Pizza di Farfalla, and where he and Meyer have been so closely linked, he said.

"They’ve been part of our story, and we’ve been part of their story," he said.

About a year ago, Oriente learned of Meyer's hope to retire and sell the brewery. It was primarily set up to be a brewery, Oriente said, and it would take a lot of work to repurpose. But still, it seemed "right."

"A month ago, it all kind of unfolded," Oriente said. "... It was all pretty fast. Maybe a few days."

The space will be ideal in many ways for Oriente and staff, who have been crafting pizzas out of a snug 250-square-foot kitchen inside Gost. It also offers greater capacity for refrigeration, which will allow Oriente to expand his food offerings: variations of pizza (think thin crust), sandwiches based off their pizza dough and salads, to start.

"That’s really been our restriction, was refrigeration," Oriente said. "Everything we do is from scratch—no freezers. Now we’ll have an opportunity to get some more space, offer up more items in our wheelhouse."

Oriente praised Meyer's vision for the space.

"Gary had a really great mind when he put that space together," Oriente said. "It really benefits a pizzeria going in there. Plumbing is important for a brewery, and water is so important for pizza dough.

"We’re going to now have capacity we’ve never had before to do different styles of dough, prep new items that are fresh, never frozen."

They'll maintain their carryout service, but also offer dine-in, with plans to redesign the interior to fit their brand. He hopes to offer 40–60 seats, including the bar.

"It'll be open-kitchen concept, where people will be able to see us making and baking pizzas," Oriente said. "That’s always been really important for me and my brand. It offers our supporters a chance to see us do our thing."

The carryout service will continue, he emphasized.

"The carryout option will always be a cornerstone of our service offering," he said.

He also envisions curating a "cool little liquor and beer program," he said.

"Concept-wise, we still want to keep it a little more casual," Oriente said.

They'll be able to host events as needed, he added.

"Even offering dough classes, pizza-making classes—the space will really allow us to do all those things."

The plans are fluid, he said, drawing from a lesson he's learned over the past years.

"What I’ve learned over the last few years, is we can evolve into that eventually," he said. "It doesn’t have to be a line in the sand.

"We’ve built a reputation off our product—the community will support us until we find the right fit for our space."

Simultaneously, Oriente has secured a permanent stay inside Mokena's incoming Emerald Social Taps and Trucks, a "one-of-a-kind tap house & food truck park featuring local flavors, craft drinks and good craic," according to its website. It will feature 100+ seats inside, with a full-service bar that’ll also service the patio area. The patio will offer a stage for entertainment, and space for other food trucks. They're eyeing an early-2027 opening.

"That’ll help us expand our reach within the southwest," Oriente said.

The New Lenox location will serve as a sort of Pizza di Farfalla hub, he said. He's thrilled to be staying there.

"That was very important to me, just in general," he said. "I’m in New Lenox, my kids go to school in New Lenox. Being in that building was even more exciting and important, because people were used to visiting us by coming to that building.

"It’s built that unique reputation—anybody can go there, have something fun and easy to do on any given day. For us to stay in the building, is just a huge bonus."

In his retirement announcement, Meyer said the timeline for the brewery's remaining days is not yet set, but that they will be open through at least June.

"The plan is to have a seamless transition from our business to theirs sometime this summer," Meyer wrote. ".... From the bottom of our collective hearts, thank you for your patronage."

Oriente said he plans to make some cosmetic changes to the space while piecing together the kitchen and equipment. Operations will keep running out of Gost Coffee as they prepare to transition to the new space. He hopes to be up and running there by the early fall.

He's eager, too, to see his staff—whom he credits for the brand's success thus far—thrive in a larger space.

"I’m super-pumped," he said. "There’s going to be so much more opportunity for my staff, too. I have these guys who have been awesome and helped us get where we’re at.

"We’re ready, finally ready to have a space that is ours."

Meyer shared his contentment with the decision with Patch.

"After 8 years of brewing great craft beers, I’m happily transitioning into retirement," he said. "I’m happy for Gio and the whole Pizza di Farfalla team."