DeWitt, N.Y. — Blaze Pizza will open its first Syracuse-area location on Wednesday.

The restaurant, located in the Marshalls Plaza in DeWitt, has been in the works since last year. Blaze Pizza has been eyeing Central New York since at least 2017.

A second Syracuse-area site is expected to open in 2020 at The Marshall student apartment complex near Syracuse University. Blaze is already open in the Buffalo, Rochester, Binghamton and Albany areas.

To celebrate the DeWitt opening, Blaze is offering a free pizza to anyone who visits the new location from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29 and downloads the Blaze app.

The fast casual pizza chain is known for its celebrity backers. NBA star LeBron James was a founding investor, along with journalist and former first lady of California Maria Shriver and Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner.

James endorses the brand and is an owner of several Blaze franchises himself.

Blaze customers can pick from a menu of signature pizzas or build their own by choosing from dozens of different toppings. Pies go for about $8.

The pizzas are made to order and cooked in about three minutes in a wood-fired oven that can get as hot as 900 degrees.

The menu also includes salads, sides and desserts.

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