Tavern Style Pizza makes its way onto the menus of the largest pizza companies

This summer, Pizza Hut rolled out its tavern-style pizza, marking several of the largest pizza companies to offer the style. We’ve noticed the rise of tavern style pizza for the last several years. Also known as Chicago Thin, tavern pizza continues its growth across America. In the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report, American pizzeria owners indicated that Tavern was among the Top 5 Emerging Pizza Styles. Let’s first look at what’s happening with tavern pizza at Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Little Caesars.

Pizza Hut unveiled its Chicago Tavern Style Pizza this Year

In June, Pizza Hut announced its latest style drop: Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza. According to a release, Pizza Hut’s take on the tavern-style pizza offers a trendsetting, modern experience that delivers a deliciously crispy bite with its thin-crust and innovative, contemporary flavors available in four recipes: Pesto Margherita, The Ultimate, Spicy Chicken Sausage, and Double Pepperoni. Read the full release. 

Domino’s, a Tavern Veteran with its Crunchy Thin

Domino’s rolled out its Crunch Thin in 1993, back when the style was only known in Chicago and the Midwest region. It’s received a fresh look after a viral article.

In Praise of… Domino’s?

In an op ed piece by John Kessler, he did a side-by-side comparison of Domino’s Crunchy Thin Crust and other beloved tavern style pies. His take is interesting and worth a read. Go to Kessler’s article.

Little Caesars Also an Early Adopter of Tavern Style

Back in 2018, Little Caesars rolled out its Thin Crust Pepperoni with a $6 promotion making the HOT-N-READY Brand the second of the largest pizza chains to offer a tavern style pizza. It’s marketed as a crispy, flaky, thin crust pizza. You can read a release on that launch now.

What is Tavern Style Pizza?

Tavern pizza is known by many names: Chicago thin, cracker thin, party cut, just to name a few. The hallmark of a tavern style pizza is a light, cracker thin crust that is cut into squares. The origin of Tavern dates back to the 1930s in Chicago’s bars that essentially created a pizza style that was easier eat with beer.

How do I make Tavern Style Pizza?

Making a good party cut pizza like tavern style comes down to the dough. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann always said, “This cracker-like pizza is less about the toppings and more about the dough.” When it comes to Chicago Thin, “any good, patent grade bread flour with 10.5- to 11.5-percent protein content should work well.” There are also a couple specifics he discusses. “A planetary type mixer will work best for mixing this dough. You will need to use a dough sheeter/roller to form the dough into skins. You could roll the dough by hand.” The Dough Doctor provided his dough formula for Chicago Thin with step-by-step instructions. Follow Tom Lehmann’s Chicago Thin Crust Pizza Dough recipe.

Dough expert Laura Meyer offers advice for those looking for a super crispy Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in her article Tavern Style Pizza is Sweeping the Nation. “Par baking the dough is another way to add crispiness to a thin-crust pie. As much as I love crispy thin-crust pizzas, they lose that crunch very quickly as the pizza cools down. Maintaining that crispiness is one of the hardest traits to keep. Utilizing cornmeal and a par bake or double bake method helps ensure your pizza stays crispy for a longer period of time.”

Check out more on Tavern Pizza and other Pizza Style Dough Recipes.

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Mountain Mike’s Pizza Opens Second Restaurant in Medford, Oregon

 

The post Mountain Mike’s Pizza Opens Fifth Oregon Location appeared first on Pizza Today.

Guide to the 2024 Best Pizza Lists

The search of this year’s leading national best pizza lists has started early. Did your pizzeria make one of this year’s top pizza lists? Making best pizza in the US, state, region or even world can be a game changer for pizzerias. Be sure to bookmark this guide and visit it often. Bookmark this page. We will be updating it with new pizza lists as they come out.

See which pizzerias are being recognized in the U.S. this year. Each “best pizza” list is based on its own criteria using expert panels, audience votes, reviews or other factors. Here are the biggest pizza lists of 2024 so far:

Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria is Pizza Today’s 2024 Pizzeria of the Year

Pizza Today, a leading B2B pizza industry publication, has named Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria as its 2024 Pizzeria of the Year. This prestigious award highlights Camporosso’s exceptional commitment to culinary excellence, innovative employee engagement, and unparalleled community involvement. Camporosso, established by Eric and Amy Redfield in Ft. Mitchell, KY, has rapidly become a beacon of quality and community spirit in the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.

Read the feature on Pizzeria of the Year Camporossa. 

Infatuation names 18 Of The Best Pizza Places In America

David Lee, owner of Pizza Jawn in Philadelphia, PA. Photo Courtesy of Pizza Jawn.

Content hub Infatuation just released it’s list of 18 pizza places as best pizza in America. There are some familiar names on the list, like Portland-based Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Pizzeria Bianco and L’Industrie in Brooklyn. What really caught our eye was pizzerias like Philly-based Pizza Jawn. We named named owner David Lee a Rising Star in the Pizza Industry in 2022. There were also newcomers like Quarter Sheets Pizza Club in LA, Outta Sight Pizza in San Francisco and Gold Tooth Tony’s in Houston.

Check out Infatuation’s complete list of 18 Of The Best Pizza Places In America.

50 Top Pizza USA 2024 List Released, New York tops best pizza list

Marinara Pizza, Una Pizza Napoletana, Lower East Side, NYC

New York’s Una Pizza Napoletana repeats as the Best Pizzeria in the United States. Second place “Tony’s Pizza Napoletana” in San Francisco and third “Pizzeria Beddia” in Philadelphia. The best Pizza Slice is from “L’industrie Pizzeria” in New York. New York City asserts its dominance in the U.S. pizza scene, with 17 restaurants in the guide, followed by Chicago (7), and Portland (6). The most represented state is New York.

There were several newcomings to the Top 50 pizzas list, including La Leggenda in Miami, Florida; Craft 64 in Scottsdale, Arizona; Pizza Baby in Charlotte, North Carolina; Truly Pizza in Dana Point, California, among others.

Check out the complete 50 Top Pizza USA 2024.

Eat This, Not That! Ranks Best Slice of Pizza, According to Chefs

Burrata & Hot Honey Pizza, L’Industrie, Brooklyn, NYC

New York slice famed L’Industrie nabs the No. 1 spot on Where to Get The Best Slice of Pizza in America, According to Chefs from Eat This, Not That!, a brand that’s comprised of an award-winning team of journalists and board-certified experts, doctors, nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, and dietitians who work together to bring you accurate, timely, informative, and actionable content on food, nutrition, dieting, weight loss, health, wellness, and more.

L’Industrie’s pizzas were called “a textural masterpiece.” Also in Top 10 pizza slices spots are Ian’s Pizza in Madison, Wisconsin. Tivoli in Seattle, Wells Brothers Pizza in Racine, Wisconsin, Umberto’s in New York.

Check out the full best pizza slices list at Get The Best Slice of Pizza in America, According to Chefs.

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Down North Pizza, Philadelphia, PA

James Beard Awards recognizes Pizzerias, Pizza Chefs

Pizzerias are being recognized in several James Beard Award categories this year. The James Beard Awards are among the nation’s most prestigious honors recognizing leaders in the culinary and food media industries, and those in the broader food systems.

Check out these what pizzerias and pizza chefs are honorees or finalists in the James Beard Awards 2024:

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Founder/Owner, Down North Pizza and Down North Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, will receive the Leadership Award for Industry Culture and Practices.

Photo Courtesy of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty

Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR, is a finalist for Outstanding Chef.

Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD is a finalist for the award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.

Honorees and category winners will be announced at the James Beard Awards® ceremonies presented by Capital One held on June 8-10 in Chicago.

Congrats also the James Beard Awards semi-finalists, including:

Chef-owner Tony Conte opened Inferno in 2015. He applies his fine-dining culinary background to his artisanal, wood-fired pizzeria.

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program — Bufalina, Austin, TX

Best Chef by Region

California — Michael Procaccini and Stefano Procaccini, La Parolaccia, Long Beach, CA

Great Lakes — Salvador Fernandez, Bridges Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, Greencastle, IN

New York State — Scarr Pimentel, Scarr’s Pizza, New York, NY

For more about the honorees and finalists, as well as when the awards ceremony will take place, read Pizzerias, Pizza Chefs recognized at 2024 James Beard Awards.

International Pizza Challenge crowns Best Pizza winners, Pizza Maker of the Year

Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo (March 19-21) in Las Vegas

Pizza makers from pizzerias around the world went head-to-head to find out who makes the best pizza in the world at the International Pizza Challenge (IPC) at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, March 19-21, 2024. This year’s Challenge included five professional pizza-making divisions and three partner competitions. In all, International Pizza Challenged welcomed 439 unique pizza competitors with a total of about 500 competition spots in the Traditional Pizza, Non-Traditional Pizza, Neapolitan/STG Pizza, Pan Pizza, World’s Best Cheese Slice divisions.

Check out these best pizza winning pizzerias:

• Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year and Best Pan Pizza.
• Joe Carlucci, owner of Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, Alabama, captures 2024 Best of the Best Pizza title.
• Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice.
• Vincenzo Santoro, Song e Napule, New York, New York, wins Best Neapolitan Pizza.
• Alex White, Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas, Nevada, wins Best Non-Traditional Pizza.
• Sergio Balderas, Truly Pizza, Dana Point, California, wins wins Best Traditional Pizza.

Regional Best Traditional Pizzas and Best Non-Traditional Pizzas in the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest and International were also recognized. For more on the International Pizza Challenge and to see more best pizza winners, go to Official International Pizza Challenge 2024 Best Pizza Winners are…

Clever identifies The Best Pizza Cities in America

Clever Real Estate names Denver among the best pizza cities, in addition to Chicago and New York.

Clever’s research went on to rank 50 Pizza Cities, The 15 Best Pizza Cities, Rankings by Category, The 10 Worst Pizza Cities and America’s Pizza Preferences.

According to Clever, they ranked “50 biggest metro areas in the U.S. using the following parameters for each city: Pizza reputation, based on a survey of 1,000 Americans; Rate of pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents; Pizza passion, based on local internet search activity for 34 pizza-related terms (e.g., “pizza near me,” “pizza delivery,” “pan pizza,” etc.); Average Yelp rating for pizza restaurants; Average price of a large cheese pizza; Average price of a large pepperoni pizza; Share of median annual income required to purchase one cheese pizza each week for a year; and Share of median annual income required to purchase one pepperoni pizza each week for a year.”

Go to Clever’s The Best Pizza Cities in America: 2024 Data.

Top 100 Pizza Spots according to Yelp Elites 2024

Yelp has just released its list Top 100 Pizza Spots. Pizzerias on the list were selected by Yelp Elite Squad. Who are these Yelp Elites? According to Yelp’s Support Center, “The Yelp Elite Squad is our way of recognizing people who are active in the Yelp community and role models on and off the Yelp site. Elite-worthiness is based on a number of things, including well-written reviews, high quality photos, a detailed personal profile, and a history of playing well with others.”

Lombardi’s Pizza, New York

For the Top 100 pizza list, Yelp compiled the list according to this: “This is an all-time list of the Top Pizza Spots in the US, according to Yelp Elites. We identified businesses in the pizza category on Yelp, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and number of 5-star reviews each business had that were written by members of the Yelp Elite Squad.”

1. Pequod’s Pizzeria, Chicago, Illinois
2. Bestia, Los Angeles, California
3. Lombardi’s Pizza, New York, New York

Find out who else made the Top 100, go to the Top 100 Pizza Spots according to Yelp Elites 2024.

35 Pizzerias to Watch in 2024

Our 35 pizzerias to watch this year was hand selected by Pizza Today, taking into account factors like total operation, from sales and employee programs to community outreach and marketing. We asked independent pizzeria owners to submit their businesses for consideration in our Pizzerias to Watch list. We received hundreds of outstanding submissions. To name a few:

• Abbiocco Pizzeria, Indianapolis, Indiana AbbioccoPizzeria.com
• Dedham House of Pizza, Dedham, Massachusetts www.dedhamhouseofpizza.com
• Mattenga’s Pizzeria, Schertz, Texas mattengas.com/
• Old Town Pizza, Auburn, California www.otpizza.net
• Slice Pizza & Brew, Birmingham, AL https://www.slicebirmingham.com/

Check out the entire 35 Pizzerias to Watch in 2024 feature.

Stay tuned. More best pizza lists will be added as they are published.

See who made America’s Best Pizza Lists in 2023.

The post Guide to the 2024 National “Best Pizzas” Lists appeared first on Pizza Today.

About 1N5

About Cincinnati Children’s

About Dewey’s Pizza

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Common pizza dough problems and how to fix them

This extensive guide for troubleshooting your pizza dough and pizza crust answers common pizza dough problems to help you make a better pizza. Whether you are a professional pizza maker and pizzaiolo or an at home pizza maker and pizza chef, answers to common dough questions can help you perfect your pizza. Pizza Today has spent four decades providing solutions to pizza dough issues that pizzerias face. Through Dough Doctor, Knead to Know and Kitchen features, we have helped pizzerias learn more about pizza dough productions, management and fixing pizza dough problems. We have a section of PizzaToday.com dedicated to Dough Production & Development. Bookmark that link and browse through recent articles.

Here, we are addressing common dough problems and how to fix them. Before you dive into specific pizza dough questions, go ahead and bookmark this page. We will continue to add more dough questions and solutions.

What’s wrong with my pizza dough?

There are many things that could be wrong with your dough. Maybe your pizza is sticking to the peel. Maybe your dough is too soggy or your dough is undercooked. Maybe your pizza dough is overproofed. Maybe your pizza dough is too touch or stick or dough won’t stretch… this guide has answers to all of these common concerns and more

Explore the following common pizza dough questions with many resources to help solve each issue:

How do I get rid of the gum line on pizza crust?

Why is my pizza crust soggy?

Why does my pizza dough keep snapping back when I try to stretch it? Why does my dough not stay stretched?

How to prevent my pizza crust from bubbling in the oven?

How do I stop getting my pizza stuck on the pizza peel?

What do I do if I ruin my batch of pizza dough?

How do I keep the ingredients from sliding off my pizza crust?

Why is my pizza dough weak and tears when I stretch it?

Why is my pizza crust undercooked?

Why is my pizza crust too tough or chewy?

Why is my pizza dough too soft?

Why is my pizza dough so sticky?

How do I fix overproofed pizza dough?

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How do I get rid of the gum line on pizza crust?

What do you do when your pizza has a dreaded gum line? First, what is a gum line? The gum line is the doughy section of the crust, basically undercooked dough of the crust under its sauce, toppings and cheese.

4 causes of the gum line on finished pizza crust

The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann identified four common factors that contribute to the development of the gum line. They are:

1. Excessive thinning of the sauce. A thin watery sauce that exhibits a tendency to separate upon standing will develop a wet soggy area just below the sauce, leading to the development of a gum line.
2. Pre-saucing of the pizza skins ahead of time for in-store use or in making take and bake pizzas. Pre-saucing of the skins should be avoided whenever possible, but when it must be done, either to help keep up with orders during busy periods, or when making take and bake pizzas, the pizza skins should be given a very light application of oil prior to saucing.
3. Too much sauce used on the pizza. When too much sauce is used on the pizza, it becomes more difficult to bake out thoroughly.
4. Insufficient yeast level. This can result from a number of things. Incorrect dough formulation (not enough yeast), but more commonly it is the result of action taken to address blowing of the dough.

A few other solutions to reducing a gum line is to cross stack dough balls when they goes into the cooler. Keep adequate temperature control over your dough-making process to make sure the dough has cooled properly before cooling.

Read all about the dreaded gum line — What causes it and what to do about it.

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Why is my pizza crust soggy?

A myriad of factors can contribute to a soggy pizza crust. Here are a few common causes to start your trouble shooting:

The main culprit could be your pizza sauce. Audrey Kelly says, “It is also important to tailor your sauce to fit the style of pizza you are making. You don’t want a super heavy sauce on a delicate Neapolitan pie just as you want something more substantial on a Sicilian crust.”

It could also be your toppings, especially fresh vegetables. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann provided an interesting solution. “I solved that problem by using a Japanese breadcrumb. I find it best to sauce the dough first, then sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the coarse, plain, white crumb on top of the sauce. Then add the cheese and the vegetable toppings. The crumbs will absorb the moisture from the veggies, and the texture blends right in with the cheese. It really does work and prevents soggy bottom pizza!” Another option to roast vegetables slightly to expel excess water content.

Check that your oven temperature is correct. Thoroughly inspect your oven temperature. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann goes into what to look for in troubleshooting oven temperature issues.

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Why does my pizza dough keep snapping back when I try to stretch it? Why does my dough not stay stretched?

Also called dough memory, pizza dough snapback occurs when a stretched pizza will not stay stretched – snaps back – no matter how much you stretch or how much pressure applied to the stretch.

Dough Expert Laura Meyer addresses pizza dough snapback or dough memory in a Knead to Know column. She says, “To better understand why dough snaps back we need to have a basic understanding of gluten development. Mixing time and the type of mixer used is extremely important when it comes to gluten development. If not done properly this can lead to your dough snapping back. Over mixing is a thing. When it comes time to mix your dough, having a game plan and all your ingredients weighed out and ready to go is important. I have seen many operations weigh as they go, which translates to dough mixing for too long in the mixer and the gluten becoming too tight.

“Cold dough is another factor here,” she continues. “Cold dough will not only cook poorly but will not stretch well and will continue to snap back. If you were to try and run a marathon without warming up you’ll most likely pull a muscle within the first few miles. Dough is no different, warming up your dough means the dough will stretch nicely and be less likely to tear.”

4 ways you can address pizza dough snapback

The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann identifies four ways you can address dough snapback:

1. By changing to a lower-protein content flour, we can generally reduce the amount of snap-back (though, in severe cases, this will not totally eliminate it).
2. Dough fermentation. One cause of snap-back is insufficient dough conditioning through fermentation, so anything which will increase the amount of fermentation the dough receives prior to opening into a skin will help to reduce or eliminate the problem. This might include any of the following: increasing the yeast level; increasing the finished (mixed) dough temperature or increasing the total fermentation time. Any of these actions will result in an increase in dough fermentation that will weaken the wheat flour proteins and result in a softer, more extensible (less elastic) dough that exhibits less of a tendency to snap-back.
3. Dough absorption. In some cases where only a slight amount of snap-back needs to be addressed, a slight increase of two to five percent in dough absorption might be sufficient to address the problem without any other changes being necessary.
4. Reducing agents. Reducing agents are ingredients that act on the flour proteins by breaking them down or weakening them. Some will even destroy/denature the proteins entirely. Reducing agents are what one might call the “silver bullet” or “magic ingredient” when it comes to excessive dough snap-back or memory. These are ingredients that you just add to the dough formulation and — poof! — no more snap back.

Read on in a Q&A with the Dough Doctor.

An easy fix may be using PZ-44 Dough Conditioner. In a Dough Doctor story, the late Tom Lehmann says, “This ingredient is what we call a “reducing agent.” When used in a dough, it will cause the dough to become softer and more extensible (less elastic). What this means is that it will not exhibit the snap-back characteristics during hand, or machine forming. When adding any type of reducing agent to your dough, care must be taken to prevent using it in an excessive amount.” Read more.

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How to prevent my pizza crust from bubbling in the oven?

Fermentation is one of the keys to reducing bubbling in our pizza doughs. The Late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann looks at solutions to preventing bubbling crust.

With normal yeast levels (0.375 percent instant dry yeast, 0.5 percent active dry yeast, or 1.25 percent compressed/fresh yeast), and a finished (mixed) dough temperature in the 80 to 85F range, the bubbles are minimized after 2.5 hours of fermentation time at ambient temperature (approximately 70F).

If you take the proper storage steps, you can pretty much eliminate bubbles. Start by taking the dough balls immediately after scaling and balling and place them in dough boxes, cross-stacked for two hours. Be sure to wipe them with salad oil to prevent them from drying out in the cooler. After two hours, downstack them and allow them to ferment overnight. Allow them to sit at room temperature for two hours before you use them and you’re ready to go.

The second main cause of bubbling crusts, and possibly the most common today, has to do with both temperature and tempering of the dough balls after removal from the cooler. If the dough is at cooler temperature when taken to the oven for baking, an open invitation has been extended for bubble development.

Some prefer to allow dough balls to warm 5F above the cooler temperature. “We have found that by allowing the dough to temper at room temperature for 2 hours prior to opening the dough balls up into skins.”

Dough dockers are designed to help control bubbling. But they don’t do anything to prevent it, or address the problem at its root cause. If you do happen to have one of those doughs that just seems to have a penchant for bubbling, the dough docker might prove to be your salvation.

The Late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann explores Bubbling Pizza Crust further.

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How do I stop getting my pizza stuck on the pizza peel?

Pizza sticking to a peel as you put the pizza in the oven is common pizza dough problem While some may think maker error, the real answer may lie in dough science. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann addressed the cause of this dough issue in Pizza Today. “If you are using malt in your dough, make doubly sure that it is non-diastatic (non-enzyme active) malt. If the malt is diastatic malt (enzyme active), it will convert starch in the flour to sugars, making the dough sticky or tacky to the point where it will stick to almost any surface it comes into contact with, including a prep peel,” he said.

“If the dough is over absorbed (contains too much water) it may feel clammy or even exhibit a slight tackiness when touched,” he added. “Over absorbed dough tends to be difficult to work with as the dough is just too extensible and is easily over stretched during the forming operation. While some of the traditional doughs are fairly high in absorption and difficult to handle during forming, they can still be peeled into the oven without much of a problem if they are well floured for ease of handling, and either fine cornmeal, or semolina flour is used as the peel dust to aid in sliding the prepared dough skin off of the peel. Be sure to use a wood or wood laminate peel for your prep peel.”

He continued to offer this simple solution: “just make sure once the dough is placed on the peel it is dressed and peeled into the oven without interruption. Of course, a good peel dust doesn’t hurt either.”

From the Pizza Today Test Kitchen, we learned that if you give the peel a little shake after you top the pizza, it’s a good check before you attempt to slide a pizza off the peel onto a hot oven deck.

Go even more in depth into dough sticking on pizza peels.

Understand why certain flours are good peel release agents in Prep Peel and Dough.

Learn everything you ever want to know about pizza peels. Read Tools of the Trade Part One, Part Two and Part Three from Tony Gemignani:

Tools of the Trade

Peel Off on Different Types of Pizza Peels

Pizza Peels, Part III

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What do I do if I ruin my batch of pizza dough? 

Blowing a batch of dough happens. What’s important is that you have a plan in place to replace the pizza dough that has blown and maintain pizza service with the best pizza dough. That is where emergency dough comes in.

The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann provided a blue print for you to create an emergency dough fast. “Every shop should have an emergency dough formula and procedure tucked away for these not-so-special moments,” Lehmann said. “I like to make my emergency dough from my regular dough formula because I’m already familiar with it. Still, we need to make a few changes to our dough formula to allow it to be made quickly and be ready for making pizza skins in not much more than two hours.”

He continues, “I have found that increasing the yeast content to double the normal level helps to speed things up a bit. Increasing the finished dough temperature to something in the 90 to 95 F range really helps to get the dough on line within the two-hour time limit as well. The quickest way to do this is to just increase the temperature of the water that you are adding to the dough by 15 F (assuming you are presently targeting a finished dough temperature of 80 to 85 F). If you are not targeting your finished dough temperature in that range, give it your best estimation for water temperature to get your dough to come from the mixer within 90 to 95 F.

I also like to have a bag of reducing agent, such as PZ-44, on hand for these occasions. By including a reducing agent in the emergency dough formulation you will have a greater assurance that the dough will handle well without excessive snap-back during the forming procedure.”

Go deeper into creating an emergency dough.

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How do I keep the ingredients from sliding off my pizza crust?

There are several causes of ingredients sliding off your pizza crust. The first component you need to examine is if your pizza crust is strong enough to support the weight of the toppings that you are putting on the pizza. Pizza Master John Gutekanst dives into types of pizza crusts and the toppings they can support. “Too much hydration, wet toppings, weighty meats and cheeses, and insufficient thought about how the heated foundation will support all these assets can lead to your downfall. To avoid this, let’s look at the styles of pizzas and the topping support they offer.

Pizza styles and the weight of toppings

• Thin and crispy pizza: Low tolerance for weighty toppings unless an extremely low-hydrated, high-gluten dough is baked at medium temperatures, creating a hard, crisp crust that will not “flop” or crack. Examples are the East Coast Hot Oil pizzas, the Roman Scrocciarella and the St. Louis thin. A lot of these styles are made with less sauce and cheese and cut in the Chicago “Tavern Style” squares to accommodate multiple toppings.
• Medium thick brick-oven crust: Mid-level tolerance for heavy toppings depends upon hydration. Below 70 percent and a lower temperature bake at 500 F will dry a dynamic high-gluten crust out enough for plenty of sauce and cheese. The more steam remaining in the crust will soften the dough, and higher heat will only crisp the outside of the cornicione (crust.) If you try drying out the gluten scaffolding in the center at this high temperature, it will only burn the outside.
• High Hydration Crusts: Believe it or not, high hydration crusts are the perfect platform for dressing with multiple toppings. Pizzas like the Pizza in Teglia are baked in pans because of that high moisture, but they create a crisp crust and large cell structure at temperatures in the mid 500 F range. These pizzas also have a lot of oil in the mix because the oil coats the gluten strands eliminating moisture saturation. This technique creates strong alveoli, or “lungs” when filled by carbon dioxide. Many high-hydration pizzas are par-baked much in the same pans that the smaller-celled Sicilian Pizzas are, like the wonderful Sfincione.

Read his article: Heavy Lift: Crusts to Support Loaded Pizzas

Secondly, the dreaded gum line can be the culprit of toppings sliding off your pizza. Whether the pizza is over-sauced, under cooked or insufficient yeast levels, you’ll want to address these problems right away. Take a look at how to fix gum line issues. 

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Why is my pizza dough weak and tears when I stretch it?

Laura Meyer addressed dough tearing. “If your dough tears easily or is unable to stretch, then it has not developed enough gluten and could use a little bit more time mixing,” she says… “If my dough is high in hydration and I am using a planetary mixer, it can be hard for the dough to reach full gluten development purely because of the style of mixer and the way it is constructed. This is not necessarily a flaw by any means. Planetary mixers are great work horses and for some operations the best choice because it can accommodate attachments for cutting and shredding. Knowing that this mixer is not as well suited for high hydrated doughs, bulk fermentation as well as incorporating a few folds before refrigerating the dough will ensure that the dough absorbs all the water and develops to full gluten development. A good rule of thumb when using bulk fermentation is the shorter the mix time the longer the bulk fermentation and vice versa.

Autolyse is another technique used by bakers and pizza makers to make sure flour is well hydrated and to ensure full gluten development. Autolyse is a rest period during the mixing process.

Read her article: Knead to Know: What Comes After the Mix for your Batch of Dough.

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Why is my pizza crust undercooked?

Laura Meyer knows the ins and outs of proper pizza cooking. To address an undercooked pizza crust, she says, “One of the most common errors I see in kitchens is not enough dough has been pulled out of the refrigerator before service. Just as you should never put a cold steak on a grill, you should never put cold dough in a hot oven. If you are cooking Neapolitan pizza, cold dough tends to blister more giving it that leopard spotting everyone loves but at the same time is that much harder to cook all the way through. No matter what style you are cooking, your oven is going to have a set point and a specific cook time. In every kitchen I have worked in there is always that one cook or new person that loves cold dough because it is easier to stretch and harder to tear. The downfall of this is an improperly trained cook. During the cooking process your dough is rising in temperature to cook the toppings, cheese and dough. If your dough is cold, it is harder for it to cook all the way through while your toppings cook and the dough browns. When the pizza enters the oven, the water in the dough begins to boil and evaporate. If the dough is cold, it will not cook all the way through leaving too much moisture in the dough resulting in a gum line.

“Another flaw I see repeatedly is improperly cooked bottoms. On busy nights it can be hard to keep up with dine-in as well as take-out and delivery. It can become overwhelming and adding on people constantly asking where their food is can be anxiety driven and frustrating. Most cooks try and compensate by putting as many pies as they physically can in the oven thinking they’re going to push food out faster that way. What really ends up happening is the oven cools down to a point where the stones cannot recover with each new rotation of pies. As pizzas cook, the heat from the stones is absorbed by the pizza. By putting pizzas in the same spot, those areas completely lose their heat meaning the bottoms never cook. To combat this, I recommend leaving at least one spot where nothing is cooking leaving it as a “hot spot”. By keeping a hot spot in the oven, you will always have an area to rotate your pizzas into towards the end of the bake to finish off the bottoms. If you are using screens, it is smart to remove the screen halfway through so the pizza can finish on the physical stone. The contact with the stone will ensure a well-done bottom as well as ensure you get the desired crispiness.”

Read her article: Knead to Know: Avoid an Undercooked Pizza and Unhappy Diners.

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Why is my pizza crust too tough or chewy?

There are many factors that cause a pizza crust to be too chewy or too tough. The Late Tom Lehmann dives into the topic and provides cause and ways to fix the issue. He said, “When we encounter an excessively tough and chewy thin-crust pizza, the problem might be due to improper dough management techniques (such as a finished dough temperature that is too low, which therefore results in insufficient dough fermentation). Another cause for a tough and chewy crust characteristic is trying to sheet the dough too thin, thinking that it will make for a crispier finished crust. Just the opposite is true. Our dough formula and dough management procedure can be “spot on,” but if we sheet/roll the dough too thin we end up degassing the dough, making it more dense. The heat then passes right on through the dough without ever getting it hot enough to fully bake it and we end up with a crust that might have some resemblance of crispiness when it comes out of the oven but soon progresses from crispy to tough and chewy. The answer here is to use a different method to open the dough into a pizza skin (hand formed or pressed) or to open the sheeting rolls slightly to give a thicker pizza skin better able to create a heat/thermal block.

Read Lehmann’s article: Dough Doctor: Tough Sell — Causes of too tough, chewy crust.

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How to prevent my pizza crust from burning?

The first thing to examine: Is your pizza crust burnt or is that part of the pizza style and pizza characteristics? Blistering, also known as leoparding, is common with many high-heat, wood-fired pizzas. Char is a common characteristic of pizza styles, like New Haven and many artisan style pizzas.

Laura Meyer says, “At times what appears to be burnt areas are thin spots on the crust that formed during the stretch but were never degassed before entering the oven.  A simple fix is to pop thin bubbles before cooking or using a bubble popper to deflate enlarged bubbles inside the oven before they firm up.”

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Why is my pizza dough too soft?

The Late Tom Lehmann answered this question based on a two-day cold fermentation. “Your dough formula likely contains too much oil. Keep in mind that both water and oil contribute to the soft and extensible handling properties of the dough. It’s most likely that this is where the problem is. To correct the problem, I would suggest reducing the oil content to a level where it does not exceed four percent of the flour weight and to where the combined water and oil do not exceed 56 to 60 percent of the flour weight.”

He continued. “Also, keep in mind that the flour needs to hydrate the water in order to form “gluten”. With the high level of oil that you’re using it is entirely possible that a good deal of the flour is absorbing oil rather than water if the oil is not added in a delayed manner. To do this, do not add the oil until the ingredients have had a chance to mix together at a low speed for a couple of minutes. When you cannot see any dry flour in the mixing bowl, the oil can be added and blended in by mixing for an additional minute at low speed. Then, the dough can be mixed in your normal manner. This should give you more consistent dough performance, especially after a couple of days in the cooler.” Read on in Knead to Know: Soft Sell.

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Why is my pizza dough so sticky?

The minute you pull your dough from the dough box, you know when you have a sticky situation. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann said, “The number one reason for a wet, sticky dough is covering it when you put it into the cooler. After mixing, the dough is going to be at least at room temperature or above, making it quite a bit warmer than the inside of your cooler, which should be operating at 36 to 40F. When you lid the container of dough balls, the moisture that is being held in the warm air condenses onto the inside of the container (the top where there is head space above the dough) as it cools due to exposure to the cold air. Since the dough retains a lot of heat (latent heat) it continues to generate moist air within the box and the moisture continues to condense onto the inside of the container until the dough and box eventually equilibrate at the same temperature. By this time, though, the box is flooded with water that drips onto the dough surface. This water is slowly absorbed back into the dough, but under most conditions the dough is removed from the cooler for use before it is fully absorbed. What we experience is a wet, sticky dough. To add insult to injury, these doughs also tend to have a strong propensity to bubble during baking as the water in the outer portion of the dough is vaporized into steam.

He provided a few step-by-step solutions to solve the sticky dough problem in Knead to Know: Sticky Situation.

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How do I fix overproofed pizza dough?

First, how do you know if your pizza dough is overproofed? John Gutekanst, dough expert and owner of Avalanche Pizza in Athens Ohio shares how tests to see how his pizza dough is proofed. “There are certain ways you can tell how far along your proofing has gotten. One way is to use your finger. Note: these examples are for dough that is not cold. Refrigerated dough may act differently.

• If the dough ball bounces back right away when pressed with your finger, it is not ready for prime time and needs to proof longer.
• If the ball is poked and the dent answers back in a slow, even fashion, it is ready to bake.
• If the dough ball has puffed up tremendously and your finger dent stays in the dough with no bounce back, the dough is borderline over-proofed.
• If the dough looks completely deflated like a wrinkly beach ball and deflates when poked with your finger, it is over-proofed.

One solution that Gutekanst shares is this: “This is a secret that many great pizzaioli and bakers hold tight to their chests, ‘The Re-knead.’  It is used extensively in the airy, Roman style Pizza in Teglia, as well as high-hydration sourdough bakers. The re-knead is a dough resurrection that stretches already mixed and relaxed dough. This procedure strengthens the gluten matrix and introduces new feeding opportunities to the yeast. Most re-kneads are part of a calculated dough schedule which takes highly hydrated, cold fermented dough, brings it to room temperature for a short period of time, and re-forms a new, stronger dough ball. This technique can also be used for dough that has become over-proofed. It gives you a chance to use that secondary rise that a rehabbed gluten matrix and new yeast activity affords you.” He offers other tips to help correct an over proofed pizza dough.

Read his full article Overproofed Pizza Dough: Deflate Gate.

Check back as we will add more common pizza dough problems. Explore more pizza making how-to and advice articles from master pizza makers and dough experts in Dough Production & Development.

The post Troubleshooting Your Pizza Dough — A Guide to Making Pizza Better appeared first on Pizza Today.

Recognized for Culinary Excellence, Employee Engagement, and Unprecedented Community Stewardship

Ft. Mitchell, KY – Pizza Today, a leading B2B industry publication, has named Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria as its 2024 Pizzeria of the Year. This prestigious award highlights Camporosso’s exceptional commitment to culinary excellence, innovative employee engagement, and unparalleled community involvement.

Camporosso, established by Eric and Amy Redfield in Ft. Mitchell, KY, has rapidly become a beacon of quality and community spirit in the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. The recognition from Pizza Today underscores the significant impact that the Redfields have made through their dedication to creating a superior work environment and giving back to the community.

“What Eric and Amy Redfield have created in Ft. Mitchell is simply astounding,” says Pizza Today’s Editor-in-Chief, Jeremy White. “The couple have built systems based not only on food quality but on meaningful employee engagement and community involvement that goes above and beyond. The couple epitomizes what it means to be a community steward. Their spirit of giving is both impressive and noble, and it is what separates them from the pack.”

Camporosso’s philanthropic efforts are well-documented, with the pizzeria engaging in numerous initiatives to support local causes. Notably, the restaurant recently hosted a charity event dedicated to cancer research, raising significant funds and awareness for the cause. This event is just one example of how Camporosso integrates social responsibility into its business model, enriching the community it serves.

This recognition as the 2024 Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today reflects Camporosso’s holistic approach to business that combines food quality measures, employee satisfaction initiatives and community involvement as pillars of success.

“We are deeply honored to receive this award from Pizza Today,” says Eric Redfield, co-owner of Camporosso. “It is a testament to the hard work and passion of our entire team, and it motivates us to continue striving for excellence in every aspect of our business.”

For media inquiries, contact:

Eric Redfield
Camporosso
eric@camporosso.com

About Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria

Camporosso is a renowned wood-fired pizzeria located in Ft. Mitchell, KY. Established by Eric and Amy Redfield, the pizzeria is celebrated for its Neapolitan-style pizzas, high culinary standards and strong community involvement. Featured in Food & Wine magazine’s “The Best Pizza in Every State” edition, Camporosso continues to set the bar for quality and innovation in the pizza industry.

The post Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria Named 2024 Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today appeared first on Pizza Today.

Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler, Owners & Chefs at Miller Butler in San Pedro, CA on The Hot Slice Podcast

This week, Executive Editor Denise Greer interviews Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler, Owners & Chefs at Miller Butler in San Pedro, CA, They have quickly gained a reputation for amazing pizza in the LA pizza scene. 

What started out as a pandemic pasta-selling business as evolved into a mobile pizzeria in high demand for its popups and catering. While Jillana has had a long career in food, including as a personal chef, operating a pizza business wasn’t in the plan until the COVID-19 Shutdown. Ahmad fell in love with the dough process as the couple perfected their pizzas. He has continually modified the dough in search of that perfect crust. 

Find out how developed their dough recipe and started the business. Explore how Miller Butler has grown through crowdfunding and what’s next for the business. 

You can catch Q&A in our Rising Stars of the Pizzeria Industry feature: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/rising-stars-of-the-pizzeria-industry-2024/ 

Learn more about Miller Butler. And follow the business on Instagram @millerbutler_sp and Jillana @chefjillananadine and Ahmad @mrbutler_aka_doughboi. 

Thank you to our sponsors

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Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria is Pizza Today’s 2024 Pizzeria of the Year

Spirit of Giving

Our 2024 Pizzeria of the Year has impressive record of philanthropy

Eric Redfield sat inside the dining room of his pizzeria as our staff buzzed around snapping photos and taking video. A bit emotional from the big news Pizza Today had just bestowed upon his shop, he reflected on what our editors told him about being impressed by his record of giving back to his community in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. The night before, he and his wife, Amy — along with their staff — hosted a charity event to raise funding for cancer research. This is commonplace for the couple. Since the inception of their pizza-fueled labor of love, the Redfields have used their business profits to do extensive and lasting good in their community. It’s become more than a passion — it’s a mandate.

And that’s but one reason Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria has been named Pizza Today’s 2024 Pizzeria of the Year.

Three popular pizzas — Sopressata Hot Honey, Margherita and the Prosciutto and Fig — at Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Photo by Josh Keown.

The spirit of giving began on day one.

After a successful corporate career that spanned three decades, Eric and Amy decided to go all-in on this passion project and open their pizzeria. (Their origin story, as well as menu offerings, were detailed well by our very own Denise Greer when she visited Camporosso and wrote about the business back in 2019, so we’ll skip that here). The couple opened shop in an old building that had previously housed a garage for years and went to work building their dream. From the start, the focus was on making their restaurant the best place to work in Ft. Mitchell.

“Employee satisfaction is number one,” says Eric. “Everything else will follow after that. So, we were determined to create a great work environment with a dynamic culture. It’s fun.”

The Redfields knew they wanted to generate employee satisfaction through generosity. It’s hardwired into their ethos.

“It started when we first opened,” Eric recalls. “We offered group health and dental. We offer a matching 401K. We offer 100 percent of the first six percent that these employees contribute. I have 10 employees that are in the 401K program. Six of them, it’s the first time they’ve ever invested a dollar. And I have four people on our group health. It’s the first time two of them have ever had insurance. So that matters. That means something.

“We started with 15 employees. We have six that are still with us eight years later. Our running average since we’ve been open is 10-percent turnover per year. That’s unheard of. This doesn’t happen if I don’t have employees that stay and have a sense of purpose that they can grow here.”

During the COVID shutdown in 2020, the couple took things to new heights.

“For a period of time, Amy and I decided that we were going to give 100 percent of our profits to our employees. So that’s what we did: we gave 100 percent of our profits to our employees. We distributed about $60,000 to our employees over that period between what we gave and then, when the community found out, they started donating to it, too. It was really amazing to see.”

Photo Collage includes owners Eric and Amy Redfield, along with staff making pizzas at Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Photos by Josh Keown.

On our first visit to Camporosso, the dining room

— outfitted with a wood-burning oven to churn out Neapolitan pies — was responsible for the lion’s share of sales. While patrons may take leftovers home or sporadically call in a to-go order at that time, the focus was entirely on the dine-in experience.

“We didn’t even have a contract for pizza boxes,” Eric quips.

The pandemic changed that overnight, forcing the Redfields to navigate an unexpected new business landscape. That’s when a night-long planning session led to a migration to takeout. While the restaurant has since returned to its roots by focusing on providing a stellar dine-in experience, to-go orders have remained a permanent fixture that has helped grow revenue.

“I don’t think Neapolitan pizza travels well, but the community embraced it,” Eric says of the necessary buildout of to-go systems Camporosso put into place.

“I remember Amy and I saying, ‘We’re going to have to go to a takeout model.’ And we were dine-in only, so we didn’t have that model. We said, ‘How do we do this? How do we transition to takeout only and survive?’ We didn’t know what we were up against. Nobody did.

“But we figured it out and we reopened takeout only the very next day and never skipped a beat. And during the time that we were takeout only, I made a commitment as the owner to meet every customer that came and picked up food from us. I gave them a fist bump and I met every customer. And that really resonated with the community. And, in turn, we did not lay off one employee during the Covid shutdown.”

That dedication to literally meet every customer comes as no surprise once you get to know the Redfields a bit. It is who they are. And the result has been a tide of community support because people like supporting good people.

Camporosso’s Carryout Catapults the Business

The additional carryout revenue ultimately helped catapult Camporosso to a new level. Sales last year were well over $3 million out of one unit. Meanwhile, Eric and Amy astutely kept the momentum going once dine-in reopened by doubling down on staffing. They brought in a dedicated phone person to take carryout orders. They briefly — very briefly — added online ordering. But as orders poured in and taxed the kitchen staff, it was time to step back and focus on quality.

“We tried it for two hours,” Eric laughs. “It overwhelmed us and so we turned it off. My pizza chef came to me and said, ‘If I just fill the orders we have from online, and we base it on our turn time, we’ll be filling these orders until 2:30 in the morning.’

“They just kept coming. Plus, people were calling as well, so it was just too much. We’ll never go back to that. We get some negative social media comments about stepping into 2010 since it’s now 2024, but we’ll never do online ordering again. There’s only so much capacity we can do and keep the quality we want. And quality is very important to me.”

The open kitchen with views of the ovens is a showpiece of the dining experience at Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Photo by Josh Keown.

That mindset is also why Camporosso won’t grow to a second unit and beyond.

At this point in the Redfields’ careers, it’s not about ballooning the bank account. It’s about building up others around them.

“I hear it every day,” says Eric. “Venture capital approaches me all the time and says ‘You should add a store in Newport. You should put one in Louisville. You should franchise.’

“I will never, ever, ever be complacent and will continue to grow this business. We’re satisfied, but not complacent. But we love what we’re doing here in these four walls. It keeps me smiling and it keeps Amy smiling. We have a dynamic business that is rooted in our employees, in the customer experience, in the community and in our food. We are able to stay laser-focused on these four tenets. If we became too ambitious and looked to grow, we’d lose focus on that because I’m not there or Amy’s not there. We are happy with what we have and don’t need more.”

With 12 full-time employees and 50 total staff members, Camporosso clearly has become a foodservice employer of choice in Northern Kentucky. The business’ 2023 payroll exceeded $1 million.

“We didn’t do $1 million in revenue in our first year, and now our payroll is that,” says Eric. “We haven’t lost a full-time employee in four years, and we’re proud of that. We employ single moms, single dads, 20-year-olds. It’s so gratifying to see young people who have never heard of 401Ks tracking their investments on their phones and planning for their futures. I had a corporate job for 30 years and I can sit here and say I’ve never had a bad day in the restaurant. Never one bad day.”

Jeremy White is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.

Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria Pizzeria of the Year honor receives national media attention

Since we announced Wood Fired Pizzeria, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky as our Pizza Today 2024 Pizzeria of the year, the designation has received a number of national media stories. Check out a few of the media outlets spotlighting 2024 Pizzeria of the Year Wood Fired Pizzeria, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky:

Cincinnati Enquirer: Pizza Today magazine names NKY spot Pizzeria of the Year

LINK NKY: Ft. Mitchell’s Camporosso named 2024 Pizzeria of the Year

Who are past recipients of Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year?

Pizza Today, a leading B2B pizza industry publication, began the prestigious award many years ago go. Let’s look at the most recent recipients of Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year:

2023 Pizzeria of the Year: Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut

2022 Pizzeria of the Year: Tony’s Pizzeria Napoletana, San Francisco, CA

2021 Pizzeria of the Year: Razza, Jersey City, NJ

The post 2024 Pizzeria of the Year: Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky appeared first on Pizza Today.

Hot Pizza Spots in the U.S.: Bflo Pizza Bistro, Buffalo, NY; Pizzeria Sei Los Angeles, CA; Oak Oven Harahan, LA

This month we look at hot pizza places in New York, California and Louisiana. Each month in Destinations, we highlight great pizzerias that have hit our pizza radar. These pizza places may have just opened to rave reviews, hit best pizza lists or have exciting news. If you’re a pizzeria that would like to be featured, reach out to Executive Editor Denise Greer at dgreer@pizzatoday.com.

Bflo Pizza Bistro, Buffalo, New York

Photo courtesy of Bflo Pizza Bistro

Bflo Pizza Bistro was born out of the COVID-19 Pandemic. “My pizza journey started during the pandemic when I bought an Ooni, created an Instagram food page, and persuasion of family and friends to start selling pies out of my apartment,” says owner Chris Flynn. “I started doing popups around town before I was lucky enough to find a brick and mortar location.” The couple longed to bring the French bistros they traveled to into their restaurant. “Our restaurant stands out because our pizza is different from the standard Buffalo style pizza, the dough is focaccia like but also has a chewy crust,” he says. “I call my style of pizza a Detroit/Sicilian hybrid. We have 5 staple pizzas on our menu with a specialty one that changes monthly. We have 3 different salads and my wife makes homemade Italian desserts weekly (cannolis, tiramisu, Italian cookies). We also have a beer and wine list with assorted local beers and our favorite wines. I wanted to make my styles of the standard pepperoni and Margherita pizza stand out differently from the rest. My Margheritas are finished with dollops of a peppery whipped ricotta and my pepperoni are finished with a drizzle of homemade hot chili honey that I make batches of weekly. My white pizza consists of a homemade roasted garlic bechamel sauce, portabella mushrooms and topped with a porcini sea salt. The pepperoni and margherita are definitely the fan favorites, although our monthly specials have really taken off. This past month was a homemade vodka sauce, a local stuffed banana pepper sausage, banana peppers and whipped ricotta to top it off.”

Pizzeria Sei, Los Angeles, California

Pizzeria Sei has been rated among the best pizza in Los Angeles, with high marks nationally and internationally and a Michelin recommendation. Though the spot is small, the pizzeria focuses on its dine-in service. Pickup is available by preordering until it is sold out. The in demand shop works with local farms and farmers markets. Its pizza is Tokyo style neo-Neapolitan. The pizza menu is filled with Neapolitan classics and a few surprises, like the Bismarck with fior di latte, prosciutto cotto, egg, Pecorino, basil, truffle oil and sea salt. Special creations are introduced like a pizza topped with a Kendal farm crème fraiche, gold round potato, chives, fior di latte, shaved garlic, oregano, shallot cream, provolone, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, extra virgin olive oil and Kaluga caviar.

Oak Oven, Harahan, Louisiana

The neighborhood restaurant blends Sicilian, Italian and New Orleans culture. The wood-fired pizza menu features unique offerings, like the Shrimp and Crab with artichoke, red chili, oregano, garlic and white wine-butter. Lamb Meatball pizza is topped with sweet peppers, basil, tomato, red chili and ricotta. Made in house pastas are a highlight. Handmade Pappardelle features gulf shrimp and artichoke. The Handmade Frattura features grilled mushrooms, spinach, pine nuts, feta, olive, tomato, lemon and herbs. Oak Oven also highlights entrees like Veal, gulf shrimp and filet mignon.

==>> Check out more featured pizzerias in People & Pizzerias.

The post Pizza Destinations: Bflo Pizza Bistro, Buffalo, NY; Pizzeria Sei Los Angeles, CA; Oak Oven Harahan, LA appeared first on Pizza Today.

Grilled Pizza with Peaches, Burrata, Serrano Peppers, Basil and Balsamic

That is what summer is all about. Your grill is probably on 24/7 in the summertime, so why not make some grilled pizza? Super easy and delicious. For this recipe I have gathered some summer favorites like in-season peaches and cool, creamy burrata. I combined them with some basil, some mint and a pop of heat with thinly sliced Serrano peppers. I have added some speck as well. However, if you want to keep it light, that can easily be omitted.

For the Peaches

Chris Decker, Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner Truly Pizza

Thinly cut two peaches and squeeze a half of lemon over them. Add to a bowl and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar on them. Whatever you have is fine, white or brown. They will both work beautifully. Toss to combine. In a preheated pan on the stove, add two tablespoons butter and melt to almost brown. Carefully add peach mixture and sauté until soft (3-4 minutes). Set aside to cool.

For the Grilled Dough

Pre-heat your grill and get even heat throughout. Add olive oil to a plate and put your dough in oil and begin to stretch. Turn dough over and continue to stretch on the oil-lined plate. You can pick up the dough and lightly stretch to desired size now. Then be careful as you lay the dough on the grill and cook for 1-2 minutes (until charring begins). Quarter turn your dough and cook for another minute. Then, carefully using tongs, flip dough over and cook the other side. Once the dough is cooked and beautifully charred, set aside to cool.

Toppings

You can cut your grilled pizza now and top it. First, I sprinkled a little smoked salt onto the grilled dough, spooned on some burrata, carefully placed the grilled peaches and speck and thinly sliced Serrano peppers. Then I scattered some basil and torn mint before drizzling some 12-year balsamic over the top. Delicious!

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.

The post On Deck: Grillin’ and Chillin’ — Peach and Burrata Grilled Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

When is a pizza dough overproofed and how do you fix it

When you knead to rise above over-proofed dough.

t has happened to all of us. You’re working in your busy pizzeria, the line in the lobby snakes to the door, all your ovens are full, increasing the internal temperature of your kitchen to 103 degrees. The dough that you brought out an hour ago has been proofing in the boxes for way too long and you promise yourself to get right to it, but that hour turns into 90 minutes in the frenzy.

Once the rush is over, you cautiously look in the dough box and you see dough balls that are flat, wrinkled and spent. You know there are two avenues to take; either throw the dough away or correct this over-proofed dough. You must first find out how old the dough is because this over proofed dough you’re looking at could be on its last rise. Or you could have a dough ball that has just become proofed too much and has a second rise in it.

Role of Yeast in Overproofed Dough: Feeding Frenzy

We all make a living using dough recipes that rely upon time and temperature. Time affords a period for these small natural and human-made yeast enzymes and bacteria to interact with natural sugars to create a rise in our dough. This is also regulated by the temperature at which this dough is subjected. When everything in your dough schedule goes swimmingly, you can pat yourself on the back, stand back and gaze upon the finished pizza product with pride. When you over-proof your dough, there is that sinking feeling that all that time making, resting, balling, storing and proofing your dough is wasted. There are certain ways you can tell how far along your proofing has gotten.

One way is to use your finger. Note: these examples are for dough that is not cold. Refrigerated dough may act differently.

• If the dough ball bounces back right away when pressed with your finger, it is not ready for prime time and needs to proof longer.
• If the ball is poked and the dent answers back in a slow, even fashion, it is ready to bake.
• If the dough ball has puffed up tremendously and your finger dent stays in the dough with no bounce back, the dough is borderline over-proofed.
• If the dough looks completely deflated like a wrinkly beach ball and deflates when poked with your finger, it is over-proofed.
  

Dough Management: Dough Nuts

As a pizza manager, your dough schedule is calculated to use the limitations of your refrigeration space, oven type and knowledge of your dough personnel. Your physical plant reflects and intermingles with the way you want your pizzas to look, taste and feel like. Dough is the platform that holds and melds with all the other flavors on your proprietary pizza and therefore is the spine of your operation. To gain more control over the way your dough is mixed and aged, you can set up a plan to make sure everyone in your pizzeria is on board. This can be a dough schedule printed and attached to a clipboard near the mixer and proofing tables. It should contain times, temperatures, mixing speeds, weights and proofing times for each batch. In a perfect world, this detailed dough production works well, but some of us with high volume pizzerias opt for a simpler dough production with small date and time stickers on the dough. These also have the names spelt, thin crust, regular, Detroit, Roman, sourdough, etc. on them. This also frees the dough people to keep a flow of dough rolling and if they have questions, they can match the type of dough to signs and recipes kept near the dough station.

What to do with an overproofed pizza dough? The Proof is in the Pudding

When you are staring at an over-proofed dough ball, you must not despair because there is a way to rehabilitate an over-proofed dough ball besides making mediocre focaccia or breadsticks out of it.

This is a secret that many great pizzaioli and bakers hold tight to their chests, ‘The Re-knead.’  It is used extensively in the airy, Roman style Pizza in Teglia, as well as high-hydration sourdough bakers. The re-knead is a dough resurrection that stretches already mixed and relaxed dough. This procedure strengthens the gluten matrix and introduces new feeding opportunities to the yeast. Most re-kneads are part of a calculated dough schedule which takes highly hydrated, cold fermented dough, brings it to room temperature for a short period of time, and re-forms a new, stronger dough ball. This technique can also be used for dough that has become over-proofed. It gives you a chance to use that secondary rise that a rehabbed gluten matrix and new yeast activity affords you.

To begin the re-knead, make sure there is no oil or hard crust on your dough ball. Take the over proofed dough ball by two opposing horizontal edges with the bottom of the dough ball toward you. Pull your hands away from one another stretching the dough until taut. Then close the dough like a book. Turn the dough ball 90 degrees and use this stretch/fold method again. Now start tucking the dough under the dough ball with your fingers and tighten the dough ball using a table if necessary. This dough ball can be sent back to the refrigerator to relax for later use or covered at room temperature to use in 20 to 30 minutes.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

>> Explore answers to more common pizza dough questions in Troubleshooting your Pizza Dough: What’s wrong with my pizza dough? <<

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Southern Style Tomato Pie from East End Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to East End Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its Southern Style Tomato Pie. The gorgeous shot of this pizza caught our eye on Instagram for its brilliant use of those summer tomato slices. It’s the simplicity of pairing the right ingredients that makes this one a winner. Photo credit can go to Andrew Marcus @actuallyandymo on Instagram

East End Brewing Company opened their own kitchen operation at its Larimer Brewpub location in 2020 serving up Sicilian style pizza with a focus on dietary inclusion. The Southern Style Tomato Pie is the creation of Larimer Brewpub Kitchen Manager Sheryl Johnston (@alienspice on INstagram. She answered our questions about this amazing pizza.

What’s on the pizza? 

SJ: Mayo or vegan Mayo sauce, Grateful Ched cheddar cheese, mozzarella, sliced tomato, scallion, basil.

Why is it special/geek out on it: 

SJ: This pizza is a recreation of a summertime treat popular in the Southern United States. Featuring vine ripened tomatoes, fresh basil, and spring onions. It highlights peak July produce! In addition to highlighting July produce and following the traditional ingredients, this pizza is special thanks to the use of “Grateful Ched”, a sharp cheddar marinated in our Gratitiude Barleywine and produced by Clover Creek Cheese (@clovercreekcheese on IG) in Williamsburg, PA. We utilize a thick, focaccia crust for our pies, made by Prohibition Pastries. Vegetarian by default, we also offer a vegan version of this pizza, and can make it with gluten free crust baked by Wild Rise Bakery (@wildrisebakery on IG), located nearby in Pittsburgh.

What’s been the customer response?

SJ: Customers are loving the amazing combination of fresh juicy tomatoes and basil with the decadent mayo and sharp cheese base, even those who were a little skeptical of mayo on pizza. These simple ingredients have combined to create bold flavors that have left customers very impressed. It’s definitely a contender for our 2024 Pizza of the Week Poll, destined to come back again as a featured pie.

Learn more about East End Brewing Company at https://www.eastendbrewing.com/  and follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/eastendbrewing.

The brewpub also shared this note with us: (At our Larimer Brewpub, we have been featuring a Pizza of the Week for over 3 years. Each year, we run a poll, allowing customers to vote for top 12 favorite pizzas to come back. If a pizza places on the poll two years in a row, we add it to our Pizza Hall of Fame. This pies can be viewed HERE

These pies are NOT available at our Mount Lebanon Taproom, which follows a slightly different pizza based menu)

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: East End Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania appeared first on Pizza Today.

Experience consistent bakes with durable, easy release and precision-engineered pans.

LloydPans Cutter Pans are an invaluable asset to pizza makers, revolutionizing the way pizzas are prepared and cooked. Known for their high-quality construction and innovative design, Cutter Pans are crafted from heavy 14-gauge aluminum, which ensures durability and even heat distribution. This material is not only resistant to rust and corrosion but also provides an easy release surface, making it easier to de-pan the pizza without leaving any residue behind.

Cutter Pan Features:

• Retains oil for buttery flavor
• Produces chewy pizza crust
• Designed for medium and thick crust pizzas
• Even heat distribution reduces baking times, allowing for quicker turnaround
• Withstands high temperatures without warping
• 63-degree angled sides
• 75-inch deep
• Finished with proprietary PRE SEASONED TUFF-KOTE®

Need a differently sized Cutter Pan? Request custom product information by contacting sales@LloydPans.com or call 800-748-6251.

LloydPans, a U.S. manufacturer of commercial pizza pans and tools, bakeware, cookware and foodservice equipment, is located in Spokane Valley, Wash. In addition to an extensive line of standard products, LloydPans also offers custom solutions for just about anything their customers need. LloydPans’ products are sold online at www.lloydpans.com and through distributors.

LloydPans
800-748-6251
www.lloydpans.com
sales@lloydpans.com

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PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — After a year of planning and preparation, Innisfree Hotels has opened the first-of-its-kind grab-and-go market in Pensacola Beach, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega.

With a new location in the Soundside Market across the street from the Hampton Inn Pensacola Beach, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega is the perfect fast-casual spot. The market brings together traditional Italian deli vibes with beach influences, meeting the area’s growing demand for convenient, grab-and-go offerings.

The shop that serves the best pizza in Pensacola Beach will now offer made-to-order Italian subs and paninis featuring Boar’s Head meats and cheeses alongside curated market items like gourmet cheeses, unique snacks, fresh salads, wines, craft beer and soda, and homemade desserts. The market will also carry pantry staples, kid-friendly grocery items, beach essentials, and bespoke gifts and keepsakes.

“We’re thrilled to introduce this innovative market to Pensacola Beach,” said Manuel Rodriguez, Director of Food and Beverage for Innisfree Hotels, which operates five Pensacola Beach hotel properties in addition to Bonsai, Fish Heads, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega, Red Fish Blue Fish, Riptides Sports Grill & Tiki Bar, Sal de Mar, Salt, and Water Pig BBQ. “Our goal is to bring elevated convenience to guests and area residents and build on the success of the original Piazza Pizza location.”

Fans of Piazza Pizza’s New York style thin-crust pies can rest easy knowing the restaurant’s traditional Italian brick oven will continue turning out signature dishes, like the Sabrosa, the Supreme and the classic Margherita. Guests can also build their own pizzas by choosing from more than 20 topping options.

“It has been a labor of love to source the highest-quality products for Innisfree’s new market and bring something fun and unexpected to Pensacola Beach,” explained Rodriguez. “Guests will find something new to discover with each visit.”

Whether you’re in the mood for a casual dine-in experience, a snack or a meal to go, a quick shop for grocery staples or food delivery to your hotel via DoorDash, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega can accommodate your needs.

Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega is located at 5 Via De Luna Dr., Suite G, Pensacola Beach and is open daily. Call 850-565-1980 or visit piazzapizzaandbeachbodega.com for more information.

ABOUT INNISFREE HOTELS

For more than three decades, Innisfree Hotels has expertly developed and managed dozens of hotels in partnership with many of the world’s most-recognized hospitality brands. Today, the company owns or manages more than 44 entities — about 3,600 rooms — and employs approximately 2,000 people. Innisfree is the largest beachfront hotel owner-operator on the Gulf Coast. As a triple-bottom-line company, Innisfree measures success through People, Planet and Prosperity. Innisfree, which has about $1.1 billion of assets under management and $250 million in annual hotel revenue, was named one of Hotel Business’ top management companies and top owners & developers in 2022. For more information, visit innisfreehotels.com.

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The Stella Amatriciana Pizza from Pizzata Pizzeria in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Pizzata Pizzeria in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pizzata Birreria in South Philly. The two-unit operation is constantly putting out spectacular pizza specials. We love following them on Instagram. We selected the Stella Amatriciana Pizza because it is a stunner every time and their customers went crazy for it.

Also known as the star pizza, this pizza isn’t what many think of when hear stuffed crust. They think of round pies with a ballooned crust edge. But instead, the star pizza presents as a beautifully crafted work of art. Great work, Pizzata!

Let’s explore more about the pizza from co-owner Davide Lubrano.

Why: “100-percent sourdough, it’s a star shaped pizza representing the amatriciana pasta in Italy, and you can enjoy both a soft crust filled with ricotta as well as a crispy under carriage bottom.”

Process: “Its 100-percent sourdough with a blend of 4 different flours, with a 4-5 days slow fermentation and maturation process with zero commercial yeast and all naturally leavened, which makes the gluten easier to digest, lowers glycemic index, and improves the mineral absorption of grains.”

It was created by @obsession_pizza co-owner and baker of both location

How: “Creativity is what I love the most, and it’s very important to being able to express your self recreating certain flavors you love into a pizza and being able to bring that vision to life Feedback from costumers it’s been amazing so we decided to add to it to both location at @pizzata_pizzeria and @pizzata_birreria.”

Learn more about Pizzata Pizzeria at https://www.pizzatapizzeria.com/ and follow both locations on Instagram at @pizzata_pizzeria and @pizzata_birreria.

You can also check out A Conversation with Davide Lubrano and Vinny Gallagher, Pizzata Pizzeria, Philadelphia in Pizza Today.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week? Tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: Pizzata Pizzeria, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania appeared first on Pizza Today.

SAN FRANCISCO, JULY 22, 2024—Square Pie Guys, a modern pizza restaurant popularizing Detroit-style square pan pizzas in the Bay Area and beyond, is celebrating its Fifth Anniversary. Since opening its first brick-and-mortar in 2019, Square Pie Guys has sold over 1.2 million pies, which is almost 250,000 a year! Celebrations for this milestone anniversary include special promotions and the return of two highly popular Square Pie Guys collaboration pizzas. 

The first Square Pie Guys location was established in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco in the Summer of 2019, after a year of standout pop-ups. Now, there are three brick-and-mortar locations (two in San Francisco and one in Oakland), ghost kitchens across the Bay Area, and a partnership with Good Eggs for people nationwide to get their Detroit-style pizza.

What started as an experiential pop-up has now become an award-winning restaurant group. With their creative pursuits and dedication to quality, Schechter has crafted fan favorites such as  ‘The Big Von’ and ‘6×8 Pepperoni’. Their success story is a testament to their passion and commitment to delivering the best pizza experience. To date, Square Pie Guys has donated over $100,000 since their opening through their collaboration pies where every purchase has a percentage donated to the collaborators’ organization of choice.

“We’re super grateful to the community and our supporters over the years and are very lucky to have a loyal fanbase that has grown exponentially since our pop-ups. Our guests are why we push so hard to provide innovative, fun, and high-quality pies daily,” says Marc Schechter, founder and owner of Square Pie Guys. “Our team is thrilled to celebrate half a decade of bringing people together over delicious meals and creative pizza experiences that leave a lasting impression on every Guest. Looking forward to continuing to celebrate being square.” 

As Square Pie Guys celebrates its fifth business anniversary, it is more committed than ever to redefining the pizza experience. Square Pie Guys believes that pizza is not just a delicious meal but a symbol of sharing something wonderful with those around you, emphasizing the word ‘share’ because life is better when we share it, and so is pizza. 

About Square Pie Guys: 

Square Pie Guys, a pizzeria born from a shared passion for perfecting pizza, stands out by offering unique Detroit-style pizza. This style, which can be enjoyed in the Bay Area and beyond, is a testament to our commitment to bringing people together over delicious meals. Being a Square is about embracing diverse tastes, fostering connections, creating lasting memories, and striving to make the best pizza possible. Pizza has the unique power to bring people together through sharing, and this spirit of inclusivity permeates every aspect of Square Pie Guys. We welcome you to join our community and share our love for pizza. At Square Pie Guys, we are not just about pizza. We are about community. We support local organizations, sponsor community events, and share meals with those in need. Our commitment to making a meaningful difference in every city we serve sets us apart. Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to stay updated on Square Pie Guys. 

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Listen to Rising Star Marisol Doyle, Leña – Pizza + Bagels, Cleveland, Mississippi on The Hot Slice Podcast

Over the next few episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast, we’re excited to let you get to know pizza makers and owners who we named Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry. We’re so impressed by Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola, Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi. 

Leña was recently named a top pizza spot in the U.S in the feature: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/dining/pizza-america.html. It’s been a whirlwind since the announcement and even before that. Marisol has quickly garnered a reputation for her pizza and bagels, and it continues to grow. We talk about how the business started and its evolutions. We also dive into the Mississippi Delta region and pizza.  

Marisol has a passion for flavor combinations. We go into some of her menu favorites. As part of our Rising Stars feature, we asked Marisol: Your menu changes weekly? What goes into your creativity? She said, “We introduce a unique pizza special every week, a veggie option that changes from time to time, and five pizzas that always stay on the menu. Additionally, we offer a couple of salads, appetizers and desserts. Our customers really appreciate that we offer something different every week and that we try to make everything in-house. We draw inspiration from our travels, ingredients we enjoy and creative ideas on social media. My Mexican heritage also plays a big role in the specials. I often like to incorporate traditional Mexican ingredients to our pizzas. It usually takes us a day or two to come up with the perfect combination of ingredients. We test out the flavor combos to ensure our customers will like variety — and of course, we always want the end product to taste and look delicious.” 

Check out the Rising Stars of the Pizza Industry featuring Marisol at: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/rising-stars-of-the-pizzeria-industry-2024/ 

Learn more about Leña – Pizza + Bagels.
and check out the pizzeria and Marisol on Instagram at @lenapizzabagels  and @marisoldo. 

Thank you to our sponsors

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A classic Mortadella Pizza is experiencing a newfound popularity

I’ve never tasted Bologna, a.k.a. “Baloney”. As a child of vegetarians, I was spared that American childhood staple. Today, I am no traditionalist. I may be guilty, in the eyes of some Italians, of pushing innovation and interpretation into the territory of bastardization, but I have never tried Bologna and I don’t intend to. I’m open to breaking rules, but naming an American hyper-processed lunch meat after a city that many consider the culinary capital of one of the most food obsessed countries in the world is a pretty egregious move. Sorry Italy, there is no excuse for that behavior. So please, everyone, let’s sever any connections between Baloney and Mortadella, and hopefully it will fade away into obscurity.

We can make amends by celebrating the true meat treat of the ancient and great city of Bologna: Mortadella! This delicious salumi, or something like it, has been made in Italy since at least the time of the Romans — and the current form has a documented history going back to the 14th century. Lean pork meat is pulverized into a smooth paste, spiced with salt, myrtle berries, and sometimes studded with black pepper or more recently pistachio, and cubes of fat are folded in … then the whole thing goes into a natural casing. Smaller ones use pig bungs (look it up), and behemoths weighing as much as 200 pounds are packed into beef casings. The secret to its aroma and flavor comes from the cooking process; it’s cooked very low and slow at 180 F for 20 hours or more. The final product is sweet, smooth, and mildly spiced with a firm texture that creates a delicious bite even when sliced paper thin. Imported mortadella can be found at Italian delis or from importers of Italian products here in the United States. Of course, the United States is not alone in its love of this lunch meat.

It’s well known that Argentina and Brazil have huge Italian diaspora communities and their pizzeria scenes are massive, historical, and very popular. Buenos Aires and São Paulo love mortadella as much as they love pizza. In São Paulo there is a famous mortadella sandwich; a massive pile of thinly sliced mortadella is grilled on a plancha, then topped with Queijo Prato (literally translated as plate cheese and similar to Swiss), then the giant pile of mortadella and cheese is placed on a Portuguese roll and served as a knock-you-out, need-a nap-after, sandwich.

Anthony Bourdain loved it so much when he visited São Paulo that he put it in his book, Appetites: A Cookbook. In Buenos Aires bakeries, you can find something called Sándwich de miga; white bread with the crust taken off, filled simply with a slice of meat or cheese, mortadella being a popular choice, and possibly mayonnaise or mustard. Sándwich de miga is very similar to the tramezzino found in Turin and Venice. It’s a very out of place looking sandwich for Italy with its angular pale white squares of bread filled with salumi and mayonnaise. A sort of cognitive dissonance occurs when viewing these in the land of the amber hued crusty panini. But mortadella is not content to be contained in sandwiches alone —pizza is where it really shines!

The first time I remember mortadella being the star of a pizza was when Alan Richman named the mortadella pizza at Great Lake in Chicago the “No. 1 Pizza in America” in his 2009 GQ article. I had been watching Great Lake pizza from afar and sadly I never got to go before it closed, but from the photos, I was amazed at the look of the charred pizza hidden under a thin layer of mortadella lazily draped on top. Since then, I have tried many versions of mortadella pizza all over the world. At Atte Pizzeria in Buenos Aires I added my take on the most classic mortadella pizza to the menu. On a 12-inch Neapolitan dough, pistachio pesto (pistachio, garlic, Parmigiano, olive oil and a little salt which is blitzed to an almost smooth puree) is drizzled on the base, on top of that are chunks of fior di latte mozzarella and some funky taleggio cheese. The pizza is cooked in the wood fired oven. When the charred blistery crusted pizza comes out, we put little piles of very thinly sliced domestic mortadella on the pizza, and finish with finely grated Parmigiano and a sprinkling of crushed pistachio. The vibrant green pesto and lush pink mortadella bundles make this pizza as beautiful as it is delicious.

So, how should you incorporate mortadella into pizza? If you have a slicer, slice it super thin and drape it on after it comes out of the oven. You can lay it flat right onto the cooked pizza or stack it high by folding and twisting it to make small piles. You can create a mortazza, a viral sandwich at the moment, by taking a pizza dough flattened into a circle, covering it with only a thin layer of olive oil, folding it in half and baking it. When it comes out, unfold the dough and stuff it with thinly sliced mortadella. If you don’t have a slicer, cutting it into small cubes or sticks helps preserve the integrity and makes sure it doesn’t burn. Cooking mortadella in the oven is perfectly acceptable, despite what some people say. You could channel Argentina and put cubes on a pizza with mozzarella, then sprinkle some oregano and drizzle spicy chimichurri on it when it comes out of the oven. I’m a huge fan of muffulettas, so recently I made a muffuletta pizza. I start with mozzarella, provolone, chopped black and green olives, sliced red onions, and strips of mortadella. When it comes out of the oven, I sprinkle on some finely chopped giardiniera, Parmigiano and sesame seeds.

The brutal honest truth is that mortadella doesn’t need us, it doesn’t need pizza, and it doesn’t even need bread! It is perfect on its own, sliced wafer thin and lifted with bare fingers into open mouths. I salute all the mortadella purists out there, but feel free to innovate. I have included a recipe featuring this superior lunch meat that is versatile and global, and you can find Mortadella Muffuletta Pizza recipe.

Anthony Falco is an international pizza consultant.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Pizza Guys, the Sacramento-founded pizza restaurant renowned for its commitment to fresh, high-quality food, is excited to announce a new partnership with professional basketball player Malik Monk. Having just completed two successful seasons in Sacramento, Monk will join the brand as the latest “Pizza Guy,” promoting its delicious offerings and community-focused initiatives.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Malik Monk to the Pizza Guys family,” said Shahpour Nejad, CEO and Founder of Pizza Guys. “Pizza Guys was born and bred right here in Sacramento, and Malik, continuing on to his third season with Sacramento, makes him the ideal partner for our brand. His ambition on the court and genuine approach to community involvement align perfectly with our values. We look forward to working together to reach even more people and continue supporting our local communities.”

Monk was chosen as the new “Pizza Guy” not only for his impressive athletic achievements but also because he embodies the spirit of Sacramento, where Pizza Guys was founded. His dedication to community engagement and his authentic efforts to make a positive impact reflect the core values of Pizza Guys. This connection to Sacramento and his commitment to giving back make him the ideal partner for the brand.

Monk, a standout shooting guard, has made a significant impact in the league since being drafted in the first round in 2017. Known for his scoring prowess and dynamic playmaking, Monk has earned accolades such as SEC Freshman of the Year during his college career at the University of Kentucky and has continued to impress with his performances at the professional level. His dedication and hard work, both on and off the court, embody the values of excellence and commitment that Pizza Guys seeks in a partner, making him an ideal choice for this collaboration.

“I’m excited to partner with Pizza Guys and be a part of their commitment to quality food and community engagement,” said Monk. “It’s great to join a brand that shares my passion for giving back, and I’m looking forward to our efforts in making a difference.”

The partnership with Malik Monk comes on the heels of a year of remarkable success for Pizza Guys. In 2024, the brand has opened seven new locations in Riverside, Escondido, Murrieta, and Brea, California, and is projected to open three more stores by the end of the year. Additionally, Pizza Guys was recognized by Eat This, Not That as the fastest-growing pizza chain, underscoring their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. This rapid expansion and industry recognition highlight the brand’s dedication to excellence and community-focused growth.

For 38 years, Pizza Guys has continued to serve up their unique and crowd-pleasing specialty pizzas to their loyal customers. All locations make their dough from scratch daily and top it with their secret blend of herbs, spices, and vine-ripened tomatoes grown in Central California. All ingredients are high-quality and always fresh. The brand prides itself on delivering great service through their innovative technology along with their pizzas.

For more information about Pizza Guys visit https://www.pizzaguys.com/.

About Pizza Guys 
Founded in 1986 and franchising since 1994, Pizza Guys offers high-quality and delicious gourmet pizzas at a price point that can meet every budget. Each Pizza Guys pizza is handcrafted using fresh-made dough, 100% whole milk mozzarella cheese, and a sauce made with fresh-packed, California-grown tomatoes. All topped with high quality toppings from trusted brands. The brand currently has 90+ stores open and operating across two states. For more information about Pizza Guys, please visit: https://www.pizzaguys.com/

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FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 9, 2024 /CNW/ — Princess Cruises today announced another exclusive celebrity culinary collaboration, with Pizza Chef Tony Gemignani, the 13-time World Pizza Champion and undisputed greatest pizza maker in modern history. Chef Gemignani has created five unique pizzas for Princess, each with an exciting blend of savory flavors and premium ingredients from Soppressata sausage and hot honey to Gorgonzola and sweet fig preserve, further enhancing the line’s position as offering the Best Pizza at Sea.

Chef Gemignani’s artisan, hand-crafted pizzas will initially debut at Alfredo’s onboard the new Sun Princess, adding to the greatest assembly of culinary experiences at sea, with plans to extend to the rest of the fleet this summer. Princess chefs received specialized training under the guidance of Chef Gemignani from his acclaimed Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco ensuring they can masterfully replicate his original, hand-crafted pizzas at sea.

To mark the exciting, new collaboration, Princess Cruises will attempt to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title on July 12 for Largest Pizza Party at multiple venues with fresh-from-the-oven pizza prepared by the line’s master chefs, including new selections from Chef Gemignani.

Chef Gemignani is the most decorated pizzaiolo in American history, an award-winning chef, restaurateur, master instructor, philanthropist, founder of Slice House by Tony Gemignani, and author of PIZZA, The Pizza Bible, and The Pursuit of Pizza. Born and raised in Northern California, he opened his first restaurant in San Francisco in 2009 – Tony’s Pizza Napoletana – offering several styles of pizzas including Classic American, Italian, Sicilian and Neapolitan pizzas artfully made with artisan flours, an array of authentic sauces, and seasonal ingredients and finished in seven different, regionally-specific ovens. The restaurant was met with immediate success upon opening and was named the best pizzeria by USA Today and top pizza restaurant by the Travel Channel.

“Princess is about delivering great experiences and there is no more important element than Pizza.  While Princess has long been known for having the best pizza at sea, we decided to take it up an entirely new level with legendary Tony Gemignani,” said John Padgett, Princess President. “Tony is the ‘GOAT’ with unparalleled world championships, expertise and passion for crafting the perfect pizza.”

Over the course of his career, Chef Gemignani has achieved 13 World Pizza Champions, two-time Food Network Gold Medalist, four GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles, and opened more than 30 restaurants. He’s appeared on multiple reality television series including “Food Network Challenge,” “Bar Rescue,” and appeared on the Master Class GOAT series, The Travel Channel and CNN. https://tonygemignani.com/

“Princess is the original Love Boat and its magnificent ships are known to all the world,” said Gemignani. “Bringing my original recipe hand-crafted pizzas inspired by the destinations Princess visits to the world-class line up of culinary offerings onboard its ships is not only exciting but an honor.”

The new Chef Gemignani-designed pizzas will take center stage at Alfredo’s and Gigi’s specialty pizzerias, charming, sit-down venues offering an enticing menu of freshly prepared, individual-size pizzas, salads, wine and beer and more, and voted “Best Pizza at Sea” by USA Today, as well as the complimentary Slice locations found on the Lido Deck of Princess ships.

The new partnership adds to an impressive roster of celebrity collaborations that Princess Cruises has cultivated, showcasing its commitment to providing unparalleled culinary experiences. Other recent collaborations include:

• Dario Cecchini, the world’s most famous butcher
• Makoto Okuwa, renowned sushi master
• Rob Floyd, celebrity mixologist
• Romero Britto, world-renowned artist
• Gerard Bertrand, Master Winemaker
• Darren McGrady, former Royal Chef
• Tyra Banks, supermodel and businesswoman
• Rudi Sodamin, internationally-respected chef

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor, by calling 1-800-Princess (1-800-774-6237) or by visiting www.princess.com.

About Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is The Love Boat, the world’s most iconic cruise brand that delivers dream vacations to millions of guests every year in the most sought-after destinations on the largest ships that offer elite service personalization and simplicity customary of small, yacht-class ships. Well-appointed staterooms, world class dining, grand performances, award-winning casinos and entertainment, luxurious spas, imaginative experiences and boundless activities blend with exclusive Princess MedallionClass service to create meaningful connections and unforgettable moments in the most incredible settings in the world – the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL; NYSE:CUK).

SOURCE Princess Cruises

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Stoner’s Pizza Joint, a quick-service pizza franchise, announced today that it has signed 4 new franchisees. Two franchisees will be in Texas and two in Florida. The Texas franchisees anticipate opening locations in Killeen, San Marco, and San Antonio. The Florida franchisees will be opening locations in Bradenton, Fleming Island, Orange Park, and Jacksonville Beach. The 9 new locations are all expected to open in the next 12 months beginning in August 2024.

“We are thrilled to add 4 new franchisees to the Stoner’s family in our growing Texas and Florida markets,” said CEO and Owner, John Stetson. “We are getting interest from all over the country and look forward to adding new states and partners this year!”

Stoner’s Pizza Joint is a delivery and takeout focused concept featuring fresh, high-quality food prepared in-house daily with minimal production time, including proprietary recipes for the pizza dough, sauce, and cheese blend. Menu items include a variety of specialty pizzas, calzones, strombolis, hickory-smoked chicken wings made daily in-house, freshly prepared salads, and freshly baked desserts.

Stoner’s currently has 40 locations open in 6 states. The company has 15 locations in near term development and anticipates reaching 100 locations in the next 18 months.

About Stoner’s Pizza Joint
Founded in 2013, Stoner’s Pizza Joint launched its franchising program in late 2018 along with fresh new branding and a business model that has proven resilient to massive changes sweeping the food industry. For more information, visit https://www.stonerspizzajoint.com, or email us at info@stonerspizzajoint.com.

Stoner’s Pizza Joint is currently seeking qualified franchisees to help the brand grow nationwide in college town markets, with a focus on the Southeast region. Prospective franchisees should have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The ideal candidate is a proven, multi-unit operator in the restaurant industry and has a strong knowledge of their market. Stoner’s Pizza Joint’s Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) reveals an estimated initial investment range of $90,000 to $206,000 for the first location, including a franchise fee of $25,000.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Stoner’s Pizza Joint, contact the Stoner’s Pizza Joint Franchise Development team, at scott@stonerspizzajoint.com.

The post Stoner’s Pizza Joint Announces 4 New Franchisees in 2 States appeared first on Pizza Today.

What makes a “rising star?” To us, eager independent pizzeria owners who display a true dedication to their craft, are trending upward with sales and rapidly growing their business — while dutifully serving their community — fit the mold. There are many rising stars in this great industry from coast to coast. Here, we highlight a few that have really impressed us.

Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler, Owners & Chefs
at Miller Butler in San Pedro, CA

Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler

Ages: 37 and 47

Titles: Owners & Chefs

Pizza Concept name: Miller Butler

Location: San Pedro, CA

Instagram handle(s):
@millerbutler_sp
@chefjillananadine
@mrbutler_aka_doughboi

PT: What has been key to building up steam as a caterer and pop-up pizzeria, especially in the LA market?

JM: There are several key elements. The driving forces that come to mind are consistency, authenticity and a reverence for quality. Building a business from scratch on a shoestring budget definitely requires unwavering commitment. You have to keep going, no matter what, and that’s not always easy. As a mobile business, circumstances affecting our operations can change in the blink of an eye; it’s an unfixed variable. Therefore, our consistency becomes the stabilizing fixed variable. Weather is a significant factor—on many occasions, we have worked through windstorms that blew away even weighted tents, not to mention pizza boxes, signs, and literally whole pizzas. Rain presents another challenge. It’s tough, exhausting, but it cannot be defeating. Honoring the grit as part of the process is a helpful mindset.

Consistency is imperative, not just in showing up, but also in how you show up. We aim to create a welcoming space at every event, where both our customers and our team feel comfortable. This authenticity is important to us, and we believe people can feel that.

Being a mobile business also demands a certain level of DIY marketing and self-promotion. We’re not in a static location where people can just drive by. If we don’t actively share our location and activities, people won’t find us. Social media, especially Instagram, has been invaluable in communicating with our followers and sharing our journey.

Besides just showing up, the quality of our pizza is paramount. We strive to deliver our best work, which should continually evolve. We enjoy creating unique pizzas with unexpected flavor profiles, but our dough, especially with high-quality flour like Le 5 Stagioni, is probably the star of the show.

PT: You’ve gained notoriety for your culinary creativity. What are you aiming for with your pizza?

JM: First and foremost, quality and attention to detail are crucial, whether it’s a simple classic pepperoni or one of our latest inventive creations—it must be top shelf and memorable. Expressing culture through our food is important to us. The tradition of Italian pizza serves as a great vehicle for celebrating various cultures. We’ve created Jamaican jerk pizza, a variety of Mexican pizzas, Japanese-inspired pizzas, Vietnamese-inspired pizzas, and classic French concepts. Our goal is to create pizzas that are intriguing and exciting for the palate without compromising the integrity of classic techniques.

PT: Tell us about how the power of community has helped you grow your vision?

JM: Community is vital for all small businesses. We have both an opportunity and a responsibility to contribute positively to our surroundings. For us, the community has been not only important but also a fundamental part of our growth. We started by selling pizzas in front of our house in our neighborhood, which allowed us to really connect with the fabric of our community. In those early days, when few people knew about us, it was our customers who spread the word to friends and family. It was like a domino effect; the more traffic we got, the more reasons we had to show up powerfully, and the more new customers we met. The power of community really became undeniable last year when we did an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for a catering van. Not only did our community help us raise $25,000, but they also became very active in the fundraising process. Many other small businesses donated their time and resources, which is a testament to the collective strength of a strong small business network.

The positive response that we’ve had from our community continues to inspire us to give back. We make it a point to pour back into our surrounding neighborhoods and organizations. Last year we raised over $4,000 for the Boys and Girls Club with a pasta-making class that we donated to their fundraising raffle. At this time we are not able to donate in a monetary way, however donating our time and services to these types of raffles and auctions has been a great way to support important entities around us. We’ve been able to do such for our local skatepark, a local nature preserve, a local arts organization, etc

PT: What’s next for Miller Butler?

JM: Our next big goal is to establish an official production kitchen and a small storefront of our own. We’ve worked with a combination of temporary ghost kitchens and a cottage license. As the business grows, these arrangements are becoming more challenging. We’re doing a lot with limited resources and space. Succeeding despite these limitations requires intense sacrifices. It has gotten us this far; however, our growth isn’t sustainable without a home base. Establishing this space will allow us to expand our services, continue our pop-ups and catering, and create a consistent gathering place for our community to enjoy. We look forward to the opportunity to teach more workshops, run fun new menus, produce unique dining events, and, of course, make pizza.

Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola at Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi

Marisol Doyle

Age: 40

Title: Co-owner/Pizzaiola

Pizzeria name: Leña – Pizza + Bagels

Location: Cleveland, Mississippi

Instagram handle:
@lenapizzabagels @marisoldo

PT: What sparked your passion for pizza and bagels?

MD: I started with bagels back in 2016 when a friend of mine and I decided to make them for fun at the farmers market here in Cleveland, MS. It was a big success from the beginning, and we sold bagels every summer for five years. We even opened our own shop that lasted for a year, called Big River Bagels. It was a great introduction for me in terms of working with dough. I moved on to pizza in the summer of 2022. My husband and I went to Naples, Italy to take classes at Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and Scuola di Pizzaiolo. I fell in love with the process, and I really appreciated my instructors’ passion for teaching Neapolitan-style pizza with simple ingredients. This education was the deciding factor in opening up a small pizzeria and bagel shop in the Mississippi Delta.

PT: With 20 years in the restaurant industry, why now and why the Mississippi Delta to open your first restaurant?

MD: I’ve been in Cleveland since 2009, and through working in the restaurant business, I’ve met a lot of people and made great friends. We bought our first home here. Both my husband and I have a special connection with Cleveland and the Mississippi Delta because we have grown here personally and professionally. I never thought I would own a restaurant, but I believe Cleveland is the perfect place to try.

PT: Your menu changes weekly? What goes into your creativity? 

MD: We introduce a unique pizza special every week, a veggie option that changes from time to time, and five pizzas that always stay on the menu. Additionally, we offer a couple of salads, appetizers and desserts. Our customers really appreciate that we offer something different every week and that we try to make everything in-house. We draw inspiration from our travels, ingredients we enjoy and creative ideas on social media. My Mexican heritage also plays a big role in the specials. I often like to incorporate traditional Mexican ingredients to our pizzas. It usually takes us a day or two to come up with the perfect combination of ingredients. We test out the flavor combos to ensure our customers will like variety — and of course, we always want the end product to taste and look delicious.

PT: What’s something that you’ve learned in your first year of operation that has been indispensable to the business?

MD: The main thing is to be flexible. I started with a list of plans and learned that it’s okay to be open to different ideas and solutions. For example, I had a menu planned, but it just didn’t work out with how the flow of the dinner service panned out. We were able to make changes throughout the year to better fit our customers and improve our efficiency. I had to learn to be okay with changing plans on the fly to better the restaurant.

Carlos Estarita, Chef/Owner at Vice City Pizza in West Kendall (Miami, FL)

Carlos Estarita

Age: 31

Title: Chef/Owner

Pizzeria Name: Vice City Pizza

Location: West Kendall (Miami, FL)

Instagram Handle: Vice.city.pizza

PT: What makes a great pizza?

CE: What makes a great a pizza, to me at least, are the obvious things: the quality of the tomato, cheese and other ingredients. But when you really get into it, it’s all about the dough flavor and texture.

PT: What is the pizza scene like in Miami?

CE: Miami has grown an immense amount! It’s almost unreal to see the changes in the past decade. I’m not necessarily worried about making a name for myself, per se, since I’m more of a reserved family man. But more for the pizzeria, I think we’re doing that by just trying to make the best possible pizza that we’re capable of and becoming a neighborhood staple.

PT: What took you from fine dining to pizza?

CE: When the pandemic started, I was living in DC opening two restaurants with Zuma Group. Everything came to a stop, and I randomly wanted to start learning about dough, like most of the country, oddly enough. Eventually I came back home to Miami and didn’t really want to work in fine dining any longer — or work for anyone else — so I started my pop up and eventually partnered up with an old friend/local restaurateur, Jorgie Ramos.

PT: What else would you like to add?

CE: The pizza scene in Miami is insane right now! You have some amazing pizzerias here, places like Miami Slice, Square Pie City and Stanzione. I was fortunate enough to join this local “pizza movement” at the right time. My pizza experience is still fairly green, but I feel a lot of my overall fine dining experience and discipline has made the transition a bit easier. But Vice City Pizza has honestly been a dream come true. Getting to open my first restaurant in my old neighborhood where I grew up is amazing. Something we do a little different from most, or I guess other local pizzerias, is we have your classic pizzas, but we definitely push the edge with toppings. Sometimes it can definitely get “gimmicky,” but I don’t mind it as long as the guests enjoy them, and it also allows us to truly represent the Latin American flavors present in Miami. We do things like a Cuban Mojo Pork Pizza, the Colombiana, Birria, Al Pastor and thankfully Detroit style lends itself extremely well to pretty much anything you throw at it.

Thomas Gian Ardito, CEO at Brooklyn DOP in Brooklyn, NY

Thomas Gian Ardito

Age: 35

Title: CEO

Pizzeria name: Brooklyn DOP

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Instagram handle: @brooklyndop

PT: We hear you began as a pop-up. Tell us about that experience?

TA: As a gym owner during the pandemic, I essentially had three choices after we were forced to go into remote training (which cut revenue into one-fourth of what it had previously been): pay myself, pay my landlord, or pay my employees. I chose to pay my employees. After all, they were with me from the beginning and stuck with me through the pandemic. But I then had to figure out how I would pay my own bills. I always had been baking bread at home and was very much into the science of dough and used to even make pizza from 2004-2008 when I was 18-22. I had been experimenting since 2017 on applying bread techniques to pizza and discovered that basically this is what all the bleeding-edge places were doing, more or less, as well. In April 2020, I started putting pies for sale on my personal Instagram after constantly sharing pics of my experiments for months. It went from 12 pizzas on Friday from 5-9 p.m., to over 35 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Brooklyn DOP was born on 19th Street in Brooklyn and I had to upgrade my home oven with a custom made, ½-inch thick, 85-pound steel plate to adequately retain the heat to go pie after pie.

My cumpa, and now partner, Jason D’Amelio — who is also a passionate home cook and Financial Advisor by trade — decided he could use a pandemic distraction and joined me. We sat people on the porch and served wine, blasted Italian Hip Hop or Freestyle and expressed ourselves as people. I discovered something that really allowed me to be myself, connect with my roots and become an artistic expression while satisfying the scientific aspect that I always crave.

PT: What made you want to enter the pizza realm in Brooklyn, where there is no shortage of iconic pizzerias?

TA: I think a unique selling proposition is something every business needs. And, in Brooklyn, one would think pizza is not so unique. The proposition here becomes quality, reason, dedication and connecting people to what they love or remember about pizza. I always strove to make pizza as good as the pizza people remembered as kids. We remember things in an ideal way, and the strongest characteristics stick out in our minds.

The challenge becomes bringing those things into the present, and topping what we remember them as. The melty cheese and crispy, pleasantly chewy crust that crackles under your teeth … a bright tomato sauce with enough tang and sweetness to make you crave the next bite… I am confident I can compete based on that. Making pizza the old-fashioned way, with your heart.

PT: You’ve made a name for yourself and are standing out in the most competitive pizza crowd possible. How?

TA: When Brooklyn DOP began, I knew that even based on our name, we were declaring ourselves the NWO of the pizza game. Making a statement and consistently backing it up with a great product has allowed us to always be in the conversation. The hype was actually real. That being said, it is standing on the shoulders of giants that has given me the confidence to see that I can innovate and deliver. Mentors like Andrew Scudera, John Arena and many others who authored books I have read, have made this vision seem very possible to me from the beginning. The trick is in the “sprezzatura”, the art of making something very complicated look effortless. Behind the scenes, it is a very small staff of passionate and hard-working counter people, pizza makers and prep cooks who make Brooklyn DOP a competitor in this tough market.

Our customer base has followed us from an apartment doing sidewalk pickups week after week, telling their friends and family. These people now do the same for our pizzeria, and have stood with us through every experiment, mistake and success. This is a pandemic story of two native New Yorkers investing in this city and putting it on the line when other people had abandoned it. An outright refusal to succumb to circumstance and always keeping your eye open for an opportunity is something that our relatives instilled in us by emigrating to this country from Italy. They gave us an unfair advantage in that they showed us that all we need to do is remain prepared to act on our dreams. When preparation meets opportunity, success is inevitable. That is why their pictures adorn our walls. That is the essence of Brooklyn DOP and why we will continue to be in the Brooklyn Pizza Playoffs year after year, with the best of the best, proudly and gratefully.

Joseph Charles, Owner at Rock City Pizza in Boston, MA

Joseph Charles

Age: 35

Title: Owner

Pizzeria Name: Rock City Pizza

Location: Boston, Ma | Randolph, Ma

Instagram Handle: @Rockcitypizzza

PT: How did you survive the pandemic as you were a young pizzeria at the time?

JC: The pandemic was very hard for my business because we are located in a neighborhood that is surrounded by universities, and college students make up the majority of our population. That was only the beginning, though. A lot of catering went out the window and hasn’t come back with a lot of corporate employees not coming into the office anymore. We had to raise awareness that we were still open and that it was safe to come in. So, we began bringing pizzas to local hospitals and anywhere we could get access to people. We had a takeout window, so we gave customers the option to physically come in or just get takeout from the window. As far as inflation goes, just like everyone else we had to raise our prices. We did, however, switch up the menu slightly and offer smaller portions so it could reflect a less expensive price point.

PT: Tell us about your affiliation with the Boston Celtics? We found that very interesting.

JC: I received the Power Forward Grant from the Boston Celtics in 2022 and we have been working together on small things here and there. Through their partnership with VistaPrint a lot of opportunities have presented themselves, and it has done wonders for my business. I recently have been in a commercial with VistaPrint that ran throughout the NBA Playoffs, and it absolutely blew my business up!

PT: What other factors have led to your success in the pizza business?

JC: Advertising and marketing your authentic self are key. People know who I am and what to expect when they come into my places. (We serve) good quality, top-of-the-line products and dishes. Putting yourself out there so that people know you have something different to offer is important. Once your customers know, they will spread the word. You also have to be present. Whether that’s in the community, or in your store, people have to see that you’re involved.

PT: What can you tell us about your experience running a black-owned business?

JC: My experience leading a black-owned business has been one of many ups and downs. I don’t really like the classification of black owned. I own and run a pizza restaurant like everyone else. Yes, I happen to be black. 10 years ago, when I started Rock City Pizza no one knew it was black owned and no one called it a black-owned pizza shop. They just came to Rock City Pizza. There have been times when vendors or people would come looking for the owner and I would come out from my office and they would say: ‘We are looking for the owner, not the manager” and that’s the part I dislike. People don’t expect a black person like myself to own a pizza restaurant, and I ask why? I know the business is dominated by Europeans, but anyone can do anything they put their mind to. Rock City Pizza is on the rise, so ready or not here we come!

The post Rising Stars of the Pizzeria Industry 2024 appeared first on Pizza Today.

When I think summer, I think about a beautiful, bountiful garden. When I was a kid, my parents always had tomatoes, cucumbers and squash growing, and we would enjoy it for the whole season.

I channeled those memories making this pizza, an array of seasonally fresh produce and some beautiful bright flowers. I know a lot of you are probably thinking, “I would never put flowers on a pizza.” Well, I love it! They add so much to the experience.

Chris Decker, Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner Truly Pizza

We have a saying here at Truly Pizza that we want our pizza to look as good as it tastes, and taste as good as it looks. The flowers obviously add a pop of color, but on this pizza they also add a little tartness as well. That flavor tends to go well with the sweet squash, the creaminess of the goat cheese ricotta mixture and the salty freshness of the herby salsa verde. So, do yourself a favor and branch out. Enjoy what the seasons have to offer and make some beautiful pizzas.

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.

The post On Deck: Summer’s Bounty Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

I am thrilled to announce that the opening keynote speakers for the inaugural PizzaCon 2024 will be pizza luminaries Tony Gemignani and John Arena. This will be your only chance to hear these industry superstars and thought leaders who will have a lasting impact on the pizza industry throughout the world.

Tony Gemignani is a Master Pizzaioli, acclaimed chef, and owner of more than 30 restaurants and the fast-growing Slice House franchise. The 13-time World Pizza Champion has become a household name in the world of pizza, and he is considered by many as the Michael Jordan of our industry. He’s authored or co-authored three books — including his most recent book The Pizza Bible, which is a consumer guide to making pizza — covering nine different regional styles. His pizzeria, Tony’s Pizzeria Napoletana has been named America’s best pizzeria by USA Today, the Travel Channel and Forbes, and it was recently ranked number two in the United States and number 10 in the world by Italy’s “50 Top Pizzas”. Tony was the first American to win the title of World Champion Pizza Maker at the World Cup in Naples, Italy. He also holds two Guinness Book of World Records, one for creating the largest pizza and another for performing the most consecutive rolls of pizza dough across the back of his shoulders. If these weren’t enough accolades, the city of Naples named Tony as their official U.S. Ambassador for Neapolitan Pizza.

After 32 successful years, he’s now focusing most of his time and energy on growing his Slice House franchise. He’s had multi-units with Pizza Rock and concepts in North Beach, California, along with licenses in football and baseball stadiums, casinos and basketball arenas. Development, training, culture, philosophy and growing are going to be at the forefront of his next chapter in his life. His Slice House offers more than 20 pizza combinations that can come on any style of pizza, including Detroit, Grandma, New York, Sicilian and Gluten-free.

John Arena is a third-generation pizza chef that’s been pushing out pizza dough for more than 48 years, and is the co-owner and co-founder of Metro Pizza, along with his cousin Sam Facchini, with seven locations in Las Vegas. Metro Pizza has won countless local and national awards and acclaim, including being named one of the Top 10 pizzerias in the U.S. by Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby in their book “Everybody Loves Pizza.” Metro Pizza has been featured on “Entertainment Tonight” and “Live with Regis and Kathy Lee,” and listed as one of the 10 best pizzerias in America by USA Today. John Arena has been called the Don of Dough, the Sultan of Sauce, and the Prince of Pizza by the Las Vegas Review Journal. He’s also a worldwide ambassador and elder statesman for the pizza industry.

John has traveled extensively throughout Italy and the world and has mastered many styles of pizza along the way. He also knows the history of pizza and has taught pizza making at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as trained pizza makers throughout the United States and the world. John has a great saying that is a testament to who he is and what he stands for: collaborators, not competitors, enough said.

For more information on attending PizzaCon 2024, please visit PizzaCon.com.

It’s all pizza and it’s all for YOU!

Kind regards,

Bill Oakley

Group Show Director

The post Tony Gemignani and John Arena Are Coming to PizzaCon 2024! appeared first on Pizza Today.

Story of Chicken Wings History — No Thing But a Chicken Wing

Once upon a time, chicken wings were inexpensive due to the nature of supply and demand in American restaurants. According to legend, this part of the chicken was “undesirable” — and when restaurants did use wings it was mostly to create stock for soup.

Can you believe people used to discard them? Talk about fowl!

Then a light bulb went off in Buffalo, New York. The “aha” moment reportedly was had by Teresa Bellissimo, co-owner of an establishment called the Anchor Bar. Rumor has it she needed to come up with some late-night food quickly on the spot and had plenty of wings sitting around in the kitchen because, you know, no one cared for them in 1964. She deep-fried them, tossed them in a spicy cayenne pepper sauce and the rest is history.

If you believe that version of history. There are several other claims as well. At the end of the day, in your pizzeria in 2024, does it matter who created the Buffalo wing? Not really. What does matter, however, is that they remain wildly popular as an appetizer or entrée. And if you were in business before and during COVID, then you know a thing or two about the price fluctuations and supply chain issues the pandemic brought to an item that once was no more than an afterthought.

(For what it’s worth, in 1977 the City of Buffalo recognized Bellissimo and the Anchor Bar for putting Buffalo wings on the map nationally).

What happened over the next 60 years with wings?

An impressive explosion of popularity. They’ve become a de facto official food of parties and sporting events, right along with pizza. Can you imagine a Super Bowl viewing without both pizza and wings?

Using my family of four as not-so-scientific proof on the micro level, Friday night is “Pizza and Wings Night” in the White House. We call our favorite local indie pizzeria (actually, we order online if you’re keeping track at home) and our order rarely changes: wings, breadsticks and two large pizzas (the toppings do vary based on mood). The pizzeria can count on that order from me like clockwork every Friday around 6:45 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. pickup.

Obviously, I’m not the only consumer infatuated with wings. In fact, Americans consume nearly 1.5 billion pounds of wings during the Super Bowl weekend alone, according to the National Chicken Council.

That’s just one weekend of the year!

According to Datassential, 76 percent of all restaurants in the United States offer chicken wings on their menu. And the National Chicken Council says 37 percent of Americans say wings, not pizza, is their favorite game-day food.

With demand surging and supply getting cramped during the pandemic, restaurateurs and diners alike felt the sting. From 2011 to 2021, wholesale wing prices spiked from $1.50 per pound to over $3 per pound. That’s according to the National Chicken Council, which also says demand for the product hasn’t just risen domestically, but globally.

Thankfully, the shortage is over. On February 10, 2023, the Buffalo News published a piece where the headline said it all: “The Great Chicken Wing Shortage has ended. The Great Chicken Wing price spike has not.”

Rising prices are here to stay, which is why operators must constantly evaluate costs and price their menus accordingly. What should not change, however, is your dedication to having wings on the menu — because consumers want them in a big way.

Wings are a dual-threat menu item — they can be a starter or the main course.

And there are many ways to prepare and serve them. Don’t have a fryer? No problem! Baked, grilled, smoked … you get the point. Serve them with a dry rub, a classic Buffalo sauce or with a BBQ sauce to keep it simple. Don’t limit your creativity, however. Over the years a wide array of flavors and sauces ranging from Thai Peanut to Garlic Parmesan to Raspberry Habanero have become popular. Much like an open pizza skin waiting to be dressed, think of the humble wing as a blank canvas and do with it as you wish.

2 of the Best Chicken Wing Recipes

If you need a little inspiration to get started, here are two of my favorites.

Bluegrass Bourbon Wings

Get the Bluegrass Bourbon Wings Recipe.

Raspberry Habanero Wings

Get the Raspberry Habanero Wings recipe.

JEREMY WHITE is Editor-In-Chief at Pizza Today.

The post Chicken Wings Remain One of the Hottest Appetizers in your Portfolio appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Look at Summer Tomato Varieties, Prep and Recipes

Harvesting fruitful tomato rewards from a seedy past

In 1521, Hernan Cortez looked upon the smoldering destruction of Tenochtitlan. His 1400 Spanish troops reinforced by 200,000 native tribes had finally succeeded in conquering these fierce Aztec enemies who had also been decimated by months of a smallpox epidemic. Before the battle, conquistador Bernal Diaz noted that he warned that the Aztec warriors “… wished to kill us and eat our flesh and had already prepared the pots with salt, peppers, and xitomatl,” the Aztec term for tomatoes. Nearby, the Franciscan Friar Bernardo di Sahagun noted that as the sacking of the city continued into the market, he remembered seeing an amazing number of tomatoes there. “Some xitomatl were small like cherries, others elongated, round or large with colors ranging from the deepest red to yellow.”  The Aztecs, he noted later, used tomatoes in juices and sauces, or mixed with chilies, avocados, beans, squash and even bird excrement. Cortez and his conquistadors were not captured or eaten but they did bring to Spain new foods like potatoes, turkey, squash and beans, as well as the fruit and seed of the tomato.

Summer Tomato Varieties — Pulp Friction

Hernan Cortez, despite his genocidal tendencies, never knew the breadth of the positive culinary impact his actions brought to the world. Yet even today many chefs and pizza makers do not realize the impact that tomatoes have on their business and for their customers. In some pizzerias, tomatoes are on every pizza and still these pizza makers’ only relationship to the tomato seems to be their use of a #1 can opener to crack open a #10 can of tomato sauce. Others try to save by buying the cheapest sauces and topping pizzas with waxy, unflavored, corporate Romas even in the summer. We all must know that customers today are more knowledgeable than ever and that fresh, local and in-season means flavor. Here are three tomato categories that can be found from mid-summer to fall to wow your customers with.

Heirloom tomatoes:

These are tomatoes that have been handed down from generation to generation and, as a rule, date back more than 50 years. Heirloom doesn’t mean they have better flavor. Mr. Stipey, on the other hand, is a tasty large yellow with red stripes and is sweet and juicy. Cherokee Purple is packed with umami and a deep, smokey and complex flavor. German Pinks are huge and meaty and, if sliced thin atop a pizza, the outcome is dramatic. Black Krims are from Russia with wonderfully dark, smokey flavor.

Cherry Tomatoes:

These come on in abundance in mid-summer and are closer to their wild ancestors than any other. Cherries pack all the intense sweet flavor from a large tomato and compact it into a tomato the size of large marble. Many people consider the Sungold the best tasting variety with its great balance of acidity and sweetness. The Yellow Pear tomato is one of the oldest varieties and only an inch long, but its tapered top has a pleasant look, and a mild sweetness. The Italian Piennolo del Vesuvio is an amazing variety with low water content and thick skin perfect for hanging. This aging transforms this tomatoes’ sweet and tart flesh into a greater concentrated flavor bomb.

Toybox Tomatoes:

These range up to 3 inches. Perfect for stuffing or wedge cutting. I love the Green Zebra for its mildly acidic citrus flavor, but the larger Evergreen has more firm flesh and is sweeter. The Black Zebra has a complex flavor and a high flesh to seed ratio with cool greenish skin but deep red interior. The most popular toybox in France these days is the Cosmonaut Volkov, an unbelievably delicious toybox perfect for topping pizzas with.

There are many other tomatoes in the Plum tomato family like the San Marzano, Olivade, and Roma families. The Beefsteak family has the massive pink. Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine, and Yellow Brandywine, the deeply ribbed Costoluto Genovese is known for its concentrated flavor perfect for sauces.

How to Prepare your Summer Tomatoes — Gimme Some Skin

Preparing in-season tomatoes in your pizzeria produces epic flavors and is a shocking presentation when you know how to match your platform, cheeses and toppings with this lovely fruit. Here are many ways to make fresh tomatoes in your restaurant.

Slicing:

Because tomatoes are very juicy, you will sometimes need to tilt your cutting board with a wet, folded kitchen towel on a large sheet pan after you have sliced them. This will enable the juices to escape and thus ensure that the top of any pizza will not be too watery. Sprinkling a small amount of salt on the fruit will leach more tomato water out also.

Skinning:

Some tomatoes have very thick skins that can burn on pizzas or curl into a leathery annoyance. It is easy to cut an X in the bottom of tomatoes and plunge them into boiling water for just five seconds or less for smaller ones, then plunge them into an ice bath. Most skins come right off this way. Once the skin is off, it is fair game for smoking, coring and making tomato concasse (the French term for small dice).

Oven Drying:

A wonderful way to increase the intensity of flavor is to quarter tomatoes and toss with extra-virgin olive oil and dried herbs. Do not use salt because it will draw too much juice out. Place on parchment in a 200 F to 250 F oven for up to two hours depending upon the type of tomato and how you wish to use them. Sometimes the tomatoes can become too leathery to use on any pizza, so a half-drying bake is preferable.

A Summer Tomato Pizza Recipe — Big Red Triple Tomato Pizza with Pancetta and Brie

I have always loved tomatoes and cured pork, the fresh sweet acidity is a great foil to the salty, crisp and oily pancetta. The cream sauce and just enough mozzarella for a good pull lies under the pancetta. The fig leaf and lemon in the tomato honey imparts a bright vanilla and coconut nuance which embraces the brie slice perfectly and the tomato crisps add an exciting finale to each bite. This pizza is all in the prep. Once that is done, it is incredibly fast to make. Just make sure the pizza cools or the brie will melt into butter.

Get the Big Red Triple Tomato Pizza with Pancetta and Brie Recipe.

JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post Killer Summer Tomatoes — Varieties and Ways to Make Them appeared first on Pizza Today.

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI. – Since 1978, Jet’s Pizza has been crafting Detroit-Style Pizza. Now, nearly 46 years later, they are still using the same core ingredients and refusing to compromise on quality.

To celebrate National Detroit-Style Pizza Day, on Sunday, June 23, Jet’s Pizza is offering 20% off all menu-priced pizzas for online orders. Use code DSP24. This offer is available for both pick-up and delivery.

Photo Credit: Pizza Hut

Jet’s Pizza is proud to make our dough fresh in store every single morning, hand grate our cheese, and hand chop our veggies. Jet’s Detroit-Style Pizza has a light airy center, loaded with toppings, surrounded by caramelized cheese and a crispy, golden crust that is baked to perfection.

“We’ve always had a passion for our Detroit-Style Pizza and in recent years it’s been exciting to see areas outside of Michigan craving our style of pizza,” said John Jetts, President and CEO of Jet’s America, Inc. “We love a reason to celebrate Detroit and Detroit-Style Pizza, so we look forward to offering a special deal for customers to join in on that celebration.”

For a menu and store hours, go to jetspizza.com.

About Jet’s Pizza

Jet’s Pizza® is based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It was founded as Jetts Party Shoppe and Pizzeria in 1978 by brothers, John and Eugene Jetts. Since then, it has now grown to over 430 stores in 22 states. Jet’s Pizza® is known for its Detroit-style, deep-dish pizzas, and fresh, high-quality ingredients. Every morning the dough is prepared by hand, premium mozzarella is grated, vegetables are hand-cut, and sauce is made with fresh vine-ripened tomatoes mixed with Jet’s proprietary spice and herb blend.

The post Jet’s Pizza® Celebrating National Detroit-Style Pizza Day appeared first on Pizza Today.

PLANO, Texas, June 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today Pizza Hut® announces its latest modern menu innovation, Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza, alongside a toppings transformation, marking the biggest toppings menu overhaul in over a decade. Pizza Hut is the first global pizza chain to offer a Tavern Pizza, in addition to being the first global QSR pizza brand to offer Chicken Sausage, Pesto Swirl and Spicy Sauce as permanent topping offerings. With Rachel Antalek, Pizza Hut’s new Chief Food Innovation Officer, at the helm, the brand is ushering in a fresh era at Pizza Hut with the addition of this new thin-crust style and pizza toppings, which all debut on menus nationwide today. *

The origins of the tavern-style pizza¹ date back to Chicago in the 1930’s and became a staple within taverns with bartenders serving up the thin-crust pizza style cut into squares, often for free, in an enticing effort to keep patrons staying longer. In recent years, the style has grown in popularity as a favorite amongst pizza enthusiasts of all generations who gravitate towards its square-cut, crispy thin-crust style that makes it a shareable and snackable pizza offering. What’s more, the cracker-thin crust is then loaded from edge to edge with delicious toppings, so a burst of abundant flavor is enjoyed in every single bite of the pizza. Pizza Hut’s take on the tavern-style pizza offers a trendsetting, modern experience that delivers a deliciously crispy bite with its thin-crust and innovative, contemporary flavors available in four recipes: Pesto Margherita, The Ultimate, Spicy Chicken Sausage, and Double Pepperoni.

“These menu additions represent a bold step forward as part of our culinary mission to bring our guests modern innovation that embraces what we know our customers are loving and looking for in a pizza. Tavern is not just a pizza; it is a culinary trend that reflects the excitement of today’s pizza scene,” says Rachel Antalek, Chief Food Innovation Officer at Pizza Hut. “We perfected these recipes to truly pay homage to Chicago and the hundred-year-old style in a modern way while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a pizza with fresh new toppings and flavors.”

As part of this launch, the brand unveils its biggest toppings transformation in over a decade with 8 new bold, fresh toppings and sauces joining menus nationwide as permanent additions. These 8 additions include Spicy Marinara Sauce, Pesto Sauce Swirl, Chicken Sausage, Fresh Diced Garlic, Grape Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, Fire Roasted Peppers and Crispy Cupped Pepperoni. Customers can enjoy these new additions found on the four new Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza recipes or select them as toppings on custom Pizza Hut pizza orders. **

• Pesto Margherita Tavern Pizza: A combo of sweet marinara, grape tomatoes, garlic and basil pesto topped to the edge and served square-cut on Thin ‘N Crispy crust & sprinkled with parmesan-oregano seasoning.
• The Ultimate Tavern Pizza: A square-cut Thin ‘N Crispy crust topped to the edge with sausage, pepperoni, fire roasted peppers, onions, grape tomatoes & parmesan-oregano seasoning.
• Spicy Chicken Sausage Tavern Pizza: A square-cut Thin ‘N Crispy crust topped to the edge with spicy marinara, chicken sausage, fire roasted peppers, caramelized onions & parmesan-oregano seasoning.
• Double Pepperoni Tavern Pizza: A combo of sweet marinara, classic pepperoni & crispy cupped pepperoni topped to the edge and comes square-cut on Thin ‘N Crispy crust & sprinkled with parmesan-oregano seasoning.

The 4 new Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza recipes or a create your own 1-topping Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza can be ordered at participating Pizza Hut restaurants nationwide starting at $12.00* for a large pizza. For more information and to find your closest Pizza Hut location, visit www.pizzahut.com.

* Pricing, Participation, & Availability Varies. Additional charge for extra toppings and cheese. Priced higher in some locations, including California.

** New recipes not available on Big New Yorker or Gluten Free Crusts.

About Pizza Hut^®
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas and since then has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the creation of icons like Original® Pan and Original® Stuffed Crust pizzas. In 1994, Pizza Hut pizza was the very first online food order. Today, Pizza Hut continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital orders. Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut Rewards®, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order. Hut Rewards is open to U.S. residents 18+. See applicable terms at https://hutrewards.pizzahut.com/terms/.  A global leader in the pizza category, Pizza Hut operates more than 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Through its enormous presence, Pizza Hut works to unlock opportunity for its team members and communities around the world.

For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up to date on what’s happening at Pizza Hut by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

¹ Historians.org: https:/www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/november-2018/deeper-than-deep-dish-the-case-for-chicago-as-americas-pizza-capital

The post Pizza Hut® Unveils New Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza and Toppings Transformation with Biggest Toppings Menu Overhaul in Over a Decade appeared first on Pizza Today.

The Smokehouse Pizza from Arizona-based Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew House is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew Pub with two locations in Scottsdale and Chandler, Arizona and its Smokehouse Pizza. We selected this pizza for its great combination of smoked sausage, onions and mushrooms. We like that Craft 64 didn’t just use the basic topping by themselves. They were house smoked or wine braised. It’s the little extra that really makes this pizza stand out.

A little more Craft 64 from the pizzeria: This is our Smokehouse Pizza, made with house smoked sausage and onions as well as our own mozzarella and dough plus Parmigiano Reggiano, wine braised crimini mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil and rosemary.

We are Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew Pub in Arizona and have two locations in Scottsdale and Chandler AZ.  We make everything from scratch including our own mozzarella, dough, sauces etc. and do not own a freezer or microwave.  We have been honored in winning a 50 Top Pizzeria award three years running now, last year placing #30 in the country!

Learn more at https://www.craft64.com/.

Follow Craft on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/craft64scottsdale/ and https://www.instagram.com/craft64chandler/.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew Pub, Scottsdale, Chandler, Arizona appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Q&A with Hillary Lake, co-owner of Hillary’s Chicago Pizza, in St. Augustine, Florida

Concept:

We do Chicago pizza in Florida! I moved to Florida in 2018 to take care of my dad who had Parkinson’s and we decided to stay after he passed. We started making deep dish pizzas during the pandemic because we missed our Chicago pizzas. I posted my pizza on my catering Facebook page and people asked how they could get them. I said, “I can sell them to you!” And we snowballed from there. We partnered with breweries and tap rooms and did pop ups, then farmer’s markets, selling parbaked pizzas. We outgrew our commissary kitchen and found a space that was turnkey and took it over! We now have a brick and mortar with 24 taps of craft beer and wine, dine in and take out. We evolved and do our deep dish, thin crust and some Chicago Italian beef sandwiches.

Pizza Style & Dough:

We use a cornmeal, flour and butter dough. We use the same dough for both styles of pizza. We cold bulk ferment for 24-72 hours and find the sweet spot at 48-72.

Why pizza?

I love pizza and I come from a pizza city. I can eat all the pizza. Pizza was a pandemic accident and purely because Florida has limited Chicago-style pizzerias.

You have described it as a roller coaster pizza journey. What has helped you get to this point?

We had and have amazing support here in Northeast Florida, and buying a restaurant was not on our to-do list. We had a restaurant in Chicago and thought we were done with that journey. I applied to grad school during the pandemic and I worked at a school for special education and my husband worked in insurance. The pizza thing would not go away though. Things magically lined up over and over from pop ups to farmers markets to our funding for the brick and mortar. The location was very serendipitous. The people that told us about our first farmer’s market are the same people who told us about the available kitchen in St. Augustine.

You have a great bar program. How are you able to showcase it?

We do have 24 taps of craft beer. We love to showcase independent breweries from Florida and Illinois and rotate in some of the fan favorites from all over. We like to keep it interesting and the taps are always changing. We are a local small business and love to support local and small businesses with our beer choices.

The post Conversation: Hillary Lake, Hillary’s Chicago Pizza, St. Augustine, Florida appeared first on Pizza Today.

NFL prizes include an ultimate NFL Fantasy Football Experience and once-in-a-lifetime kickoff prize

DETROIT, MICH. – Little Caesars, home of HOT-N-READY pizza and sides, is excited to announce two exclusive NFL prizes as a part of Little Caesars Summer of HOT-N-READY Giveaways & Getaways. This nationwide celebration marks the 20th anniversary of Little Caesars’ iconic HOT-N-READY range of products and invites pizza lovers across America to participate in a thrilling summer-long giveaway.  To enter, simply stop in and purchase and HOT-N-READY pizza or side at a Little Caesars location and scan the QR code displayed in the store or visit SummerSweeps.LittleCaesars.com to upload your in-store receipt**.

Little Caesars HOT-N-READY pizzas have revolutionized the way families enjoy pizza with quick, affordable, and delicious offerings. As Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, Little Caesars is awarding extraordinary prizes in partnership with the NFL that football fans won’t want to miss.

The partnership between Little Caesars and the NFL perfectly embodies the spirit of celebration and community. As the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, Little Caesars aligns its brand with one of the most beloved sports leagues in the United States, leveraging this collaboration to enhance the consumer experience during the significant milestone of 20 years of HOT-N-READY products. The selected prizes in the Summer of HOT-N-READY campaign are meticulously crafted to reflect the essence of both football culture and Little Caesars commitment to quality and convenience.

Ultimate NFL Fantasy Football Experience
This prize winner will enjoy an exclusive NFL Fantasy Football Experience, including:

• VIP Event Access: An unforgettable event at the Levi’s Stadium Innovation Center, renowned for its state-of-the-art facilities and immersive football atmosphere.
• Meet and Greet with George Kittle: A special appearance by NFL superstar George Kittle, providing fans with an up-close and personal experience with one of the league’s most dynamic tight ends.
• All-Inclusive Travel: Round-trip coach airfare, ground transportation between the hotel and stadium, and two nights’ accommodation in a standard hotel (double occupancy).

NFL Kickoff Experience
This prize winner will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime kickoff experience including:

• Game Tickets: Winners can choose tickets to the first regular season home game of their favorite NFL team.
• Exclusive Prize Pack: A summer-themed prize pack filled with tailgating essentials, including tailgate chairs, a Bluetooth speaker, and a cooler backpack.
• Covered Hospitality Fees: Ensuring a seamless and enjoyable experience.

Get ready to heat up your summer with Little Caesars’ Summer of HOT-N-READY Giveaways & Getaways! Stay in the loop on all the latest and greatest giveaways and promotions by visiting SummerSweeps.LittleCaesars.com or following Little Caesars on social.

** NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the 50 US and DC, who are 18 years of age or older and age of majority, as of date of entry. Begins 10:00 a.m. ET on 5/27/24 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET on 9/1/24. For complete Official Rules, eligibility and entry periods, including how to enter without a purchase, visit summersweeps.littlecaesars.com. Sponsor: Little Caesars Enterprises Inc. ©2024 LCE, Inc. CR0023736.

About Little Caesars®

Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, it is the third-largest pizza chain in the world, with restaurants in each of the 50 U.S. states and 28 countries and territories. 

Known for its HOT-N-READY® pizza and famed Crazy Bread®, Little Caesars uses quality ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese and sauce made from fresh-packed, vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes. The brand is known for innovation and is home of the exclusive Pizza Portal® pickup, a heated, self-service mobile order pickup station. Little Caesars is also the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League. 

An exceptionally high-growth company with over 65 years of experience in the $145 billion worldwide pizza industry, Little Caesars is continually looking for franchisee candidates to join the team in markets around the world. In addition to providing the opportunity for entrepreneurial independence in a franchise system, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar.  Little Caesars is proud to be part of the Ilitch Companies family of businesses.   

The post NFL and Little Caesars® Announce Ultimate Football Fan Prizes for Summer of Hot-N-Ready® Giveaways & Getaways appeared first on Pizza Today.

Chip Myles of Myles’ Pizza Pub in Greenville, South Carolina, on The Hot Slice Podcast

This week on The Hot Slice Podcast is Chip Myles. His passion for the pizza business and his customers radiates through this episode. 

Chip Myles opened Myles’ Pizza Pub in 1978 in Bowling Green, Ohio. The pizza pub’s family business hospitality, unique style of pizza, and late-night hours earned a loyal fanbase among the Bowling Green community and beyond in Ohio, leaving a lasting legacy behind when they closed in 2016. The Myles family moved to Greenville, SC, where they re-opened Myles’ Pizza Pub in 2019.  

Chip, now in his 70s, still mans the kitchen every day the pub is open and serves as keeper of the secret sauce. Though Chip shares restaurant owner responsibilities with his wife Bridget and daughter Meredith, he remains the sole keeper of the secret sauce. The new pub gets visitors from their Bowling Green era almost every day, and ships their pizzas nationwide for those who can’t make the trip. 

Listen to more on: 

• Closing the Bowling Green, OH restaurant 

• Opening in Greenville, SC, and the notable differences 

• Being a hands-on operator 

• Why retirement wasn’t for Chip 

• Handing over the reins to your daughter 

• What’s next? 

Learn more about Myles’ Pizza Pub. 

Thank you to our sponsors

The post 210. Not Ready for Retirement with Chip Myles appeared first on Pizza Today.

Korean Corn Cheese Pizza from Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria in Provo, Utah is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria with locations in Provo and Orem, Utah and its Korean Corn Cheese Pizza. We selected this pizza for its balanced flavor profile that features one of highlights of the summer harvest, sweet corn. We noticed an uptick in pizzas featuring sweet corn last year and that number has only increased.

What’s on the featured pizza?

Our Korean Corn Cheese Pizza is made with our creamy Alfredo base and topped with mozzarella, tangy peppers, and sweet corn kernels. We finished it off with our house-made Korean Mayo and fresh, chopped green onions.

Who created it?

Our owner operator, Janine!

How’d you come up with the pizza?

Janine collaborated with @yummysbbqsushi who inspired her to pursue this pizza! She recipe tested multiple times until she perfected the perfect Korean corn cheese flavor in a pizza!

What’s been the response from customers?

Positive! One Korean customer has said that this tastes just like a pizza you’d have from Korea. Others have commented on the way the house-made Mayo unexpectedly tastes very good on pizza! 🍕

Learn more about Fat Daddy’s at https://fatdaddyspizzeria.com/.

Follow the pizzeria on Instagram @fatdaddyspizzeria.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website. Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

Past Pizza of the Week Features:

Pizza of the Week: The Root Veggie, Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza, Muskegon, Michigan

Pizza of the Week: The 522 Pizza, Izzy’s Pizza, Omaha, NE

The post Pizza of the Week: Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria, Provo, Utah appeared first on Pizza Today.

Famed pizzeria opens second Iowa franchise location at West Glen Town Center on June 7

Award-winning Brooklyn style pizzeria, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, is thrilled to announce that its franchisee, Doughtime Pizza Company, will open its second Iowa location on June 7 in West Des Moines. Located at 5485 Mills Civic Pkwy, the West Glen Town Center location is the second opening by Doughtime, joining its Ankeny location that opened in January 2024.  The West Des Moines location is the second of five planned Iowa locations in a multi-unit franchise development agreement between Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Doughtime.

The West Des Moines restaurant features Grimaldi’s signature, classic New York décor, including red and white checkered tablecloths, black and white photos of iconic New York landmarks and handcrafted wine bottle chandeliers. Guests can enjoy 6,695 square feet inside and a 1,000 square foot patio for outdoor dining, for a total capacity of 245 guests.  The restaurant features a second story private dining room that can hold up to 60 guests and overlooks the main dining room. Grimaldi’s West Des Moines location offers late night dining until midnight on the weekends.

“After receiving a warm welcome in Iowa with the Ankeny opening, we could not be more thrilled to support the Doughtime Pizza Company team in opening their second location in West Des Moines,” said Grimaldi’s Pizzeria COO, Michael Flaum. “Their commitment to engaging dining experiences and proven success in the Des Moines market perfectly complements Grimaldi’s dedication to authentic pizza-making techniques and superior guest experience. We are looking forward to seeing their continued growth in the Hawkeye State.”

“We are proud members of the West Des Moines community and we knew that Grimaldi’s would be a perfect fit for this vibrant area,” said Tom Baldwin, managing partner and owner/operator of Doughtime Pizza Company. “We are so honored to work with Grimaldi’s and the team at West Glen Town Center to bring Brooklyn style pizza to West Des Moines and cannot wait to share it with locals and visitors alike.”

Pizza lovers in West Des Moines will enjoy Grimaldi’s coal fired brick-oven pizza and calzones – made with a secret recipe dough, fresh sliced mozzarella cheese, and techniques dating back more than 100 years in Brooklyn – along with salads, starters, and desserts. Grimaldi’s will also offer a full bar program of handcrafted cocktails, premium and local craft beers, and a diverse wine list, including Grimaldi’s own bottlings of Mille Gradi wines.

Guests who prefer to enjoy the Grimaldi’s experience in the comfort of their own home can place orders for carry-out or delivery from the West Des Moines, IA location via the grimaldispizzeria.com website, or delivery orders via DoorDash, GrubHub and UberEats. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Rewards members will earn points with every order however they chose to experience Grimaldi’s, including via dine-in, phone, mobile app and the Grimaldi’s website. The West Glen Town Center restaurant will be open Sunday – Thursday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

About Grimaldi’s Pizzeria:

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria serves traditional coal brick-oven pizza using pizza-making traditions originating in Brooklyn over 100 years ago.  Using only the freshest ingredients, pizzas are prepared in the brand’s signature coal fired brick-ovens, which deliver an authentic taste that cannot be achieved with gas, convection, or wood burning ovens. Its family-friendly, casual yet upscale New York-themed restaurants have become a favorite destination in every community in which they serve. It is Grimaldi’s passion for pizza that has made it a “must eat” for pizza lovers everywhere.

For more information on Grimaldi’s Pizzeria visit www.grimaldispizzeria.com. “Like” Grimaldi’s Pizzeria on Facebook here, follow Grimaldi’s Pizzeria on Instagram here and follow Grimaldi’s Pizzeria on Twitter here.

The post Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Opening in West Des Moines appeared first on Pizza Today.

Corey Watson, founder of Pizza for Ukraine on The Hot Slice Podcast

This week, we talk with Corey Watson, founder of Pizza for Ukraine. Pizza for Ukraine’s mission is to Make Pizza, Not War. We make Neapolitan pizza is made for Ukrainians affected by the trauma of war. Whether they are displaced, orphaned, wounded, responding to emergencies, or fighting for freedom, hope is served one pizza at a time.

Corey joined us via Zoom from Kyiv, Ukraine to talk about his Pizza for Ukraine nonprofit and his push for pizza as a humanitarian food. In release from Pizza for Ukraine, Corey shares:

Pizza for Ukraine was founded by \Watson, who was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where he studied Political Science at Portland State University, with a focus on National Security, Authoritarianism, and Democracy Promotion. After university he worked as a software engineer before pursuing his passion for pizza in Naples, Italy. There, he trained as a pizzaiolo at the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN). Before Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he planned to work at an AVPN pizzeria. Instead, he made his way to Poland on April 25th, 2022 to volunteer with World Central Kitchen on the Ukrainian border in Przemsyl, Poland. There he helped cook and serve hundreds of thousands of portions of food for Ukrainian refugees. Then on June 20th, 2022 he moved to Lviv, Ukraine to volunteer indefinitely and start Pizza for Ukraine. The broad mission of Pizza for Ukraine is to “Make Pizza, Not War”. While Ukrainian forces are fighting back against Russia, Pizza for Ukraine will support the cause by making Neapolitan pizza for Ukrainians who are displaced, orphaned, wounded, responding to emergencies, and fighting for freedom. Believing pizza to be humanity’s favorite food, it can provide a source of nourishment and hope, but also as a bridge to connect the world and act as a communal lens to discover support at an inspirational level beyond other forms of aid.

Now based in Kharkiv, Ukraine, a frontline city less than 20-miles from the Russian border that’s under constant attack, Pizza for Ukraine begins its new mission to open a pizza school in Kharkiv. Such a school will invest in the local economy by providing Ukrainians new professional skills to start new businesses, provide children an uplifting experience, youth a feeling of empowerment, soldiers to receive psychological therapy, and volunteers to take part in pizza deployments to villages along the frontlines. Pizzaiolos from around the world are invited to teach at this school in-person or remotely via a video-link. Its first masterclass will be on June 10th, in collaboration with the Swiss charity HEKS/EPER, to provide Ukrainian female youth empowerment and opportunities to become future pizzaiolas. On June 15th and 16th they’ll be welcomed to volunteer at the Vintage Buro Charity Market as Pizza for Ukraine makes and sells pizzas to fundraise for the Ukrainian military.

Pizza for Ukraine has been supported by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the guardians of the Neapolitan pizza tradition based in Naples, Italy. Mobile pizza ovens donated by Ooni, pizza flour from Caputo, tomatoes from Ciao, dough mixer from Sunmix, pizza making tools from Gi Metal and Cambro, and donations from private individuals through its website: https://pizzaforukraine.org

Thank you to our sponsors

The post 209. Pizza For Ukraine with Corey Watson appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizza Margherita Day honors Queen Margherita designation on June 11, 1889

June 11 is the anniversary of the naming of the Pizza Margherita. in a letter from the Italian “Department of the Mouth” on behalf of Queen Margherita on June 11, 1889, presented the pie that bears her name. That’s right, the margherita pizza is well over 135 years old.

As our Editor In Chief Jeremy White told the story, it goes… “In 1889, when King Umberto I made a visit to Naples. At his side was Queen Margherita, who immediately wanted to try this food she had heard so much about. The story goes that, of course, the queen wasn’t going to a humble pizzeria, so the pizza was brought to the palazzo where the royal couple was staying (probably the first record of a pizza delivery). The pizza was delivered by Raffaele Esposito, owner of the famous pizzeria Pietro il Pizzaiolo. Esposito went with his wife, Donna Rosa, who was, in fact, the pizza maker. They brought enough ingredients to make three kinds of pizza, and after sampling all three, Queen Margherita selected as her favorite the pizza made with tomatoes, fresh bufala mozzarella and fresh basil.” Learn more about this quintessential pizza classic in Pizza Margherita.

 

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What is a Pizza Margherita?

If ever there was a pizza that is considered timeless, it is a Pizza Margherita. A traditional Neapolitan margherita pizza’s toppings consist of crushed fresh or canned San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil. It is perfection in its simplicity. While many associate a margherita pizza with Neapolitan pizza, as we’ve traveled the country with Pizza Today, we’ve witness margherita pizza on the pizza menu of every popular pizza style in America from Detroit and Grandma to standard American and Tavern.

Click here to get a great Pizza Margherita recipe.

To explore more pizza recipes from PizzaToday.com, click here.

The post Happy Pizza Margherita Day — June 11 appeared first on Pizza Today.

The Root Veggie Pizza from Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza, Muskegon, Michigan is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza, in Muskegon, Michigan and its Root Veggie Pizza. We picked this pie for its unique combination of flavors and the mingling of the last of the cold-weather produce with the burst of fresh spring veggies.

We reached out to Rolling Stone for more details on this delicious pizza. It features Asparagus pesto, fresh house pulled mozzarella, julienne of purple and orange carrots roasted with hot honey, roasted radish with lemon and pepper, brocoflower with garlic, Parmigiana Reggiano, Pecorino Romano and spicy chili onion crisp. The Rolling Stone Pizza Team of R Swanson, C Edgerton and K Pellet say, “It’s straight farmer’s market to pizza and what caught our eye!”

They go on to talk about its relationship with farmer’s markets. “West Michigan is known for its Asparagus, therefore we utilize as much as possible shopping the market 3 days a week for the freshest Asparagus available! By utilizing our vibrant farmers market we shop what’s coming in season and our customers are always looking forward to the new creation.

What’s is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website. Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

Check out last week’s Pizza of the Week.

The post Pizza of the Week: Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza, Muskegon, Michigan appeared first on Pizza Today.

Many chefs light up when they talk about fresh summer produce. The bountiful growing season yields so many wonderful ingredients that allow them to execute high-level dishes at peak performance. I mean, look no further than the glorious tomato — one of the most important ingredients in your entire arsenal as a pizza kitchen. Take a freshly grown heirloom tomato and slice it right next to a hothouse tomato your customers can purchase at the grocery store. Compare the color, the texture, the flavor. They are two completely different items that barely resemble one another, correct? One is sweet, juicy, vibrant … the other is a poor imposter that we grudgingly make do with much of the year to put slices of tomato on sandwiches or in salads.

Point being, now is the time gardens and farmer’s markets are lighting up with an array of colors, textures and tastes that you can incorporate on your menu to make it pop. You now have access to the freshest of the fresh. Now is the time to fire up some limited time offerings that will wow your customers and give your kitchen staff a break from the monotony by allowing them the freedom to create something fun with this new palette available to them.

In his “On Deck” column this month, contributor Chris Decker glows when he writes about the fresh vegetables coming to market right now. He creates a visually stunning pizza (check the photo in On Deck) that features fresh spinach, summer squash, zucchini and three types of edible flowers. You won’t find a prettier pizza on Instagram!

Speaking of Instagram, be sure to follow Pizza Today on our favorite social media outlet. You can find us there by searching for @pizzatoday. In his column this month, after detailing how he made the summer harvest pizza, Decker asks you to get the freshest produce available to you locally, make your own summer creation and post the result to Instgram. When you do, tag us (@PizzaToday) as well as Chris (@everythingbutanchovies) and use the hashtag #ondeck.

Chris is excited to see what you come up with using his pizza as inspiration. We are, too!

‘Tis the season. Make the most of it.

Best,

Jeremy White

Editor In Chief

jwhite@pizzatoday.com

The post Commentary: Summer’s Bounty appeared first on Pizza Today.

Your garden — and pizzas — should be vibrant as ever right now

Summer is here and your garden should be poppin’! It is time to let the vegetables shine, and this month’s pizza highlights all that this season has to offer. Days are longer, nights are warmer, and this season’s bounty will have you wanting pizza every night. I left the vegetables alone as much as I could here in their purest form. I did have to roast the peppers a little, as they just become so much sweeter and delicate with a light grill or roast. Other than that, I sliced the zucchini and summer squash as thin as I could to still give me a whole circle. The spinach provides a welcome pop of color and a good back note of flavor to add to everything else that is going on. The tangy, creamy pieces of goat cheese sing — and the finish of edible flowers and a little splash of white balsamic make this pizza, well…. pretty much perfect.

For this recipe I am just going to tell you to get the freshest and most beautiful vegetables you can find. There really is no wrong way to make this. See my photo on this page as inspiration, but I would love for you to make your own version and tag me and Pizza Today on Instagram (Pizza Today and everythingbutanchovies #ondeck). Let’s fill Instagram with the most amazing and colorful pizzas we can!

For this pizza, instead of a traditional recipe, per se, I used:

Zucchini (thinly sliced)

Summer Squash (thinly sliced)

Fresh Spinach

Roasted red pepper

Whole milk mozzarella (3 ounces)

Goat cheese (1ounce)

A sprinkle of grated Romano

Bake the pizza at 560 F for 8 minutes. Then, post-bake, top it with:

Garlic oil

More freshly grated Romano

Zucchini blossom (yellow flower)

Broccoli blossom (white flower)

Dianthus (pink flower)

Lastly, finish this beauty with a drizzle of high quality white balsamic to really give the vegetables a punch and some acid. Remember, the goal here is for you to experiment on your own with the freshest vegetables you can find and tag both Pizza Today and me on Instagram to show off your creations!

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.

The post On Deck: Summer Time Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

DETROIT, MICH. – This summer, Little Caesars is turning up the heat and celebrating 20 years of the legendary Hot-N-Ready products. To commemorate the anniversary, Little Caesars is giving away major prizes throughout the summer in a giveaway filled with delicious surprises for pizza lovers nationwide. 

Since its inception in 2004, Hot-N-Ready has been the go-to option for those looking for a quick, easy pizza option, offering a mouthwatering blend of convenience and quality that has delighted taste buds for years. To honor this legacy, Little Caesars is kicking off the sizzling Summer of Hot-N-Ready® Giveaways and Getaways with a free year of Hot-N-Ready classic pizzas to a lucky 20 winners. Beginning on May 27, customers simply need to visit their nearest participating Little Caesars location and scan the QR code on their receipt to enter the sweepstakes. Full details and official rules can be found at SummerSweeps.LittleCaesars.com. No Purchase Necessary.  

Throughout the summer season, pizza fans can expect new prizes to be announced each month. The prizes for the month of June include:

• • One Year of Free Classic Pizza including 52 pizzas for the year (Entry Period: 5/27 – 6/2)
  • Flyaway Package to PEPSI® Rock the South 2024 including Sponsor Row festival tickets, airfare, hotel and Little Caesars merchandise (Entry Period: 6/3 – 6/9)
  • Summer Backyard BBQ Party package including Little Caesars gift card, grill tools and Better with Pepsi grill and cooler, along with other summer fun items (Entry Period: 6/10 – 6/16)\
  • Hot-Takes package including a 4K camera or drone and Little Caesars merchandise for (Entry Period: 6/24 – 6/30)

In addition to the prizes which include special getaways and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, thousands of winners will also score free Little Caesars products and merchandise throughout the summer. 

“We are thrilled to celebrate 20 years of Hot-N-Ready, a super-fast way to pizza that has not only redefined the industry but also become a beloved fixture in communities across the country,” said Greg Hamilton, Chief Marketing Officer at Little Caesars. “This summer, we invite our customers to join us in commemorating this milestone with a summer of spectacular prizes. It’s our way of saying thank you for two decades of unwavering support.”

For more information on Little Caesars Summer of Hot-N-Ready Giveaways & Getaways and to stay updated on the latest giveaways and promotions, visit SummerSweeps.LittleCaesars.com and follow Little Caesars on social media.

** NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the 50 US and DC, who are 18 years of age or older and age of majority, as of date of entry. Begins 10:00 a.m. ET on 5/27/24 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET on 9/1/24. For complete Official Rules, eligibility and entry periods, including how to enter without a purchase, visit summersweeps.littlecaesars.com. Sponsor: Little Caesars Enterprises Inc. ©2024 LCE, Inc. CR0023736.

About Little Caesars®

Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, it is the third-largest pizza chain in the world, with restaurants in each of the 50 U.S. states and 28 countries and territories. 

Known for its HOT-N-READY® pizza and famed Crazy Bread®, Little Caesars uses quality ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese and sauce made from fresh-packed, vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes. The brand is known for innovation and is home of the exclusive Pizza Portal® pickup, a heated, self-service mobile order pickup station. Little Caesars is also the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League. 

An exceptionally high-growth company with over 60 years of experience in the $145 billion worldwide pizza industry, Little Caesars is continually looking for franchisee candidates to join the team in markets around the world. In addition to providing the opportunity for entrepreneurial independence in a franchise system, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar.  Little Caesars is proud to be part of the Ilitch Companies family of businesses.   

The post Little Caesars Celebrates 20 Years of Hot-N-Ready with Summer of Hot-N-Ready Giveaways & Getaways appeared first on Pizza Today.

The 522 Pizza from Izzy’s Pizza in Omaha, Nebraska is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Izzy’s Pizza (@izzyspizzaomaha on Instagram) in Omaha, Nebraska with a creative, Latin-inspired pizza that melds the perfect balance of creamy, spicy, and tangy flavors. Well done, Izzy’s!

We reached out to owner Brett Geiger to find out more about this delicious featured pizza. “This pizza features our Brick and Mozzarella cheese blend, Fontanini Chorizo, Roasted Pineapple, Cilantro Lime Crema, Pineapple Jalapeno Sauce, and Cotija Cheese. A little extra Cilantro on top for the pop,” he says

What’s is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

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Operators are bringing the classroom into the pizzerias for their patrons

You’ve probably heard of, or participated in, one of the notable pizza-making courses around the country and world that breaks down how to make almost any style of pizza imaginable over the course of a few days, week or even month. But did you know you can host your own pizza-making classes at your pizzeria? Theses classes aren’t targeted to aspiring pizza chefs and industry pros. Instead, pizza-making classes are being directed at customers, pizza enthusiasts and at home pizza chefs.

It’s an idea that is growing in interest in the pizzeria community. According to our 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report, 10 percent of pizzerias offer fee-based classes and special events as additional revenue streams.

Luke Salvatore, co-owner of Providence Pizza in Kansas City, Missouri, has launched his first pizza-making class.

The decision was twofold. “I am adding classes due to demand and personal desire to teach.” Salvatore studied at Tony Gemignani’s former School of Pizza. “That gave me at least a foundation for what we could do,” he says.

But instead of focusing on industry pizzaioli, Salvatore is focusing on the home pizza cooks. “Due to the availability of pizza ovens, there is less of a difference between the home and professional chef than there was previously,” he says.

He didn’t just jump into the endeavor. He has worked to get everything in order and build a strong program. “For me, it’s just having a curriculum and a plan, so as to offer people the most value for their time and money,” he says.

Evan Eriksen added pizza-making classes to his revenue streams this year.

“We charge $37.50 at the moment for a personal hands-on class,” he says of the classes at Pie95 Pizza in Jacksonville, Florida. “We do this during non-business hours. Originally would do this on our day off, but now do it Saturday before we open. We wanted to price to be a fair and welcoming number. I feel places are price gauging others now and want no part of that.

“Everyone and anyone is invited to attend the pizza making class,” he continues. “We create an item on our square menu and send it out via square text and post a link on our social media. We cap the inventory to 14 people per class, so it is not stuffy.”

Complimentary water is available during service and participants can purchase adult beverages.

For Eriksen, the class is all about getting into the specifics of pizza dough and pizza making. “We start the class talking about the fermentation and proofing of the dough. This is the class part then the actual making will be the lab. We demonstrate how to flatten the dough, what flour we use for stretching and what we use for dough making and why. Everyone gets to handle the dough. We next move them all into the oven. This is fun! We put a metal pizza peel in the oven and show how we use the weight of the pizza to spin the pizza and talk about rotating. Then the lab begins. We do this two guests at a time and others watch or get to know each other. Show them all the ingredients and have them decide what they would like because when we sauce it we will have to work fast. Also give them a demo on how to sprinkle the cheese so it is even and avoid the middle. After they have topped their personal pizza, we transfer them to the oven. They cook the pies with a trained cook, cut it, top with any garnish and then enjoy their creation.”

Jay Hartz at Padulas Pizza in Spring Hill, Florida, takes a different approach to classes.

He partnered with Oak Hill Senior Living and Rehab Center to develop a program for its residents. “Their activities director (who has since moved on) was a customer of ours,” Hartz says. “She and my manager (at the time) started talking about the idea. We agreed to give it a try and bring 10 residents on a Tuesday morning before we opened.  The residents did pretty much everything except cook the pizzas. I would talk about the pizza making process, educate them, etc. They tossed the dough, docked the pizza, sauced the pizza, cheesed it, added pepperoni if they wanted to and placed oregano on top. We had a system to make sure the correct pizza went back to the right resident so there was no concern with cross contamination. Some of the residents were able to cut their own pizza and others were not. They ate some at the store, and we packed up leftovers. I charged a small fee of $10 per person.

“We have had nothing but positive feedback from the staff at the facility, residents, family of residents and our community,” Hartz continues. “Some of the residents have even come back more than once, and that has been fun!”

There are several operational and safety items to consider before launching pizza-making classes. See below for a list of some vital considerations before you launch a class.

What you need to know to launch a pizza-making class

There are several operational and safety items to consider before launching pizza-making classes. Here are just a few of those considerations:

• First and foremost, do your homework. Know what you are getting into with offering pizza-making classes.
• Build a full program with goals, a curriculum, marketing, scheduling, rates, revenue projections, participant certificates or other tokens, etc.
• Notify your insurance agent with the specifics of your pizza-making class to ensure that the scope of the program is covered under your insurance, or if there is an added plan for such events.
• Consult your business attorney for legal advice about adding classes and to create liability agreements for the participants.
• Check with your municipality and health department to ensure this type of activity is permitted, as well as identifying rules, regulations and requirements regarding classes. Are there any special licenses or permits you must hold to operate classes?
• Keep safety a priority. Some pizza-making processes are more suited for demonstration purposes only, such as working with mixers, ovens or any other kitchen equipment that require trained professionals.

Denise Greer is Executive Editor at Pizza Today.

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Hot Pizza Spots in the U.S.: Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, NY; Jerry’s Pizza Pies Honeybrook, PA; Pizza Thief Portland, OR

This month we look at hot pizza places in New York, Pennsylvania and Oregon. Each month in Destinations, we highlight great pizzerias that have hit our pizza radar. These pizza places may have just opened to rave reviews, hit best pizza lists or have exciting news. If you’re a pizzeria that would like to be featured, reach out to Executive Editor Denise Greer at dgreer@pizzatoday.com.

Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, New York

The Cacio e Pepe Pizza at Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, New York. The pizza features Mozzarella, Parmiggiano Pepper Cream, Post Bake Ricotta, Pecorino Bianco Sardo, Black Pepper. Photo courtesy of Pizzeria Florian.

The dining area at Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, New York. Photo courtesy of Pizzeria Florian.

Co-owner Jay Langfelder says Pizzeria Florian is an accumulation of past business and life experiences — enclosed wood fired pizza food trucks and the brick-and-mortar Jay’s Artisan Pizzeria. After relocating to Savannah, Georgia, the couple returned to New York in 2022 and started Pizzeria Florian as a wood fired pizza pop up and caterer in 2023. “We quickly realized we needed a permanent home for the concept and took out a lease near our home in East Aurora,” he says. “With a chance to make any pizza we wanted we went back to the drawing board creating a pizza with all of our favorite characteristics from New York, New Haven, Naples and even a bit from our favorite pizzas in Toronto. We wanted a pizza that had the freshness of Neapolitan, but would also hold crispy for dine in or in a box, learning from our experiences during the Covid 19 pandemic. With all that in mind we created a pizza that was highly technical and featured the best ingredients from many of our local farmer friends and companies we have enjoyed using over the years from both the United States and Italy.” Round pies include Cacio e Pepe with mozzarella, Pecorino pepper cream, post-bake ricotta, black pepper and Parmiggiano. The Kale and Sausage is topped with lemon cream, mozzarella and Parmiggiano.

Jerry’s Pizza Pie, Honeybrook, Pennsylvania

Jerry’s Pizza Pie has been recognized by the Washington Post as one of Pennsylvania’s best pizzas for its Sicilian. The old-school restaurant has been going strong for over 30 years. The Sicilian Gourmet Pizza menu offers several options including the Sicilian Chicken Bruschetta Pizza with fresh mozzarella, bruschetta tomatoes, grilled chicken, olive oil and seasonings and the Sicilian Honey Mustard Chicken Pizza with crispy chicken, mozzarella cheese and honey mustard. In addition to the Sicilian, its pizza menu also features gourmet round pizzas including the Stuffed Cheesesteak Pizza with American cheese, mozzarella & steak. Jerry’s also has a full menu of sandwiches, stromboli, calzones, appetizers, hoagies, pastas and desserts.

Pizza Thief, Portland, Oregon

This Slabtown pizza spot has garnered a reputation among Portland pizza lovers. Pizza Thief has recently opened its second location inside Great Notion Brewing. The pizza is New York inspired. According to its website, “our dough is naturally leavened with a precise combination of sourdough and whole grains with high hydration that makes for an excellent texture, crumb, and flavor.  All of our ingredients come from locally sourced farms, markets and mills here in the Northwest.” Pizzas include Hot Tony with tomato sauce, pepperoni, schiacciata salami, Calabrian chili, piquillo peppers, jalapeño mozz-provolone, fior di latte, grana, and Sicilian oregano. There is also the Wildwood with roasted mushrooms, cream, mozz-provolone, fontal, caciotta al tartufo and rosemary.

The post Pizza Destinations: Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, NY; Jerry’s Pizza Pies Honeybrook, PA; Pizza Thief Portland, OR appeared first on Pizza Today.

Salad Pizza: Crunch & Color

Pizza and salad are one of those pairings that just make a lot of sense. The lightness of greens cutting through the greasy goodness of pizza creates a complete meal. So why not just make salad pizza? Done, right? I’m all in on this idea.

If you’ve ever been curious about trying out the crunchy pizza life, summer is the perfect time to start. With an abundance of fresh greens, fruits, vegetables and herbs to choose from, you can let your creativity run wild. There’s really two ways to go about making a salad pizza. The first is that the salad can be the star of the show, with the crust, minimal cheese and other toppings acting as a base to hold and transport it. This can be a fun presentation, piling the greens up high and spiking the salad with beautiful ingredients. Pick a base cheese that complements the salad and then let the mound of greens and vinaigrette do the work.

The other option is minimal salad to complement the pizza itself. I do this a lot without thinking about it: finishing a pizza with arugula tossed in extra virgin olive oil; a “hot salad” of wilted kale or spinach under the melted cheese; or fresh tomatoes tossed with herbs and smothered in stracciatella. The main thing is to not get hung up on greens being essential as there are so many more ways and ingredients that a salad can be composed of.

There are a few key components of a salad pizza to really make it special. Like any good pizza, it’s important to have a variety of flavors and profiles to balance it and make it pop. Think sweet, salty, sour, bitter, crunchy, chewy, creamy and soft. Luckily there are so many fruits and vegetables during these hot summer months to choose from. A lot of produce is fantastic in its raw form during its growing season but it’s also fun to use different cooking methods, like roasting, marinating, sautéing and frying to change the flavor and texture. Each method produces a wildly different taste and texture to add to a salad pizza.

The different components of a salad pizza are:

• The base. What style pizza dough are you using? Will it be thick and pillowy? Thin and crispy? Light and airy? The type of base will determine how heavy the toppings can be and whether your customers will eat it with a knife and fork or simply folded around the salad.

• The cheese or sauce.

I tend to like a light layer of cheese baked onto my crust for a salad pizza, but you could also add in a marinara or pesto to meld with the salad. Things to think about are if you want this component to really stick out or simply act as a vehicle for the salad to sit on. You can use a bold cheese that complements the other flavors or a mellow one to blend in.

• The greens.

So many to choose from! The basics are always great, like arugula, spinach, kale or butter lettuce. If you want to go outside the traditional box there are options, such as stinging nettles, dandelion or beet greens, frisée or ridicchio and purslane. You also can exclude the greens completely and make another vegetable the main ingredient.

• The jewels.

These are the fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and herbs that round out the salad and give it lots of texture and, of course, flavor. The addition of fresh herbs can go a long way. Chives are one of my favorites for turning an ordinary salad into a flavor bomb. You can also do fresh oregano or basil.

• Finishers.

If your pizza doesn’t have a super strong cheese or sauce on its base, it’s nice to finish it with a memorable cheese or really nice extra virgin or infused olive oil. A bold vinaigrette is also in this category and can carry the entire pizza. This will be the first thing to hit your taste buds so go for quality over quantity.

The fun part of putting salad on pizza is that there are no boundaries. You can take something as basic as Caesar salad and spin it into a decadent pie using spicy fried chicken pieces, house Caesar dressing and finishing with smashed sourdough croutons. Sound too complex? A classic cheese slice can be made into something new by throwing on a simple arugula, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt salad. It cuts through the grease and adds a nice bite.

As much as I would like to joke that salad on pizza is not true pizza, the fact that it draws attention to vegetables as the star of the dish makes me want to love it. I’m all for a pepperoni slice every day, but I don’t think everyone gives veggies enough credit as pizza toppings apart from on a supreme pizza. Yes, olives, mushrooms and bell peppers are great. But have you tried fresh roasted chilies and Brussels sprouts? They are next level.

If you don’t use a ton of greens on your pizzas already, salad pizza is also a great way to start cross utilizing different ingredients. In my shop, I use spinach in a salad as well as on multiple pies. The same goes for kale and arugula. Kale is great both baked onto the pizza or put on post oven, just remember to massage those greens if it isn’t being cooked on.

A few salad pizza combinations to get you excited and your creative juices flowing:

• Kale Caesar with Italian white anchovies and Parmesan crisps.
• Watermelon radish, walnuts, strawberries and arugula with a poppy seed vinaigrette.
• Tomato salad with fresh oregano, garlic and burrata.
• Summer squash marinated in gremolata with stracciatella and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Salad pizza is a great item to try out on any summer menu. It’s the perfect way to showcase the abundance of produce, get creative and nudge everyone to eat their greens. Just remember to keep it balanced, include some herbs and finish it on a high note.

Summer Squash Salad Pizza

For this pizza, I marinated raw squash in gremolata to give it a burst of flavor. Don’t be afraid to add a few more fresh herbs or an extra clove or two of garlic to really draw attention. This part of the dish should be in your face bold with the stracciatella to smooth everything out and the pumpkin seeds to add a little extra crunch.

Get the Summer Squash Salad Pizza recipe.

Audrey Kelly owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

The post Fresh salad toppings bring vibrance and bite to summer pizzas appeared first on Pizza Today.

For this pizza, I marinated raw squash in gremolata to give it a burst of flavor. Don’t be afraid to add a few more fresh herbs or an extra clove or two of garlic to really draw attention. This part of the dish should be in your face bold with the stracciatella to smooth everything out and the pumpkin seeds to add a little extra crunch.

The post Summer Squash Salad Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

Mendes is the first woman to win the competition, with a record-breaking time of 39.2 seconds

LAS VEGAS, May 23, 2024 – Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), the largest pizza company in the world, awarded the 2024 World’s Fastest Pizza Maker title to its new champion, Joana Mendes, among top competitors from across the globe at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas on May 8, 2024. Mendes, an assistant manager at Domino’s in Ipswich, England, is the first woman to win the competition, making three large pizzas in a record-breaking 39.2 seconds! Mendes won $5,000 in prize money, a trophy, championship belt and the renowned title of World’s Fastest Pizza Maker, presented by Domino’s Chief Executive Officer Russell Weiner.

“This title means everything to me,” said Mendes. “For the past two years I have been training very hard and became the first female to win the United Kingdom’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition. From there, my goal was to take it to the next level and be the World’s Fastest Pizza Maker. I had the best people by my side to show me the process and have now achieved one of the biggest goals in my life.”

World’s Fastest Pizza Maker finalists assemble from Domino’s stores across the globe to compete in a riveting showcase of pizza-making mastery. Finalists prepare three large pizzas – one pepperoni, one mushroom and one cheese – by hand-stretching dough, saucing, and placing toppings as quickly as possible. While speed is important, it is not the only piece of the pie in determining the World’s Fastest Pizza Maker. Quality is closely scrutinized as two highly qualified judges in Domino’s pizza-making practices grade participants on three criteria: dough/sauce, portioning of toppings and placement.

“The World’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition celebrates our Dominoids who have taken their pizza-making skills to unparalleled heights,” said Frank Garrido, Domino’s executive vice president – chief restaurant officer. “The awe-inspiring speed and precision these competitors demonstrate is a testament to Domino’s focus on delivering exceptional results. Our franchise owners employ some of the greatest pizza makers in the world, and we are so proud to name Joana as our 2024 World’s Fastest Pizza Maker.”

Domino’s began the World’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition in 1982 to honor pizza makers who best exemplify the company’s philosophy of keeping efficiency in the store to allow sufficient time for safe, timely pizza delivery.

Mendes started working for Domino’s as a customer service representative in 2015. She currently works for Domino’s Pizza Group (DPG) – Domino’s master franchise in the United Kingdom. Mendes was mentored by Pali Grewal, one of the largest franchisees under DPG, who was previously crowned the World’s Fastest Pizza Maker in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

About Domino’s Pizza^®

Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with a significant business in both delivery and carryout pizza. It ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 20,700 stores in over 90 markets. Domino’s had global retail sales of over $18.5 billion for the trailing four quarters ended March 24, 2024. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 99% of Domino’s stores as of the end of the first quarter of 2024. In the U.S., Domino’s generated more than 85% of U.S. retail sales in 2023 via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms including seven unique ways to order Domino’s.

Order – dominos.com

Company Info – biz.dominos.com

Media Assets – media.dominos.com

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Patrick Elston co-owner of Gus Franco’s Pizza in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, on The Hot Slice Podcast

This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, Denise and Jeremy chat with Patrick Elston, who with his wife Mandy operates Gus Franco’s Pizza in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania.   

Originally started as a food truck, Gus Franco’s opened in 2017. He talks about the steady rise of the pizzeria. Family dynamics and raising kids in the family atmosphere pizzerias. The pizzeria named after their young sons, who Patrick hopes one will take over the business someday.  

The pizzeria has been named one of Pittsburgh’s Top 11 Pizzerias by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Patrick works to perfect Gus Franco’s wood-fired pizza. Some favorites are Cacio E Pepe (cash-ee-oh ee peppy, or just say Cheese and Pepper) with seasoned cream and mozz base, finished w/parmesan crema & cracked black pepper. Top seller is Hot Dad with sauce, mozz, parm, hot sopressata, Mike’s Hot Honey™. 

He is the personality behind the business, always appearing on social media posts like his Daily Dough Instagram series. He has become a regular guest on a local television news with a cooking demonstration. He is especially thankful for the layout of the carryout business where he can get face time with his guests as they pick up their pizzas.  

He talks Pizza Expo and Mandy’s reigning crown as Supremely Dressed Champion. Find out more in our Pizza Expo 2024 Hub.

Learn more about Gus Franco’s Pizza at https://gusfrancospizza.square.site/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gusfrancospizza/ . 

Thank you to our sponsor

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Grow your Catering Revenue

When Dan Stewart opened Isabella’s Brick Oven in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood in March 2006, he was admittedly oblivious to catering. As employees from nearby Constellation Energy regularly asked about catering, however, Stewart knew he had to get catering operations up and running.

Twenty years later, it’s a good thing for him and Isabella’s he did.

Catering now represents about one-third of Isabella’s revenue, as orders pour in from schools, corporate clients and celebrating families. On one Wednesday in March, Stewart and his crew had prepped nine catering orders by lunchtime.

“Sometimes, we’re feeding 300 people out of here by 11:00 a.m.,” Stewart says. “Catering is frenetic, but it’s the easiest way to make money.”

For pizzerias across the U.S., catering is an important revenue lever and marketing tool. It brings in high-volume, high-value orders with inherent labor efficiencies. It also drives brand exposure, sparking trials and notoriety that propel additional business.

But success in the catering category is earned, especially as few get a second chance if food quality, selection or service falls flat. Pizzerias looking to grow their catering book of business need to be on point and consistently hit three key markers.

First, make it simple.

Just in time for the 2023 holidays, Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen debuted a new catering website for its 56-unit enterprise. Complete with photos, the online menu features 28-inch party pizzas serving 10-15 people and neatly arranged party packages for parties of 10 or 20 as well as kids’ parties.

Anthony Russo says his Houston-based chain’s online menu makes it easy for catering customers to peruse their options and seamlessly place an order. He calls that convenience and accessibility “critical.”

Giliah Librach, director of merchandising operations at ezCater, a popular corporate catering matchmaker, says catering customers “adore bundles because they make it much easier to order for large groups.” 

Stewart has discovered as much as Isabella’s, where standardized catering packages provide clarity and streamline ordering. In addition, Isabella’s delivers and sets up every catering order, which further simplifies the process.

“Catering customers love easy,” Stewart says.

Second, think beyond pizza.

As Stewart built Isabella’s catering program, he surveyed the market, reviewed competitors and considered the capabilities of his own operation, from manpower to sourcing ingredients to the limits of his wood-fired oven. If he wanted to thrive with catering, Stewart determined he had to diversify his offerings beyond pizza to attract business. Today, Isabella’s catering menu includes sandwiches, salads, pastas and desserts.

“With pizzas alone, you’re really limiting yourself,” Stewart says.

For as much as pizza remains a beloved staple of the American diet, many successful pizzeria-based catering operations tout varied menus as essential to overcoming veto votes and ensuring satisfaction. This includes offering vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options given the dietary restrictions (or preferences) often found in large groups.

According to ezCater’s Librach, providing a wide range of options helps customers build complete meals for their groups. It also helps pizzerias increase their check sizes and profitability.

To wit, Mellow Mushroom’s catering menu pairs traditional, gluten-free and vegan pizzas with various salads, sandwich trays and munchies like pretzel bites and wings. Russo’s, meanwhile, presents a compelling menu mix including sandwiches, salads and classic Italian dishes like lasagna and chicken Parmesan.

“We wanted to evolve and build sales with catering and revamping our menu was one path to this,” Russo says.

Finally, deliver on promises.

As Mellow Mushroom, a 50-year-old brand with more than 160 stores across 18 states, looks to build its catering business in 2024, senior vice president of brand development Anne Mejia knows hitting customer expectations is vital to driving that book of business.

“All people love good food, but catering orders love good food on time,” Mejia says. “Orderers will go to the same place time and again if that trust is there.”

To Mejia’s point, the on-time delivery of a business catering order was the single highest customer priority according to ezCater’s 2023 Feeding the Workplace report.

“It’s annoying if your pizza is late on a Friday night, but if lunch is late for 400 employees or for an important sales meeting, it can be catastrophic,” Librach says.

To avoid mistakes, Stewart prioritizes communication at Isabella’s, especially with new customers and larger, complicated orders. He will text the day of to confirm details and troubleshoot any potential issues. Later, he follows up to ensure guest satisfaction and invite a future order.

Russo’s, meanwhile, employs its own drivers who are trained to handle food and execute brand standards for timing and set up, which he considers crucial to hitting customer expectations, cultivating trust and earning repeat business.

“Service is how you build your business in catering,” Russo says. “There’s no way around that.”

How to promote your catering business

• Use packaging as a promotional tool. Branded boxes generate awareness, but restaurants can do even more with packaging. A stamp on Isabella’s catering boxes, for instance, features a QR code leading to the restaurant’s catering menu. Each week, Isabella’s owner Dan Stewart says “5-6 orders catering orders come directly from that code.”
• Hit the pavement. In addition to leveraging digital marketing tools like Google Ads, Russo’s team members also visit office administrators located within 3-5 miles of their stores to cultivate personal relationships. “It helps when they have a face and a name and know who you are,” Russo’s CEO Anthony Russo says of corporate customers.
• Team up with high-impact partners. Corporate food catering platforms like ezCater, Feedr and Fooda connect restaurants with catering clients. In March, Isabella’s catering revenue was up 6 percent year over year, a jump fueled by a nearly 20 percent jump in ezCater orders.
• Discover opportunities in the data. While Mellow Mushroom promotes catering offerings during obvious times, such as the holiday season and spring’s moms, dads and grads crowd, internal data showed a surprising uptick in catering orders during October. Leadership responded by devoting marketing dollars to fall catering promotions to better seize that unexpected opportunity.

DANIEL P. SMITH  Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

The post Three key ingredients to boost your catering business appeared first on Pizza Today.

When dinner is up in the air, just toss a CPK restaurant-made pizza on the grill; Win prizes all summer long with weekly Grab & Grill giveaway

COSTA MESA, Calif. (May 16, 2024) – California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), the iconic restaurant brand renowned for bold, innovative flavors with a California point of view, is stoking the flames of flavor with its new Grab & Grill pizza promotion, a sizzling twist on its restaurant Take & Bake pizza experience. Now, as the mercury rises, so does the opportunity to become that backyard grill master of your dreams.

Inspired by the success of CPK’s made-to-order Take & Bake pizzas, Grab & Grill introduces a seasonal twist, inviting pizza aficionados to elevate their grilling game with CPK’s easy and affordable alternative. All summer long starting on National Barbecue Day (May 16) through Labor Day (September 2), guests can take home CPK’s signature pizzas and transform them into smoky, grilled masterpieces right in their own backyard with a special limited-time offer:

• 2 for $25*: Perfect for 2-4 people.
• 4 for $40*: A great value for larger gatherings.
• Complete the Meal: Add on a catering salad or appetizer to round out the feast. Prices vary by location, see in-store menu for more details.

“Our Grab & Grill pizza promotion is the perfect fusion of convenience, value, flavor and summer fun,” says Chef Paul Pszybylski, VP of Culinary Innovation at CPK.  “While we know the ultimate CPK pizza experience is at our restaurants, our Grab & Grill options just may be the best pizza you’ve ever had at home!”

Stop into any CPK restaurant location or order online and choose from six Grab & Grill pizza options, including the iconic Original BBQ Chicken that put CPK on the map, the globally inspired Thai Chicken, the flavor-packed Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage (AKA MUPESA, IYKYK), the classic Pepperoni that’s anything but ordinary, the garden-fresh California Veggie with a veritable bounty of color and flavor, and the melty Five Cheese + Fresh Tomato. CPK’s Grab & Grill pizzas are prepared to order and sold fresh, not frozen, and include all of the fresh garnish to expertly finish the dish. All pizzas are perfectly crisped and ready to savor in just minutes on the grill. Guests can find grilling instructions right on the box, or can use the QR code to watch Chef Paul demonstrate how easy it is!

CPK is also kicking off a summer-long Grab & Grill Giveaway where fans can win free pizza for a year and other exciting prizes. Guests can enter by simply posting a Grab & Grill photo on Instagram (enjoying or grilling a CPK pizza, of course) tagging @cpk and hashtag #cpkgrabandgrill. Guests can get an extra entry into the giveaway by following the CPK account, mentioning three friends and liking the giveaway post. One winner will be announced every week starting Memorial Day Weekend (May 24).

For more information, visit www.cpk.com and follow @cpk on social media.

*For more information on this special, including terms, conditions, pricing and exclusions, such as restaurants in Hawaii, please visit www.cpk.com/grill.

About California Pizza Kitchen
In 1985, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) opened its first restaurant in Beverly Hills and introduced diners to gourmet California inspired pizza. With a passion for combining fresh, seasonal ingredients with flavor inspirations from around the world, today CPK is a global brand serving creative California cuisine in over 160 restaurants across 10 countries and U.S. territories. From its innovative, hearth-baked pizzas such as The Original BBQ Chicken, Thai Chicken, and California Club, to inventive salads, and unique pasta dishes that combine the old world with the new, CPK does everything with an imaginative California-inspired twist that guests love.

The post California Pizza Kitchen’s Grab & Grill Pizzas Are Taking Over BBQ’s This Summer appeared first on Pizza Today.

PLANO, Texas, May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Starting today, Pizza Hut is entering the burger business with a better way to burger. Introducing the new Cheeseburger Melt, a parmesan-crusted thin crust Melt folded and loaded with beef, applewood-smoked bacon, onions, mozzarella, and cheddar, served with Burger Sauce on the side. The savory, cheesy, crunchy menu item ditches the bun (say goodbye to soggy bun burger deliveries) and brings together a medley of flavors for those craving a cheeseburger all wrapped into a crispy thin crust. With this handheld, Pizza Hut has cracked the code for what a cheeseburger should be: portable, crunchy, and oozing with cheese.

For the launch of the new Cheeseburger Melt, Pizza Hut is encouraging burger enthusiasts to cheat on their usual burger chain to prove their new favorite cheeseburger is now from a pizza place instead and even Better With PEPSI^®. Starting today, Pizza Hut is deploying delivery drivers to make appearances at certain fast-food burger chain drive-thrus, complete with a QR code displayed on their back windows to scan for a better burger. Those that see the cars in the drive-thrus and scan the QR code asking if they want a better burger will be entered to redeem a coupon for a FREE Cheeseburger Melt and refreshing PEPSI^® while supplies last. The offer is available in a few markets where the largest fast-food burger chains are headquartered: Chicago, IL and Miami, FL*.

“As a brand known for exceptional pizzas, venturing into the burger business is an exciting first for us,” said Lindsay Morgan, Chief Marketing Officer at Pizza Hut. “We thought we’d kick off our burger journey with something bold. That’s why we’re making waves in burger chain drive-thrus, serving up our delicious new Cheeseburger Melt for all you burger lovers out there.”

Perfect for any lunch or dinner meal occasion, each order of Melts features two slices of Pizza Hut’s signature Thin N’ Crispy^® crust loaded with an abundance of toppings and cheese, folded over, baked to melty perfection and complemented with a dipping sauce that pairs perfectly with the individual-sized meal and a PEPSI^®. In addition to cheeseburger, Pizza Hut Melts^® are available in four other recipes: Pepperoni Lover’s^® served with marinara dipping sauce, Buffalo Chicken served with buffalo dipping sauce and ranch dipping sauce, Chicken Bacon Parmesan served with ranch dipping sauce and Meat Lover’s^® served with marinara dipping sauce.

“For the first time ever, we packed everything you know and love about a cheeseburger into our craveable Thin N’ Crispy^® crust to develop the new Cheeseburger Melt,” said Rachel Antalek, Chief Food Innovation Officer at Pizza Hut. “Unlike a traditional cheeseburger, the Cheeseburger Melt dips perfectly into what we would argue is the world’s best burger dipping sauce. We challenge you to find a better burger and sauce experience.”

The Cheeseburger Melt is also part of the new My Hut Box™ Offer** that allows guests to choose between Melts or a 2-topping Personal Pan Pizza^®, plus a side of fries or 4 boneless wings and a 20oz drink. Melts dipping sauce included. Order a My Hut Box now starting at $6.99 at participating Pizza Hut restaurants nationwide. Click here to find the closest Pizza Hut location.

*INCENTIVES AVAILABLE FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED. Open to legal US residents physically residing in the 50 US/DC who are 18+ years of age. Ends at 11:59:59 pm CT on 5/20/24, or when all available Incentives are depleted (whichever comes first). A minimum of 7,350 Incentives are available. Limit one (1) Incentive per person. Other restrictions apply. For full Terms, visit thecheeseburger.com/terms.

**My Hut Box and Cheeseburger Melts are offered for a limited time only at select participating locations. My Hut Box Pricing varies based on selection. Pizza entrée includes up to 2 pizza toppings and wings side includes selection of 4 Boneless Honey BBQ or Buffalo Medium wings only. Additional charge for wing sauce. Melts come with 1 dipping sauce, no substitutions. Beverage extra. Exclusions apply.

About Pizza Hut^®

Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas and since then has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the creation of icons like Original® Pan and Original® Stuffed Crust pizzas. In 1994, Pizza Hut pizza was the very first online food order. Today, Pizza Hut continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital orders. Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut Rewards®, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order. Hut Rewards is open to U.S. residents 18+. See applicable terms at https://hutrewards.pizzahut.com/terms/. A global leader in the pizza category, Pizza Hut operates more than 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Through its enormous presence, Pizza Hut works to unlock opportunity for its team members and communities around the world.

For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up to date on what’s happening at Pizza Hut by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

PEPSI, PEPSI-COLA and the Pepsi Globe are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc.

The post Pizza Hut Enters the Burger Business with New Cheeseburger Melt appeared first on Pizza Today.

This post was updated May 7, 2024 to reflect current year’s Mother’s Day information.

Ways to Show Appreciation this Mother’s Day at your Restaurant

Invite moms to spend Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 12th at your pizzeria. Moms love pizza and family. Pizza is the perfect shared food to celebrate the occasion.

Mother’s Day at Restaurants: The Stats

Plan accordingly. To help, National Restaurant Association survey is filled with Mother’s Day dining habits. Many moms want to let restaurants do the cooking on their special day, according to the National Restaurant Association survey. finds 43% of consumers plan to use restaurants to celebrate, with 34% saying they’ll dine out and another 12% expecting to order takeout on Mother’s Day.

How will you commemorate the day? NRA asked what consumers are looking for. Here’s how they responded:

• 56% want to pamper the mother-figures in their lives, or even themselves.
• 48% would like to create a special experience with family and/or friends.
• 39% would like to avoid cooking or cleanup at home.
• 28% say convenience is a factor.

What about takeout or delivery? NRA found options that would make them more likely to choose one
restaurant over a similar restaurant:

• 47% say they’d select a restaurant offering a Mother’s Day discount.
• 45% would choose a restaurant offering multi-course meal bundles (appetizer, entrée and dessert).
• 42% would choose a restaurant offering free add-ins for Mom, like special cocktails, desserts, flowers, chocolates, or a small gift.
• 36% would select a restaurant offering free or discounted delivery.

Which daypart should you focus on?

NRA’s survey discovered 52% will choose dinner, while 43% plan for lunch. Brunch is also popular, with 28% and 13% plan to go out for breakfast.

Explore more of the survey findings.

6 Ways to Show Appreciation this Mother’s Day

Now, let’s look at a few marketing and promotion ideas you can show Appreciation this Mother’s Day at your pizzeria.

• Showcase the moms that work at your restaurant on social and on digital boards, if available.
• Offer a discount or free meal to moms when group of four dine in.
• Create a Mother’s Day Family bundle with apps, pizza, desserts and drinks.
• Do a callout on social for people to tag their moms and nominate them to receive ______ (i.e. pizza bundle, free pizzas, special gift.) Draw winner(s) on Mother’s Day.
• Create a “mom”-inspired Pizza of the Day. Blast it on social.
• Do a gift card trade with another business and run giveaways on Mother’s Day. Don’t forget to promote beforehand by doing shared posts with the partnering business.

Mother’s Day Hashtags

Try adding some hashtags to your Mother’s Day promotions and posts. Don’t forget to create your own hashtags to honor moms like #momlove____pizzeria. Here are a few popular Mother’s Day hashtags:

#happymothersday #mothersday2024 #thanksmom #mymomisthebest #bestmomever #momoftheyear

Don’t forget to share your Mother’s Day celebrations with us on social @PizzaToday

The post Mother’s Day: Moms Love Pizza. UPDATED appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Family Affair: Honoring Tradition & Building on Success

• Company has doubled in size.
• Franchise system has grown from 10 partners to 45 partners.
• Chain named one of five innovative restaurant brands recognized by Nation’s Restaurant News with a 2023 CREATORS Award.
• Average unit sales 60% higher than pizza industry average.
• Franchise satisfaction rating 13 points higher than franchise benchmark.

A Familiar Face Takes the Helm

Building on a Solid Family Foundation for Continued Growth

About Donatos Pizza

The post Donatos Pizza CEO Announces Retirement appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Quick Q&A with Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow, co-founders at Flour + Water, San Francisco, California

Concept:

THOMAS: For Flour + Water Pizzeria, we pulled inspiration from the pizzerias we all grew up frequenting. We wanted to play off that nostalgia with fun menu items like mozzarella sticks and Hawaiian pizza, while still putting a heavy emphasis on technique and recipes that showcase our team’s culinary approach and obsession with pizza. While we take our dough seriously, the experience is meant to be like a pizza party every night. It’s one of the best foods to enjoy with a group, so we created a space that’s inviting and relaxed.

Pizza Style & Dough:

RYAN: Our dough is a four-day process that uses a pre-ferment, known as a poolish, to kick start fermentation. We use a combination of two different types of flour from Central Milling and rely on a slow, cold fermentation until a final proof on day four when the dough’s ready to use. Our pizzas are 13-inch rounds that get fired in an electric deck oven set to 600 F. The dough recipe and oven temperature settings allow us to get the characteristics that we love in pizza. We look for variation in the char of the outside crust, while maintaining structure on the base of each pie.

You moved into a new flagship location. How has that enabled your business to grow?

THOMAS: We spent a long time searching for the perfect space for our operation and couldn’t be happier with where we landed in North Beach, a San Francisco neighborhood known for its long lineage of Italian restaurants. Being able to take the time and build out the Pizzeria to our exact specifications has proven to be worth it. We have an entirely separate operation dedicated to to-go orders and delivery so that our dining room isn’t interrupted by that action. Our Dough Room is the heart of the space, and was built to accomodate a larger team while maximizing dough production to fuel our to-go program and the expansion of the Flour + Water Pizza Shop concept. Every night we’re also able to transition the Dough Room into a semi-private dining room for seated and standing pizza parties; it’s also a space where we can host private pizza classes during the week.

Tell us more about the neighborhood pizzeria model you are working to expand?

THOMAS: We’ve mapped out a hub and spoke model for the Pizzeria. Our 4,000 square-foot flagship space in North Beach will soon be the commissary for satellite ‘Pizza Shop’ locations, meaning we can focus on finding smaller spaces where we don’t have to produce the dough on-site, but can still serve new neighborhoods and, ultimately, new cities. The look and feel of the flagship will carry over, but the emphasis will be less on dine-in and more on bringing our pizza to areas where it wasn’t able to be picked up or delivered before.

You also have a commercial pasta line. What has it taken for you to get your pasta in hundreds of grocery stores?

RYAN: The learning curve from operating restaurants to diving into the world of consumer packaged goods is no joke! We’ve been planning this project for years, thinking of ways in which we can extend the reach of our hospitality knowing that not everyone will be able to visit our restaurants. It’s awesome to see Flour + Water Foods on shelves at not only our local retailers in the Bay Area, but at grocery stores throughout the Pacific Northwest and, soon, Southern California. We’re also shipping our pasta for online orders, so even those outside the West Coast have been able to experience a taste of what we do at our restaurants. While we’re still a little fish in the big pond of this space, it’s been awesome to receive feedback about the quality and superior texture. We’re applying the same techniques we use in our restaurants, so consumers can feel confident that what they are buying truly is ‘chef-tested.’

Tell us more about how Flour + Water supports the regenerative farming movement?

RYAN: Our restaurants were founding members of Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit mobilizing the food world around agricultural climate solutions, and our dried pasta line is their first partner in the packaged goods world. From an operational standpoint, we care tremendously about sourcing from farms with sustainable and regenerative practices– we believe that healthy soil means higher-quality produce, which in turn creates food that not only tastes better, but is better for the planet, too.

The post Conversation: Thomas McNaughton, Ryan Pollnow, Flour + Water, San Francisco, California appeared first on Pizza Today.

Question from a Pizza Today Reader: How do I incorporate more alternative/whole grains and what’s its effect on gluten development?

Whole Wheat Wander

So, you want to make whole wheat dough? When I first started, whole wheat was terrible. It was dense and dry and was for the older generations or for those who were dieting. A lot has changed since then — and once you learn what whole wheat really is, making it doesn’t seem quite as daunting.

What is whole wheat to begin with?

It’s exactly as it sounds. This is flour that comprises the entire part of the grain.

Depending on the baker or pizza maker, some breads and doughs are labeled as “whole grain” but really the flour only consists of a small portion of whole wheat. The label is not strictly defined or regulated, so the amount of whole grain can vary widely from product to product.

The amount of whole grains can vary for a number of reasons, but the main one is that the higher percentage of whole grain the harder it is to make a light and airy loaf. Most 100-percent whole grain breads and flours tend to produce doughs that are denser than those made with refined flours because the gluten percentage decreases the more whole grain you use.

Flour is made by grinding kernels of wheat, sifting (also known as refining), and then packaging. There are many steps in between but the main goal is to breakdown the kernel from its three main parts. For whole wheat flour, you mainly hear a lot about the bran and the germ. One of the biggest selling points in the commercial bread industry, cereal industry and even in the larger health industry are the buzz words of wheat bran and wheat germ that tell consumers a product with these two things is healthier.

Wheat bran is the outer coating on a kernel of grain. It is this part that is more nutrient dense and contains fiber but is separated from the other two parts of the grain and then added back into the flour at varying amounts. Bran can have a large effect on the volume of your dough as it does not contain much gluten and can be physically jagged (which can damage gluten formation).

The germ is the reproductive part of the grain. Like bran, this portion is normally removed from the other parts and processed separately. This portion only makes up a small percentage, less than five percent, but contains a larger quantity of fat. Having a larger quantity of germ in flour can be tough as the higher percentage of fat/ oil means the flour will go rancid faster because of oxidation. The germ contains no gluten, so a high percentage of germ can have a large effect on the final rise of your dough. A tip when adding germ to your dough is to toast it separately, bring it to room temperature and then add it in to your dough. This will help keep oxidation at bay.

The endosperm is the largest part of the grain and is the main component in a bag of flour. For whole wheat flour, the germ, bran and endosperm are processed separately but then mixed back together. The five refinements of flour will help you determine how much bran and germ is still in your flour.

00 – The most refined. Contains as little bran and germ as possible.

0 – Contains some bran and germ, but is not super noticeable.

1 – Contains a decent amount of bran and germ and you can really see the flecks within the flour. The color is now a mix of white with flecks of brown.

2 – The color of this is on the browner side as this contains the most amount of bran and germ without being considered whole wheat.

Whole grain contains all of the grain. As little as possible has been removed. The components may have been
processed separately but have been added back together.

Incorporating Whole Grains in Pizza Dough

Learning to incorporate different refinements and increasing amounts of whole wheat can have dramatic changes on your dough. The colors deepen and it is easy to smell the sweetness as well as the nuttiness that is held within wheat. The hard part is learning how much is too much, as the more you use the more it will affect the gluten structure (which ultimately will affect the rise of your dough).

A great way to dabble with whole wheat is to start small. Whether you introduce a different refinement to learn your comfort zone or blend whole what flour into your main 00 flour, I would recommend staying under 20 percent at first. Nothing says you can’t go for it, but staying around the 20 percent will ensure you build a gluten structure giving you the rise you want while still incorporating the other benefits of adding whole wheat like flavor, aroma and texture.

A tip when adding in bran to your doughs is to grind the germ down to a smaller size. This will help with water absorption as well as add to better gluten formation (leading to a lighter less dense dough).

One of the great things about today’s industry is the blurring of lines between bread and pizza. Techniques that were once specific to bread baking are now being used regularly in pizza making. The incorporation of ancient grains like Khorasan, Spelt, Emmer, Einkorn and others, like Rye and Buckwheat, mean the options are endless. But finding the right balance is key. Some of these grains will not have the same gluten forming proteins as the wheat you find in your 00 bag of flour, and others are used for gluten-free baking because they’re predominantly starch. So, the amounts you will use to blend will vary.

Whole wheat is nothing to be afraid of. But understanding gluten formation and the need for certain proteins will help you understand the correlation between flavor and rise and how much to use.

Laura Meyer is the owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, CA.

The post Knead to Know: Whole Grain Pizzas appeared first on Pizza Today.

Get the Arrabbiata Calabrian Chili and Cup and Char Sausage Pizza recipe

This Arrabbiata won’t make you angry!

I have always loved a little spice on my pizza. It is funny: I never really liked to add red pepper flakes to my whole pizza, but there is something about adding them to a reheated slice from a slice shop that I always loved. Call me crazy. Anyway, adding some Calabrian chili to your pizza sauce can really elevate the flavor and give your pizza some serious punch. I played around a little, trying to find the right balance of heat to complement the sweet of the tomato. This is a super simple recipe that is packed with flavor.

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.

The post On Deck: Arrabbiata Calabrian Chili and Cup and Char Sausage Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

The James Beard Foundation® has announced its 2024 Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian of the Year, and Leadership Awards honorees, and Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees in advance of the James Beard Awards® ceremonies presented by Capital One. Mark your calendar for June 8-10 to cheer on fellow pizza pros who are honorees and finalists. According to an April release, the 33rd annual James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago will be livestreamed Monday, June 10 on Eater.com. The specific 2024 Awards ceremonies will be on the following dates:

• Saturday, June 8, 2024: Media Awards at Columbia College Chicago Student Center
• Sunday, June 9, 2024: Leadership Awards at The Dalcy
• Monday, June 10, 2024: Restaurant and Chef Awards at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Pizzerias are being recognized in several James Beard Award categories. The James Beard Awards are among the nation’s most prestigious honors recognizing leaders in the culinary and food media industries, and those in the broader food systems. Let’s take a look at who in the pizza industry are being showcased by the James Beard Foundation.

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Down North Pizza, Philadelphia, PA Photo by Amurri Lauren

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Down North Pizza, Philadelphia, PA, — Leadership Awards – Industry Culture and Practices, James Beard Awards

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Founder/Owner, Down North Pizza and Down North Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, will receive the Leadership Award for Industry Culture and Practices, which recognizes leaders who have made a significant impact and are acknowledged and recognized as setting industry standards, with a commitment to transforming the industry into one that is sustainable and equitable. These leaders have put in place systems and policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of employees and themselves and have proven to make for a sound financial model for staff and owners alike that foster longevity in the restaurant industry. They are modeling how to make independent restaurants more equitable both within and beyond one’s own businesses.. Abdul-Hadi will be celebrated at an invite-only ceremony in Chicago on Sunday, June 9 and recognized on stage at the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Abdul-Hadi is the founder of Down North Pizza, a mission-driven restaurant that exclusively hires previously incarcerated employees, the release details. As an entrepreneur in property management, retail, and real estate development, Abdul-Hadi focuses on creating business models that offer both employment and housing to formerly incarcerated individuals. In 2015, Abdul-Hadi bought property in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood—a predominantly Black and historically underserved area of Philadelphia marked by high recidivism rates. Abdul-Hadi’s aim was to use the property to offer subsidized housing to individuals negatively impacted by the criminal justice system but has expanded the building’s use with the opening of Down North Pizza. Abdul-Hadi’s philosophy of meeting people where they are—recognizing and valuing their experiences and skills often overlooked in traditional hiring practices—has not only contributed to the success of Down North Pizza but has also set a precedent for future enterprises that seek to combine profit with purpose.

Down North Pizza has been featured in Destinations in Pizza Today Magazine.

Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR Photo Courtesy of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty

Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR — Outstanding Chef, James Beard Awards Finalist

Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR, is a finalist for Outstanding Chef. The award recognizes a chef who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals, while contributing positively to their broader community.

Minnick’s approach to pizza, a farm-to-table menu and mastery of unconventional ingredients has earned her coveted culinary esteem and an entire episode of the Netflix’s hit Chef’s Table. You can listen to her on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today as she shares an operational shift, details of her sourdough and her ingredient philosophy.

Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD — Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, James Beard Awards Finalist

Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD Photo Courtesy of Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana

Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD is a finalist for the award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Conte is the chef-owner of the 44-seat pizzeria that strays from strict Neapolitan pizza guidelines to serve a canotto style, “translates in Italian to ‘dinghy’ or ‘inflatable raft’ – alluding to the airy outer ring serving as crust”, Inferno’s site states.

You can read a quick Conversation with Tony Conte in Pizza Today.

Others Recognized as James Beard Awards Semi-finalists

In addition to those who advanced to the finals, congratulations also goes out to pizzerias and pizza professionals who made the Semi-final round for the James Beard Awards. They are:

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

Bufalina, Austin, TX

Best Chef by Region

California

Michael Procaccini and Stefano Procaccini, La Parolaccia, Long Beach, CA

Great Lakes

Salvador Fernandez, Bridges Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, Greencastle, IN

New York State

Scarr Pimentel, Scarr’s Pizza, New York, NY

For more information about the James Beard Awards, visit jamesbeard.org/awards.

>> Explore more pizzerias who are being recognized nationally and internationally in Pizza Today’s Guide to the 2024 Best Pizza Lists. <<

The post Pizzerias, Pizza Chefs recognized at 2024 James Beard Awards appeared first on Pizza Today.

See who won world’s best pizza in Pan, Non-Traditional, Traditional, Neapolitan, Cheese Slice Pizza and Partner Competitions at Pizza Expo

Pizza makers from pizzerias around the world went head-to-head to find out who makes the best pizza in the world at the International Pizza Challenge (IPC) at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, March 19-21, 2024.

This year’s Challenge included five professional pizza-making divisions and three partner competitions. Traditional Pizza, Non-Traditional Pizza, Neapolitan/STG Pizza, Pan Pizza divisions returned with addition of this year’s newest division, World’s Best Cheese Slice. The Top 5 competitors in the preliminary round faced on the finals for each division. Division winners faced off in the World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year competition. That winner competed in an invite-only Best of the Best competition with previous Pizza Maker of the Year winners.

Partner competitions included Ooni Pizza Throwdown, hosted by Ooni; Plant-Based Competition, hosted by Daiya; and California-Style Competition, hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board.

In all, International Pizza Challenged welcomed 439 unique pizza competitors with a total of about 500 competition spots including the finals and exhibition competition, according to IPC coordinator Jeremy Galvin.

Each competitor baked their signature pizza on the spot at Pizza Expo and presented to a renowned panel of accredited chefs. The preliminary and final competitions had four blind judges, “judging the pizzas completely blind to whom the competitor is,” Galvin says. “This is so the focus is on the food, not who made it, where they are from or what brands they use.”

Note: There is a score next to each winner’s name. “The score next to their name is based on four judge scores,” Galvin says. “We take the highest and lowest scores, average them together then we average that score with the other two scores for a final average score.”

World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year

Tony Cerimele, (161.49) New Columbus Pizza Co., Pittston, Pennsylvania

Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo (March 19-21) in Las Vegas

Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year. After capturing the first-place finish in the Pan Division Finals, Tony went up against winners of the other division’s final — Cheese Slice, Traditional, Non-Traditional, and Neapolitan. During the competition pizza makers were required to use a secret ingredient, Galbani thin sliced fresh mozzarella, when making their pizza that was publicly judged at the competition by a panel of renowned chefs. Find more about World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year competition and read a Q&A with Tony on his winning pizzas.

Best of the Best Pizza Winner

Joe Carlucci, (169.41) Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, Alabama

Joe Carlucci, Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, Alabama, won Best of the Best at International Pizza Challenge 2024

Joe Carlucci, owner of Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, Alabama, captured 2024 Best of the Best title. Carlucci went head-to-head again fellow Pizza Maker of the Year winners in the Best of the Best competition that included three surprise ingredients: pork belly, red onion and pineapple. Carlucci’s win made history as he is the only pizza maker to win pizza titles consecutively three years in a row with his previous 2022 Best Traditional Pizza in the World, 2023 Best Non-Traditional Pizza in the World, and 2023 Pizza Maker of the Year.

Traditional Pizza Division

In the Traditional Pizza Division, Competitors provide the dough, cheese/cheese blend and spices. They must use a red sauce. No more than two (2) of the following toppings may be added: Pepperoni, Sausage, Bacon, Ham, Mushrooms, Peppers, Tomatoes, Onions, and Olives.

Traditional Division Finals Winners

Sergio Balderas, Truly Pizza, Dana Point, California, wins the Traditional Pizza Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

1st Place — Sergio Balderas, (43.62) Truly Pizza, Dana Point, California

2nd Place — Anthony Berghela (43.22) Romo’s Pizza, Glenmont, New York

3rd Place — Matt Hutchinson (41.06) Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana, Houston, Texas

See Traditional Pizza Regional Winners below.

Non-Traditional Pizza Division

The Non-Traditional Pizza Division is an anything goes competition. There are no restrictions on dough, sauce, toppings, or styles.

Non-Traditional Pizza Division Finals Winners

Alex White, Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas, Nevada, wins the Non-Traditional Pizza Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

1st Place — Alex White, Yukon Pizza, (52.52) Las Vegas, Nevada

2nd Place — Michael Vakneen (52.19) Pop Up Pizza, LLC, Las Vegas, Nevada

3rd Place — Mckenzie Sanvido, (52.05) Untamed Wine Estates, Johnson City, Texas

See Non-Traditional Pizza Regional Winners below.

Neapolitan Pizza Division

Neapolitan competitors follow strict rules. The products that provide the base for “Pizza Napoletana” include wheat-flour type “00” with the addition of flour type “0” (no meat tenderizer or other dough enhancers will be allowed), natural yeast, water, peeled San Marzano DOP tomatoes and/or fresh cherry tomatoes, marine salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other machine and must weigh between 250-280g and be no more than 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 45-90 seconds in a 485o C (905o F) pizza oven. There are three official variants: Marinara, Margherita Extra and Margherita.

Neapolitan Pizza Division Winners

Vincenzo Santoro, Song e Napule, New York, New York, wins the Neapolitan Pizza Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

1st Place — Vincenzo Santoro, (46.42) Song e Napule, New York, New York

2nd Place — Cesare Di Iorio, (44.94) Sogno Toscano Inc., Sarasota, Florida

3rd Place — Luca De Marinis, (43.73) Monserate Winery, Fallbrook, California

Pan Pizza Division

Styles that fall into this category include, but are not limited to, the following: Roman, Chicago, Detroit, Grandma, Ohio Valley, Old Forge and Sicilian. There are no restrictions on dough, sauce, or toppings, except that the pizzas must conform to a pan style.

Pan Pizza Division Winners

Tony Cerimele, (54.51) New Columbus Pizza Co., Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, won the Pan Pizza Division at the International Pizza Challenge 2024.

1st Place — Tony Cerimele, (54.51) New Columbus Pizza Co., Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania

2nd Place — Charlie Webb, (50.59) Hudson & Packard, Poughkeepsie, New York

3rd Place — Roy Bass, (49.70) Those Guys Pies, Las Vegas, Nevada

Charlie Webb, Hudson & Packard, Poughkeepsie, New York, won the Shawn Randazzo Memorial Award with the top scoring Detroit style pizza.

World’s Best Cheese Slice Division 

In IPC’s newest division, competitors provide the dough, traditional red tomato sauce (only), cheese/cheese blend and spices. NO par-baking. Once the pizza enters the oven ONLY a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (infused or not), grated cheese & dry spices after baking are acceptable; NO other drizzles, toppings, cheeses, or work on the pizza is allowed once the pizza enters the oven. This division is open to all crust styles.

World’s Best Cheese Slice Division Winners

Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

1st Place — Andy Huynh, (41.14) Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

2nd Place — Lorenzo Hernandez (41.12) The Slice & Pint, El Segundo, California

3rd Place — Vicky Ixcot, (38.74) Andy’s Pizza, Alexandria, Virginia

Regional Winners Recognized in the Traditional and Non-Traditional Divisions

During the preliminaries of the Traditional and Non-Traditional Divisions, highest scoring competitors for each regional are recognized. The first-place winner also won a cash prize. The regions include Southwest, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, Northeast and International.

Traditional Pizza Division Regional Winners

Southwest Region

1st Place — Sergio Balderas, (45.53) Truly Pizza, Dana Point, California

2nd Place — Matt Hutchinson, (42.91) Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana, Houston, Texas

3rd Place — Alastair Hannmann, (42.05) Pizza Buddha, Kapaa, Hawaii

Southeast Region

1st Place — Andy Brown, (42.02) Andy’s Pizza, Alexandria, Virginia

2nd Place — Dustin Finnegan, (40.29) The Nona Slice House, Safety Harbor, Florida

3rd Place — Teo Tomasi, (40.23) Marabella Old World Pizza, Inc., Greenville, North Carolina

Midwest Region

1st Place — Carmela Cataldo, (41.46) Antonio’s Italian Ristorante, Elkhart, Indiana

2nd Place — Ali Afshar, (39.70) Oleys Pepperoni Cannoli, Green Bay, Wisconsin

3rd Place — Nino Del Greco, (39.54) Pizza del Nino, Sterling Heights, Michigan

Northwest Region

1st Place — Bill Crawford, (40.25) Righteous Slice, Rexburg, Idaho

2nd Place — Josh Hillman, (39.33) Sourdough Willy’s Pizzeria, Kingston, Washington

3rd Place — Drew Balstad, (38.75) Rhombus Guys, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Northeast Region

1st Place — Anthony Berghela, (44.81) Romo’s Pizza, Glenmont, New York

2nd Place — Michael Testa, (41.54) Jersey Pizza Boys, Avenel, New Jersey

3rd Place — Perry Bogacz, (40.37) Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Allison Park, Pennsylvania

International Region

1st Place — Gianluca Piersanti, (44.07) Tommy SRLS, Velletri, Italy

2nd Place — Alessio Cataldo, (43.32) Taste Italy, St. Leonard, Quebec, Canada

3rd Place — Fiodar Huminski, (42.43) Pizzéria No. 900, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Non-Traditional Pizza Division Regional Winners

Southwest Region

1st Place — Michael Vakneen, (55.05) Pop Up Pizza, LLC, Las Vegas, Nevada

2nd Place — Alex White, (54.88) Yukon Pizza, (52.52) Las Vegas, Nevada

3rd Place — Mckenzie Sanvido, (53.37) Untamed Wine Estates, Johnson City, Texas

Southeast Region

1st Place — Camryn Suggs, (53.04) Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, Alabama

2nd Place — Alejandro Burgaleta, (52.98) The Pizza Point Miami, LLC, Miami, Florida

3rd Place — Joey Streeter, (51.85) The Nona Slice House, Safety Harbor, Florida

Midwest Region

1st Place — Deserai Satullo, (54.39) Sauced Pizza and Catering, Fairview, Ohio

2nd Place — Paul Cataldo, (47.92) Antonio’s Italian Ristorante, Elkhart, Indiana

3rd Place — Brian Hall, (47.15) Crafters Pizza and Drafthouse, Carmel, Indiana

Northwest Region

1st Place — Anthony Gilbert, (51.54) Melt Pizza Company, Stillwater, Minnesota

2nd Place — Sean Dempsey, (48.17) Dempseys Brewery, Watertown, South Dakota

3rd Place — Niles Peacock, (44.17) Niles Peacock Kitchen & Bar, Edmonds, Washington

Northeast Region

1st Place — Andrew Scudera, (53.81) Goodfellas, Staten Island, New York

2nd Place — Tracy Dykeman, (51.50) Slice on Broadway, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

3rd Place — Eric Von Hansen, (51.24) Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Monroeville, Pennsylvania

International Region

1st Place — Heitor Benatti, (52.97) Forneria Benatti, Caxias Do, Brazil

2nd Place — Bruce Madadi, (51.16) Maipai, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

3rd Place — Aleksandar Aleksic, (50.59) Japes, London, England, UK

Partner Competitions include Ooni Pizza Throwdown, California Milk Advisory Board California-Style Competition and Daiya Plant-based Competition

Ooni Pizza Throwdown

Hosted by Ooni

The Ooni Pizza Throwdown had two divisions, Traditional and Pan. Each competition will be limited to 15 entrants in each category. Entrants may only compete in one category. Pizzas will be made in an entrant’s choice of Ooni oven – either Ooni Koda 16 (Natural Gas) or Ooni Volt 12 (Electric.) Traditional pizzas can be any style cooked directly on the stone. Pan can be any style cooked in a pan or sheet.

Ooni Pan Final Winners

1st Place — Eidref Laxa, (51.83) What’s Good Dough, San Jose, California

2nd Place — Ryan Ososky, (51.70) Dtown Pizzeria, Los Angeles, California

3rd Place — Srdjan Jelcic, (51.35) Japes, London, England, UK

Ooni Traditional Final Winners

1st Place — Ryan Thompson, (42.56) Pogonip Pizza, San Jose, California

2nd Place — Jeff Taylor, (42.19) Staglio Pizza, Westminster, Maryland

3rd Place — Matt Hickey 41.81 Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Plant-Based Competition

Hosted by Daiya

A Plant-Based Competition featuring Daiya Foods Dairy-Free Cheeses! The crust/dough/batter must be fresh or parbaked. In addition, the dough, and all toppings must be plant based. Each competitor’s goal will be to showcase Daiya Foods deliciously dairy-free cheeses and blends, including, but not limited to the following: Daiya Dairy-Free Mozzarella Style Cheese, Daiya Dairy-free Shredded Italian Blend Cheese, Daiya Dairy Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese and Daiya Dairy-free Cream Cheese.

Plant-Based Competition WInners

1st Place — Leonardo Zoppetti, (41.01) Instituto Conpizza, São Paulo, Brazil

2nd Place — Ali Afshar, (39.23) Oleys Pepperoni Cannoli, Green Bay, Wisconsin

3rd Place — Soyeon Chewning, (38.42) Eldora Restaurant, Apo AP, South Korea

California-Style Competition

Hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board

The competition had two (2) divisions, Amateur/Student and Professional divisions, with a maximum of 15 competitors in each division for a total of 30 competitors from across Southeast Asia and Mexico. The Amateur/Student division will consist of culinary students from accredited schools and/or institutions and the professional division will be made up of professional restaurant and pizzeria chefs. Chefs will be able to choose from a selection of more than 250 varieties and styles of award-winning California cheeses to create the most innovative, interesting, and inspiring California-Style pizzas! Each competitor’s goal will be to feature California-Style ingredients and toppings that showcase the best of what the Golden State has to offer, along with a special focus on Real California Cheeses.

California-Style Competition WInners

1st Place — Chef Apisit Jitprasong (54.29)

2nd Place — Chef Shi (Kevin) Zhao (48.59)

3rd Place — Paramet Saisutthi (47.46)

We’ll continue our coverage of competitions at Pizza Expo 2024 in our Pizza Expo News Hub, including more conversations with winners and details on winning pizzas.

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Slice House to Leverage All New Marketing Technology Stack to Support Explosive Growth

SAN FRANCISCO (April 25, 2024) – Slice House by Tony Gemignani, the highly successful fast-casual pizza franchise by world renowned pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani, officially introduced its national franchise program in July 2022 and quickly saw rapid growth, signing 124 multi-unit deals across the San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California, Texas, Utah, Colorado, and Tennessee. As the brand continues to grow, with an anticipated 75 more units to be signed into development by the end of 2024, Slice House is simultaneously building a best-in-class martech stack.

Below is an overview of the cutting-edge technology and digital initiatives that are being rolled out across the Slice House brand in the coming months:

• Updated Brand Identity | To meet the needs of the digital-first world, the Slice House logo has been modernized to support readability, scalability, and overall impact, without compromising brand recognition. The iconic pizza slicer, while still integral to the logo, has been simplified and the font has a more contemporary look and feel with a brighter, tomato red hue.
• New Website | In partnership with BRINK, a digital agency renowned for integrating strategy, data-driven experiences and enterprise technology for brands that put customers at the center of their world, the brand will roll out an all-new websitethat will significantly improve the overall user experience in addition to providing an interface for online ordering and a new Slice House rewards program.
• Digital Marketing | Paytronix, the cloud-based digital guest engagement platform, will allow Slice House to optimize its digital experience. Through its new guest engagement program, Slice will develop a brand new online ordering platform which will be complimented by a user-friendly mobile app, best-in-class customer loyalty program, and highly personalized email marketing campaigns.
• Review Management | SOCi, the CoMarketing Cloud for multi-location enterprises, will streamline digital marketing efforts for the brand to increase online visibility as it continues to scale. In addition to managing local landing pages, this platform will allow Slice House to manage its presence across online listings and review channels, from Google to Yelp, for each location to efficiently update business information and quickly respond to reviews by utilizing generative AI.

Named #1 Emerging Brand in Pizza Marketplace’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers 2023, Slice House has since built upon its nationwide program to offer franchisees even greater support and value, including a partnership with global leader in real estate services JLL, and welcoming David Denton as Fractional Chief Technology Officer along with Chief Marketing Officer Renae Scott, who joined in November 2023.

“We are thrilled to be working with best-in-class restaurant marketing and technology partners to support our brand partners as we continue the brand’s growth trajectory,” states Renae Scott, Chief Marketing Officer of Slice House.

Slice House is actively seeking qualified brand partners to develop new territories across the country.  For more information on franchise opportunities, please visit slicehousefranchise.com.

ABOUT SLICE HOUSE BY TONY GEMIGNANI

Slice House by Tony Gemignani, founded by the globally acclaimed 13-time world pizza champion, offers an unparalleled pizza experience, blending artisan craftsmanship with fast-casual dining. Originating from San Francisco’s iconic North Beach neighborhood, Slice House has expanded with over 124 units open or under development, providing a diverse menu from signature New York to California style pizzas, including health-conscious options, complemented by a hand-picked selection of local craft brews and natural wines. Recognized as the #1 Emerging Brand in Pizza Marketplace’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers, Slice House’s nationwide franchise program extends Tony’s legendary expertise and authentic original recipes to entrepreneurs, embodying a legacy of excellence with a versatile business model suited for a range of dining and delivery services.

The post Slice House by Tony Gemignani Brand Evolves as the Franchise Program Continues to Expand appeared first on Pizza Today.

Antico Pizza Napaletana, Atlanta, GA

While the list of esteemed accolades continues to grow, the formula for Antico Pizza remains the same, and its place in the dining community continues to expand. Last year, Antico joined 10 Atlanta restaurants that were awarded MICHELIN’s Bib Gourmand status. Antico Pizza is not only a standout among restaurants in Atlanta, but it also is one of just 13 pizza restaurants in the United States and one of 25 in the world to earn the Bib Gourmand status.

“To be recognized in this elite selection of Atlanta restaurants is humbling,” says Di Palma. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this inaugural class of Atlanta restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide. As we celebrate Antico Pizza’s 15^th year, we are excited to receive this new accolade as we continue to evolve.”

From the beginning, he stayed faithful to his family’s age-old pizza Napoletana recipe. The yeasty dough is prepared with finely milled 00 flour, just like in Naples; cheeses are flown in fresh from Italy each week; and he only uses imported San Marzano DOP tomatoes in his tangy red sauce, Sicilian sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Each pizza is flash-baked for 90 seconds in 1,000-degree custom-built ovens crafted from ancient Santa Maria brick and volcanic rock from Mt. Vesuvius.

Antico created its original style of pizza and caused a nationwide trend. Over the last 15 years, Di Palma has won numerous “Best of” awards, obtained a special Italian certification and was named best pizza in the United States by the Festa Della Pizza in Naples in 2010. Since opening in 2009, the beloved pizza spot has gathered countless awards and recognitions including:

• Top in Class for United States, Festa Della Pizza in Salerno, 2010
• Critics’ Pick for Best Pizza, Creative Loafing, 2010, 2011
• Readers’ Pick for Best Pizza, Creative Loafing, 2010-2018
• #2 Best of Atlanta, Zagat, 2011
• Where to Eat and Drink in Atlanta, Bon Appetit, 2013
• 10 Best Pizza in the U.S., Business Insider, 2013
• Top 10 Pizzas in the U.S., Gayot, 2013
• Best Pizza in Atlanta, Huffington Post, 2014
• #1 Most Iconic Atlanta Pizzerias, Eater, 2014
• Readers’ Choice for Best Pizza, Atlanta Magazine, 2014
• Best. Ever. with Ted Allen – featured, Food Network, 2015
• #7 Best Pizza in the U.S., TripAdvisor, 2015
• Best Italian Style Pizza, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2015
• 12 New Pizza Classics, Food & Wine Magazine, 2015
• 10 Best Atlanta Restaurants, USA Today, 2016
• 50 Best Restaurants, Atlanta Magazine, 2017
• Best Pizza in 23 U.S. Cities, Zagat, 2017
• Where to Eat, Drink in Atlanta, Sports Illustrated, 2017
• The 101 Best Pizzas in America, The Daily Meal, 2019
• Best Pizza Place in Atlanta | Best of Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2019
• The 10 Best Pizzerias in Atlanta, Serious Eats, 2019
• 9 Great New Pizza Places in Atlanta, Zagat, 2019
• # 3 Best Pizza Place in Atlanta | Best of Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2020
• #4 Best Pizza in Atlanta, GA Followers, 2020
• The Best Pizza in Every State, Food & Wine Magazine, 2021
• Best Pizza in Atlanta, Thrillist, 2021
• Where to Eat Pizza in Atlanta, Creative Loafing, 2021
• Best Pizza in Atlanta, Access Atlanta, 2022
• Best Pizza in Atlanta, The Atlantan, 2023
• Best Pizza in Atlanta, Gayot, 2023
• Steak Shapiro’s Top 10 Pizzas (#2), Atlanta Eats, 2023
• Best Pizza in Atlanta, The Infatuation, 2023
• #2 Best of Atlanta Pizza, Secret Atlanta, 2023
• #3 Best Pizza in Atlanta, TimeOut, 2023
• #1 Best Pizza in Alpharetta, Rough Draft, 2023
• Top 10 Best Pizza in Atlanta, Culture Trip, 2023
• #16 Best Pizza in the Country, TimeOut, 2023
• #35 Best in the U.S.A., 50 Top Pizzas, 2023
• Top 17 Best in the Country, Gotham Magazine, 2023
• Top 100 Restaurants in Atlanta, Jezebel, 2023
• Best Pizza in Atlanta, Epicurious
• Best Pizza in Every State, Reader’s Digest, 2024

The post Antico Pizza Napoletana Celebrates 15 Years and Continues to Defy Conventional Culinary Expectations in Atlanta appeared first on Pizza Today.

Balancing Act: Flavorful Pizza Topping Combinations

“We can form a single united body, while the enemy must spit up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted against the separate parts of the whole, which means we shall be many to the enemy’s few.”  Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 5th Century B.C.

Making pizza is art. Each pizza is a song that starts with techniques to turn time, temperature, water, bacteria and grain into gasses, which, in turn, creates a textural wonder that is enjoyed with the allegro of toppings that play fast, quick and bright across the palate. The sensory memory that sets this pizza apart is a song that people seek out again and again, be it folded in your hand, on a piece of foil, cardboard box or porcelain plate. Pizza transforms inspiration, imagination and insight into a symphony of human creativity. Combining toppings is essential to building these perfect tastes, but to create these masterpieces, you just need to know how.

Usually, when someone asks me about pizza toppings, my pizza mind automatically goes to my makeline menu mix. I see that shiny monster and lift the lids to see the same-old 12 toppings. If you’re like me, you can’t help it — these are the backbone of my pizzeria, the most favorite pizza toppings that my customers order over and over. Our customers’ memories are all about that great experience they had before with these toppings, but these flavor memories can also be replicated in the present tense using creative and well-thought-out combinations. We all must agree that customers are becoming increasingly adventurous with their pizzas. This means that we need to be ahead of the culinary curve and know how to pair toppings in new and innovative ways.

Taste Treatment Plant

There are several ways to think about topping combinations that make for terrific pizzas. One is the flavor history of cooking and pizza, followed by the quality of toppings on hand, and lastly how these toppings interact with others and the platform that they are presented on. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before engineering a new pizza.

Taste: Is it Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Acidy/Sour or Umami/Savory?

Texture: Is it Dry, Crunchy, Soft, Gooey, Wet or Chewy?

Aroma: Is it Sweet, Smokey, Vegetal, Pungent or Wheaty?

Color: Does it have eye appeal?

Pairing: Is there a feeling of completeness? Do all the topping players embrace each other by complimenting or balancing each other?

When thinking about pairing toppings on pizza, think about the last time you’ve experienced a new combination. That taste starts with color stimulating your eye in an introduction to the whole experience followed by aroma, which consists of 80-90 percent of the flavor experience. The textural crunch of a brilliant cornicione, or crust, releases the salty wheatiness that stimulates your appetite, while the sweet umami of the cheese satisfies your need for pleasure. Perhaps the sourness, acidity or spiciness of an ancillary topping adds sparkle and brightness to the finish. You marvel as every bite combines the five elements in a symphony of taste.

Pizza Topping Pairing Blender

Many pizza makers swear by adding only 2-3 toppings to a pizza. But depending upon whether you’re adding flavor vs. enhancing flavor, this may not be enough to bring the flavors to the pinnacle of taste. Your choice of heightening flavors can take two avenues: Adding flavor or enhancing flavor.

Here are a few examples of adding flavor to a three-topping pizza to make it shine:

• Gorgonzola + Pear + Walnut (add spinach)
• Mozzarella + Basil + Tomato (add Prosciutto di Parma)
• Gruyere + Ham + Hazelnuts (add fig jam)

Here is an example of enhancing flavor to a three-topping pizza to make it shine:

• Manchego + Quince Paste + Almonds (enhance by roasting almonds)
• Caciocavallo + Ham + Red Peppers (enhance by pickling the red peppers)
• Provolone + Tomato sauce + Roasted Red Onion (Enhance by roasting onions with Calabrian chilies)

Extra Texture

The creation of pizza is in a unique position to project flavors because it has a very flavorful platform to consider while planning a flavor path. Much like pasta, you need to consider not only the texture, flavor and overall mouthfeel of the pizza but the way it is cooked. Is it caramelized, pillowy and charred, or crispy, thin and golden?

These examples provide just a peek into how pizzas may be enhanced by pizza toppings. There are many historical topping variations to look for that have been used in the past that work well on the pizza platform. They are:

• Gorgonzola, Fig Jam, Walnuts
• Artichoke, Roasted Leek, Parmigiano, Cream
• Mozzarella, Ricotta, Mortadella, Pistachio
• Anchovy, Garlic, Romano, Parsley
• Zucchini, Egg, Parmigiano
• Clam, Chili, Parsley, Romano
• Eggplant, Roasted Red Pepper, Onion
• Tomato, Garlic, Oregano
• Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Red Onions
• Peaches, Bresaola, Burrata, Pecan
• Steak, Blue Cheese, Watercress
• Fennel, Sausage, Radicchio, Chili flakes

Pork Belly Pizza with Roasted Leeks, Pickled Lemon and Hazelnut

This pizza is amazing because of the wonderful pairing of leeks and pork which transforms like a mushroom cloud of flavor. The Gruyere adds a sour note to the melting mozzarella and the sweet lemon hit is followed by the textural crunch of the hazelnuts.

Get the Pork Belly Pizza with Roasted Leeks, Pickled Lemon and Hazelnut recipe.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post Topping combinations that turn pizza into a winning symphony of flavor appeared first on Pizza Today.

This pizza is amazing because of the wonderful pairing of leeks and pork which transforms like a mushroom cloud of flavor. The Gruyere adds a sour note to the melting mozzarella and the sweet lemon hit is followed by the textural crunch of the hazelnuts.

The post Pork Belly Pizza with Roasted Leeks, Pickled Lemon and Hazelnut appeared first on Pizza Today.

“You Tip, We Tip” promotion gives customers a $3 “tip” to use on their next online delivery order

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) brought you Carryout Tips. Now the largest pizza company in the world, known for its value innovation, is launching You Tip, We Tip – a promotion that tips customers who tip their delivery drivers, beginning April 29.

“Domino’s drivers have been hustling to deliver hot, delicious pizzas since 1960, and we love that customers have been tipping them for their great service since day one,” said Kate Trumbull, Domino’s senior vice president – chief brand officer. “But these days, everywhere you go, there’s a tip screen. The pressure to tip is real, even when no extra service is provided. So, we decided to flip the script and show our appreciation by tipping customers back.”

How Does You Tip, We Tip Work?

When customers tip their Domino’s delivery driver $3 or more online, they’ll receive a $3 coupon to use on the following week’s online delivery order.

Domino’s is the first quick-service restaurant to tip customers for tipping their delivery drivers. To learn more about Domino’s You Tip, We Tip promotion, visit dominos.com/youtipwetip.

About Domino’s Pizza^®

Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with a significant business in both delivery and carryout pizza. It ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 20,500 stores in over 90 markets. Domino’s had global retail sales of nearly $18.3 billion in 2023. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 99% of Domino’s stores as of the end of fiscal 2023. In the U.S., Domino’s generated more than 85% of U.S. retail sales in 2023 via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms including seven unique ways to order Domino’s. In 2023, Domino’s launched Pinpoint Delivery, a new technology that allows customers to receive a delivery nearly anywhere, including places like parks, baseball fields and beaches.

Order – dominos.com
Company Info – biz.dominos.com
Media Assets – media.dominos.com

SOURCE Domino’s Pizza Inc.

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Marco’s brand brings quality and fresh flavor to the forefront to elevate every occasion

TOLEDO, Ohio, April 22, 2024 – Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announced today the launch of a new brand platform, But Wait, There’s Marco’s™, designed to disrupt routine ordering behavior and remind consumers of a tastier option – Marco’s Pizza!

The opportunity to awaken consumers to the flavorful choice is significant. In fact, 66% of consumers had pizza within the last week, yet 96% of consumers’ last pizza order was from an establishment they had been to before, according to the Datassential 2024 Pizza Keynote.

But Wait, There’s Marco’s™ encourages consumers to break free from the mundane and try the big, bold flavors of Marco’s Pizza that come from its commitment to craftmanship: fresh dough made in every store, every day; the founder’s signature sauce; a fresh, never frozen  blend of three real cheeses; and premium toppings baked atop an always golden crust.

The new brand platform kicks off today with a national advertising campaign, created by Chicago-based BarkleyOKRP. At the heart of the campaign are new :15 and :30 spots that will air on major networks on linear and streaming TV, executed by Marco’s new media agency of record, Noble People.

In addition to the new TV spots, the brand is bringing But Wait, There’s Marco’s™ to life through print, radio, paid social media, digital out-of-home units, email marketing, and a full creative refresh that delivers a brighter, more modern look and feel across all touch points.

“From day one, Marco’s Pizza has delivered superior quality and next-level flavor. And it’s time for more consumers to taste the difference,” said Denise Lauer, Chief Marketing Officer, Marco’s Franchising, LLC. “The launch of our new brand platform, But Wait, There’s Marco’s, inspires consumers to change up their pizza routine and experience the extraordinary flavor that we bring to the table every day. We believe consumers will discover that Marco’s Pizza is more than better.”

From captivating new imagery of its hallmark products to an unforgettable new tagline that interrupts common pizza eating occasions, the But Wait, There’s Marco’s™ brand platform urges consumers to never settle for mediocre pizza.

“There’s nothing better than a delicious rhythmic hook to shake up the status quo. And we’re doing this by celebrating the quality and craft that goes into every Marco’s pizza,” said Matt Reinhard, BarkleyOKRP Founder and Head of Design. “With this new campaign, we have an opportunity to showcase a modern twist on one of the category’s fastest growing brands.”

Marco’s Treats Taste Buds with Two Delicious Offers

Starting today, consumers can make Marco’s their first-round pick and score 32% off all menu-price pizzas* using code 32MPP this Monday, April 22 through Thursday, April 25. Offer available for online and app orders only; see www.marcos.com for details.

In addition, the brand is celebrating the launch of its new But Wait, There’s Marco™ platform with an unbeatable offer to help consumers elevate their pizza experience. Marco’s most popular pizza – the Pepperoni Magnifico® loaded with both classic and crispy, cupped Old World Pepperoni® – is available for just $9.99 using code PEPMAG for a limited time.**

For more information about this offer, Marco’s Pizza and to find your nearest location, please visit www.marcos.com or download our mobile app available on the App Store or Google Play.

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA

Marco’s Pizza is the one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and delivers a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,100 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 51 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2023 “Franchise 500” ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek’s 2023 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, ranked No. 40 on QSR’s Top 50 and has been featured six consecutive years on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.

* Use code: 32MPP. Limited time only. Price and participation may vary. Available only on orders placed through Marco’s app and marcos.com only. Not valid with catering, other offers, or discounts or through 3rd-party delivery apps. Order must include all required items. Price and delivery fee may vary. Delivery orders must meet stated minimum. Other restrictions may apply.

** Use Code PEPMAG. Valid on the Large Pepperoni Magnifico® only. For a limited time only at participating stores. Order must include all required items. Not valid with other offers or discounts or through 3rd-party delivery apps. Price and delivery fee may vary. Delivery orders must meet stated minimum. Other restrictions may apply.

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Featuring thin, foldable pizza slices with the perfect balance of cheese, sauce and toppings

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 15, 2024 – Craving a delicious, new crust that is thin and cut into big, foldable slices? Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), the largest pizza company in the world, has you covered. Introducing New York Style Pizza: a pizza that is designed to be even more delicious, whether you hail from New York City or beyond.

Domino’s New York Style Pizza is made with fresh, never frozen dough that is stretched thin, by hand. It is topped with a melty blend of cheese made with 100% real mozzarella and provolone, and cut into six big, foldable slices.

“Domino’s prides itself on offering a variety of pizza crusts for all different tastes,” said Russell Weiner, Domino’s CEO. “Our pizza chefs created this new pizza crust to allow the deliciousness of our ingredients to shine through. It has the perfect balance of crust, sauce, cheese and toppings in every bite, making it the star of the show. New York Style Pizza may become our customers’ new favorite crust!”

Customers looking to try Domino’s New York Style Pizza can take advantage of the following deals:

• Large three-topping New York Style Pizzas for $10.99 each
• Mix & Match Deal: order any two or more menu items (including medium two-topping New York Style Pizzas) for $6.99 each
• Domino’s Rewards members may also redeem 60 points for a free medium two-topping New York Style Pizza.

To locate the nearest Domino’s and place an order, visit dominos.com.

About Domino’s Pizza^®

Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with a significant business in both delivery and carryout pizza. It ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 20,500 stores in over 90 markets. Domino’s had global retail sales of nearly $18.3 billion in 2023. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 99% of Domino’s stores as of the end of fiscal 2023. In the U.S., Domino’s generated more than 85% of U.S. retail sales in 2023 via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms including seven unique ways to order Domino’s. In 2023, Domino’s launched Pinpoint Delivery, a new technology that allows customers to receive a delivery nearly anywhere, including places like parks, baseball fields and beaches.

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ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 9, 2024– Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) (“Papa Johns” or “Company”) today announced plans to open 50 new restaurants by 2028 in partnership with franchisee Nadeem Bajwa and his company, The Bajco Group, which has grown over the past 20 years to become one of Papa Johns largest domestic franchisees.

Furthering Bajwa’s goal to own 500 Papa Johns restaurants, the new agreement will expand the Papa Johns footprint in The Bajco Group’s existing markets across the Midwest and in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Florida, adding to the more than 200 restaurants the franchisee and his team currently operate.

“Nadeem’s story is a clear example of how Papa Johns supports its franchisees to build shared success,” said Joe Sieve, Papa Johns Chief Restaurant Officer “After starting his Papa Johns journey as a delivery driver, today he is one of the strongest ambassadors for the opportunities Papa Johns presents to its team members and franchisees. Nadeem’s confidence in the brand and expertise in the industry reinforces why he knows there has never been a better time to grow with Papa Johns.”

A proponent of paying it forward and creating future opportunities for his team members to build their own businesses with Papa Johns, Bajwa credits the Company’s business model and strong brand equity as integral to his success.

“Signing this deal, I am as excited today as I was 20 years ago when I opened my first restaurant,” Bajwa said. “Papa Johns is not just about business. My team members are my family – and that’s a whole different ballgame. I’m proud that in partnership with Papa Johns, I have been able to pursue my own aspiration, and watch my own team members go from starting their first jobs to becoming leaders.”

Earlier this year, Papa Johns announced the Back to Growth Program (B2G Program), a new development incentive program designed to accelerate growth in North America as part of its Back to Better 2.0 strategy. The new program will boost restaurant-level margins during the first five years of operations of new restaurants – equating to a 600-basis point of annual cost savings in restaurant P&Ls – which is expected to significantly improve cash-on-cash returns for franchisees, add scale for Papa Johns in key markets and attract growth-oriented franchisees.

In tandem with this program, Papa Johns is making significant investments to strengthen its North America development infrastructure. To attract new, growth-oriented franchisees and support current developing franchisees, Papa Johns is strengthening its development team through several key hires who will specifically focus on unlocking accelerated franchisee growth.

About Papa Johns

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) (“Papa Johns”) opened its doors in 1984 with one goal in mind: BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA.® Papa Johns believes that using high quality ingredients leads to superior quality pizzas. Its original dough is made of only six ingredients and is fresh, never frozen. Papa Johns tops its pizzas with real cheese made from mozzarella, pizza sauce made with vine-ripened tomatoes that go from vine to can in the same day and meat free of fillers. It was the first national pizza delivery chain to announce the removal of artificial flavors and synthetic colors from its entire food menu. Papa Johns is co-headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. and Louisville, Ky. and is the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company with more than 5,900 restaurants in approximately 50 countries and territories. For more information about the Company or to order pizza online, visit www.papajohns.com or download the Papa Johns mobile app for iOS or Android.

About Bajco Group

The Bajco Group is a privately held business enterprise based in the United States with its principal office in Canfield, Ohio and satellite office in Lahore, Pakistan. Its affiliated companies currently own and manage 200+ Papa John’s Pizza restaurants across 10 states in the U.S. and a commercial real estate portfolio across Midwest region of the United States.

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Learn how to make the year’s biggest pizza styles: Detroit, New York, Grandma, Sicilian, Chicago Thin

We’re predict which pizza style will be the year’s trending pizza style. During our recent pizzeria operator survey, we asked which pizza styles pizzeria owners looked to add in the next year. We included those pizza style findings in our 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report. You can see more of this year’s biggest trends in the report.

Let’s dive a little deeper into the five most popular trending pizza styles and get into the pizza dough formula and pizza dough recipes so you can test a new pizza style in your restaurant.

Top 5 Trending Pizza Styles Dough Recipes

Detroit Style Pizza is proving it has staying power as the hot pizza style to add. A mover and shaker is New York-style pizza making its debut in the Top 5 Pizza Styles to add. Pushed out of the Top 5 by a paper-thin margin is Roman style. Here are the Top 5 Pizza Style trending this year:

1. Detroit
2. Grandma
3. Sicilian
4. New York
5. Chicago Thin

Now let’s explore each dough style and find out how to make Detroit, New York, Grandma, Sicilian and Chicago Thin pizzas with tips and advices from the pizza industry’s top pizza masters and dough experts.

Pepperoni Detroit-style Pizza, Via 313, Austin, TX

Detroit Style Pizza Dough Recipe

Detroit-style pizza is the top pizza style on the rise two years in a row. Detroit pizza came on the national scene a decade ago and growing to mainstream status within the past few years. The square pizza is distinctively unique down to how its dough is proofed, the baking process down to ingredients used and how to apply toppings.

Detroit-style pizza features a medium-thick crust that’s light and airy on the inside, yet crispy on the outside, a signature of authenticity that’s achieved by a high moisture content (between a 68- and 72-percent hydration level) and the proofing process. Preparing your Detroit-style pizza dough takes care and attention to detail. Other identifying characteristics include: Pizzas is baked in square steel pans. Cheese is spread evenly across the entire pizza, edge to edge. Brick cheese is commonly used. Sauce goes on the top. Check out a complete Guide to Detroit Style Pizza.

Now to the Detroit Style Pizza Dough Recipe. We have three recipes for you to try from some of the biggest names in the pizza business. They are:

Smoke’s Detroit-Style Pizza Dough Recipe. Jeff Smokevitch is a World Pizza Champion who brought Detroit Style Pizza to Colorado — first to Telluride at Brown Dog Pizza, then to Denver and beyond with Blue Pan Pizza. Follow this Detroit pizza recipe. Jeff Smokevitch leads a demonstration at Pizza Expo to teach how to make a Detroit-style pizza. You can also watch him as he created a Detroit pizza in his home kitchen.

Detroit-Style Pizza Dough by John Arena. Co-owner of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas, John Arena is a go-to pizza dough expert. He shares his Detroit pizza recipe that includes a Poolish for Detroit-Style Pizza Dough. His recipe walks you through the dough process, dough fermentation and room temperature proof.

Tony’s Trending Recipe: Detroit Pizza. Tony Gemignani is a world-famous pizza master and restaurateur with over 30 restaurants, most notably Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco. His recipe pays tribute to Shawn Randazzo.

Grandpa Pie, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, San Franciso, California

Grandma Pizza Dough Recipe

Grandma Pizza (aka Grandma Pie) is New York’s famous other pizza style. In a 2015 Respecting the Craft Column, Tony Gemignani made this prediction about the grandma pie that has come to fruition: “this unique style will soon gain momentum in the Midwest and on the West Coast.” What made the style gain momentum? He went on to say, “They are cooked in a half-black reinforced sheet pan, are heavily oiled and feature sliced mozzarella (sometimes shredded or fresh mozz). These pizzas are topped with tomato sauce and cooked in a gas brick oven. You could finish it with Grana Padano, herbs, pecorino, olive oil, Parmigiano and chopped garlic. Sometimes the dry cheese can go on before. This pizza is typically shorter/thinner than your typical Sicilian. It’s great for delivery, dine in and by the slice. Typically, this pizza is slightly fried more than a Sicilian because of the excess oil and thinness.

“Some of these pizzas have a very simple tomato sauce comprised of puréed or hand crushed tomatoes. Others have a super-sweet sauce or are a bit over-spiced. For example, you could use sugar, onions, onion powder, oregano and other dry or fresh herbs in the sauce. I’ve seen it several ways. Italian families always remember their grandma or mother making pizzas at home. It was always pushed out in some well-oiled pan, and they would add ingredients like anchovies, olive, crushed tomato, onions or cheese. The name literally originated from our collective grandma. It was simple, memorable and fun.”

Now, let’s get into the Grandma Pie pizza dough recipe. Tony Gemignani shares a recipe can be made from your pizza dough. Try the Grandma Pizza Dough Recipe.

Sicilian Pizza by John Gutekanst, Avalanche Pizza, Athens, Ohio

Sicilian Pizza Dough Recipe

To get to know this pizza style, let’s turn to our dough expert Laura Meyer in her Knead to Know: Sicilian Style Pizza. “Nowadays when you see Sicilian-style pizza on a menu, it generally means a thick-crust pizza made in a rectangular pan cut into square slices. Besides that, the range of toppings and application of toppings varies just as much as any other style of pizza. In addition, like other styles the line between bread and Sicilian “pizza” has blurred tremendously with techniques associated with other styles blended into it. But Sicilian pizza traces its inception back to sfincione.”

The dough is where the differentiation shines for Audrey Kelly, owner of Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado in an article exploring the difference between Grandma and Sicilian pizzas. “They are risen for hours and then par baked. The bottom should always be crispy, providing a nice crunch to contrast the pillowy, light middle. They are rectangular in shape as opposed to the traditional square shape of a grandma. All of our pizza is naturally leavened, AKA sourdough. The Sicilian is where you can truly taste the beauty of this method. The long rise and fermentation really accentuate the flavor and strengthens the texture. I think of Sicilians as a cloud that carries a light amount of toppings. Some people might think that since the Sicilian is thicker in structure it can hold up to more toppings.

Dough Expert Laura Meyer, owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, California, expands further. “Sicilians land between focaccia and the Roman pan style in that focaccia is very closely related to the Sicilian in its original form. Roman techniques and flours have begun to creep into the Sicilian style turning it into a sort of hybrid. Roman can take upwards of three days and have a high hydration leading to a very thin, crispy crust with a very large and airy open crumb structure. Since a lot of toppings are put on after the cooking process in Roman pans, it makes sense to have a large, open crumb structure as it does. The Sicilian style is meant to carry a heavier, wetter ingredient load so having a spongier texture that can hold everything without deflating it is ideal. Using long and controlled fermentation times, like Chris and John do, give the Sicilian a lightness to the interior. Hydrations into the 70s and above are more common with Roman styles and breads although can be found with some Sicilians. When it comes to higher hydrations, cook temps and whether doughs are topped and baked from raw or par baked then topped and cooked lends to very different finished products. The debate over par bakes or cooked form raw extends into Sicilians. For those looking for a slight crisp and a very soft interior, cooking from raw will give you that texture albeit a longer cook time. Par baking is going to give you a soft interior but the double bake is going to cook out more of the moisture giving you a firmer outer crust.”

Check out a basic Sicilian Style Pizza Dough Recipe to test in your kitchen.

New York Style Pizza, Joe’s Pizza, West Village, New York City

New York Style Pizza Dough Recipe

New York Style Pizza is the No 1. most popular pizza in America. The first licensed pizzeria to open in the U.S. was Lombari’s, which opened in New York City in 1905. Dough uses flour, water, yeast, salt, olive oil. Typically, it requires a two- to three-day cold ferment. The crust is crispy, yet light and foldable. Crust should be about 1/8-inch thick through the middle with a raised edge. Slices should be cut into triangles. The signature way to eat a New York pizza slice is to fold it in half from crust edge to edge. Toppings are dispersed evenly and not too heavy to weigh down the pliable slice.

International Pizza Consultant Anthony Falco contributed a Knead to Know Column all about NY pizza. In the article, he says, “a NY-style pizza is big, it’s thin but not paper thin, crispy but still flexible enough to fold without cracking, and the toppings should be a cohesive amalgamation and applied with restraint and simplicity. It shouldn’t be too fancy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use quality ingredients. It should always be cooked directly on the stones of the oven floor, be that gas, wood, electric or coal.” Falco also provided his New York Pizza dough recipe. Try Anthony Falco’s New York Style Pizza recipe.

In John Arena’s Knead to Know column, he conducted a Q&A with 2017’s NY-style Caputo Cup winner Dr. Derek Sanchez, who owns MiaMarcos in San Antonio, Texas. Derek provided a New York Pizza Dough formula using Baker’s Percentage. Check out Derek Sanchez’s New York Style Pizza dough formula.

For a traditional, basic New York style recipe, try this New York Style pizza dough recipe.

Chicago Thin Crust Pizza, Eno’s Pizza Tavern, Dallas, Texas

Chicago Thin Style Pizza Dough Recipe

Notice all the super thin crust pizza that many are referring to as Tavern style lately? The original tavern style is from Chicago, a city also known for its Deep Dish. Chicago Thin Crust Style Pizza is far from its thick sibling. It has recently experienced an explosion in popularity. It’s something that the late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann saw coming in the early 2010s. He said, when it comes to Chicago Thin, “any good, patent grade bread flour with 10.5- to 11.5-percent protein content should work well.” There are also a couple specifics he discusses. “A planetary type mixer will work best for mixing this dough. You will need to use a dough sheeter/roller to form the dough into skins. You could roll the dough by hand, but you will soon find this to be a lot of work. Hot and cold presses are just not suited to this production method.”
The Dough Doctor provided his dough formula for Chicago Thin with step-by-step instructions. Follow Tom Lehmann’s Chicago Thin Crust Pizza Dough recipe.

Dough expert Laura Meyer offers advice for those looking for a super crispy Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in her article Tavern Style Pizza is Sweeping the Nation. “Par baking the dough is another way to add crispiness to a thin-crust pie. As much as I love crispy thin-crust pizzas, they lose that crunch very quickly as the pizza cools down. Maintaining that crispiness is one of the hardest traits to keep. Utilizing cornmeal and a par bake or double bake method helps ensure your pizza stays crispy for a longer period of time. How would you do this?

Coat your dough ball in cornmeal and roll it out with a rolling pin or use a sheeter. Once you’ve reached your desired size or thickness, dock it, place it on a peel and slide it into the oven. Without any sauce, cheese or toppings, par bake it just for two minutes or just until it’s no longer raw and the bottom is just beginning to show some spots of color. Remove it from the oven and stack them until ready to use. When an order comes in, top it as you normally would and then finish the bake until it’s crispy and the toppings are cooked.”

Want to go even crispier, Tony Gemignani says in a Respecting the Craft column, “You can actually achieve a crispier crust by cooking in a well-seasoned pan. And doing so also is great for texture and flavor. Different types of oils can be used if you settle on this method. Play around with olive oil, cottonseed oil, canola or fats such as Crisco, butter or lard.”

Let’s not forget a Chicago Deep Dish Dough Recipe

Often thought of as the Windy City’s only pizza style. Deep Dish, joins Chicago Thin and Stuffed Pizzas as region’s pizza styles. Particularly popular in the Midwest, this style of pizza speaks for itself. It’s a close cousin to the Chicago-stuffed pie — the obvious difference being that all the toppings are placed on top and there is only one layer of dough. This unique pie stands out with a crisp, biscuit-like crust that comes up the sides of a three-inch pan. It’s thick with cheese and other ingredients, and then topped with a chunky tomato sauce and baked for 30 to 45 minutes.

Here’s a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Dough Recipe.

This should get you started testing a new trending pizza style. Have fun and let us know what you learn in your test kitchen.

The post Pizza Dough Recipes for Top Trending Pizza Styles appeared first on Pizza Today.

Read the April 2024 Issue of Pizza Today Magazine

It’s our Desserts Issue. Get dessert recipes and ideas. Find tips and advice on marketing desserts and outsourcing your desserts. Explore pizzas featuring spring produce. Discover how pizzerias are backing a cause on their menu.

You can check out the full Digital Edition — Pizza Today April 2024.

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Spring is a time of renewal. Let’s give your menu a spring spruce up. After sparse winter offerings, spring ushers in new and exciting produce to try on your menu. There are so many new vegetation “popping up” from the ground. Why not turn the spring bounty into pizza specials?

John Gutekanst not only loves bringing spring produce to the menu, he even forages for spring’s wild flavors. Check out his article: Spring’s Bounty is Ripe for Your Pizza Menu.

We have more ideas for you, too. Bring spring to your menu with some of these offerings:

1. Asparagus ushers in the spring season. Think asparagus is just for roast and serving as a side with meat protein? Think again. Let asparagus shine with a pizza beautifully featuring spears with lemon, smoked pancetta, Asiago and mozzarella. Get the recipe from World Pizza Champion and Restaurateur Tony Gemignani: Tony’s Trending Recipe: Asparagus Pizza. Or, try it shaved for more even distribution. Try this Shaved Asparagus and Egg Pizza. For more Asparagus ideas, read Asparagus: Bring the Spring.
2. Go to Greens. Spring is the perfect time to finish you pizzas with greens. The early spring enables cold-loving greens like arugula, green garlic, spinach, romaine, ramps, rhubarb, cilantro and sprouts to pop either in farmed fields or on their own in the wild. The warmer weather of late spring brings on the stiffer and hardier garlic scapes, kale, chard, radicchio, endive and nasturtium. Try this Ramp and Walnut Pesto recipe.
3. Room for Shrooms. Spring is a great time to incorporate wild mushroom. It’s the season where foragers look for beloved Morels and Oyster mushrooms. Check out this mushroom guide.
4. Add leeks before the season closes. Leeks work well with sausage and potatoes and great as a ravioli stuffing. Try the Leek-a-Choke Ravioli.
5. Say “Yes” to Pineapple. Spring is primetime for this controversial pizza topping. You can go with the classic Hawaiian and BBQ pizzas. Or you can go creative with pies like the Pineapple Upside-Down Pizza or Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza.

We can’t wait to see how you celebrate spring! Let us know ways you are bringing spring to your menus by tagging @PizzaToday on your social.

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Pizzerias are creating limited-edition pies to support local causes and generating buzz in the process

Bill Jacobs’s voice fills with energy as he discusses the 2024 Slice to Meet You campaign at Piece, his Chicago-based brewery and pizzeria.

Starting in January, Piece debuted a different monthly pizza crafted in collaboration with an acclaimed Chicago chef in support of PAWS Chicago, the Midwest’s largest no-kill animal shelter. For every $35 pizza sold over the three-month fundraising campaign, PAWS collected $50 – a $10 donation from Piece coupled with matching donations from four separate donors. After raising nearly $30,000 for PAWS last year, Jacobs hopes this year’s edition, which concludes April 9, surpasses $50,000.

“This has taken on a life of its own,” Jacobs says. “People are passionate about animals, celebrity chefs and pizza, so we hit the trifecta right there.”

Many pizzerias share Jacobs’s zeal for community-centered philanthropy, which can be good for the soul and for business by stimulating revenue, awareness and public goodwill.

“Find a cause that resonates with you and emulate what we’ve done,” Jacobs challenges his fellow pizzeria operators.

Creative campaigns

Pizzerias across the country continue creating clever LTOs to support worthy causes.

Last July, Milwaukee-based Pizza Man introduced a special burger pizza to support Ronald McDonald House Charities Eastern Wisconsin.

In Dallas, Sfuzzi’s month-long Influencer Pizza Challenge tasks local personalities to create limited-edition pies and compete head-to-head for charitable dollars. Efforts have supported a local homeless recovery center, a women’s shelter and the North Texas Food Bank.

In Audubon, New Jersey, Genova Pizza has embraced a different approach, using its pizza boxes, rather than its pies, to support admirable causes.

Last spring, the family-owned establishment created themed pizza boxes featuring an animated superhero caricature of Callen McDonnell, a local two-year-old battling Leukemia. Throughout April 2023, any purchase of a Grandma Pizza – Genova’s best-selling Sicilian-style pie – was placed in the special “Super Cal” box with proceeds directed to the family. The effort raised $1,500 for the McDonnells.

“This felt like an opportunity to do something that mattered,” says Genova Pizza co-owner Ali Doukali.

Genova followed up its Super Cal initiative with a second “local hero” pizza box in September highlighting former Genova employee and U.S. Marine Harrison Whitman. Proceeds from that campaign’s effort went to the Warrior Foundation in Whitman’s honor. Genova has since created a nomination process for community members to suggest future local heroes and beneficiaries.

“Amid a lot of negativity in the world, we want to give back and be a positive community partner,” Doukali says. “Since getting this off the ground, we see potential to do a lot of good for people around us.”

Optimizing results

As Piece, Pizza Man, Sfuzzi and Genova demonstrate, creative, philanthropic initiatives offer pizzerias a chance to show their community-minded ethos and capture attention.

“A lot that can be done to make this attractive to your market,” Jacobs reminds.

And a few well-executed steps can help pizzerias create fruitful campaigns:

#1: Make it special.

At Piece, Jacobs has leveraged the culinary talents – and ingredients – of his collaborators to create novel limited-time offerings. The Hot Smoque’n Pizza created by Barry Sorkin of Smoque BBQ and Doug Sohn of Hot Doug’s, for example, features Sorkin’s smoked chicken thighs and Sohn’s andouille sausage on a white pizza with smoked mozzarella, scallions and creole sauce.

Jacobs and his culinary team at Piece work with every chef collaborator to create, test and tweak the special pizza before its debut.

“You need an enticing and interesting product to draw orders,” Jacobs says.

#2: Time it right.

Pizzerias create urgency when they put an expiration date on cause-related initiatives. Time limits also give operators a focused period to build a story and spark interest without risking a stale initiative. For many, one month seems about right – enough time to let a campaign simmer and capture results, but not too long that the initiative fades into the background as routine business.

And while a pizzeria can roll out a special initiative at any point during the calendar year, a little strategy can maximize impact. Piece, for instance, rolls out its Slice to Meet You effort over the year’s opening three months, historically the year’s slowest quarter for Piece’s bottom line and PAWS’s fundraising.

#3: Spread the word.

When Callen McDonnell and his family visited Genova Pizza last spring to see the pizza boxes, the pizzeria shared photos of the family’s visit on social media, which elevated awareness of the effort.

“Without community support, this wouldn’t have taken off the way it did,” Doukali says.

It’s vital the restaurant (and its partner) actively promote the initiative. Invite local media and influencers to visit and post regularly on social channels to drum up interest.

“It’s important to provide concise and consistent communications throughout the campaign,” says Jacobs, who builds a library of ready-made social content by capturing photos and videos of the pizza-creation process with each celebrity chef.

#4: Plan ahead.

A half-baked effort will do little good for the pizzeria or its beneficiary, so get the necessities in hand before launch.

Ready print marketing collateral, including in-store signage and table tents, and any special ingredients required to make the LTO pies well in advance. Before Genova Pizza introduced its Super Cal pizza box, Doukali researched custom box vendors and secured a high-quality box for the 32-slice Grandma pizza.

In addition, Jacobs urges operators to run the numbers and charge an appropriate price for the special pizzas to ensure beneficial results.

“Be aware of your costs so you can make it work,” Jacobs advises.

#5: Amplify the impact.

A cause-related initiative does not have to stop at the pizza sale, as eateries can drive additional impact.

Genova’s effort to benefit the McDonnell family, for instance, included selling Super Cal t-shirts and sharing a link to the McDonnell’s GoFundMe page on every pizza box. Moving forward, Doukali sees an opportunity to improve messaging and propel impact, perhaps by including a QR code on boxes linking to a personal video or call to action.

“As we go through this process, we certainly see ways to refine it,” he says.

DANIEL P. SMITH Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

The post Backing Causes on the Menu appeared first on Pizza Today.

Spring Fling: Add spring flavors to your pizza menu

It was another muddy spring but here I was again, lurking into my favorite “Ramp Holler”, (local vernacular for “hollow.”) This little valley was my favorite foraging spot for the first wild food of spring — ramps. This location always produced early and heavy because of the lack of humans, a good water source, and the protection from the cold by the steep ridges above. With each step I felt like being in a slow-motion color machine turning from dark winter brown to splotchy light green then to the most intense viridian green. The ramp “Flags,” or wide leaves fluttered in the breeze all the way up from valley floor to the steep ridges making them move like a green ocean. As I bent over to harvest my first handful of ramp flags, I started thinking about how I would present them on pizza with all the other spring favorites that will soon be popping this new year.

Spruce Springsteen

From mushrooms to spruce tips, the bounty of spring has always added a positive addition to my menu mix. Both wild and cultivated spring foods can be showcased on pizzas and can turn a seemingly “normal” slice of pizza into a game changer. There are so many places to find spring foods. Farmers markets, vegetable auctions, farm visits and even local grocery stores are good locations to find foods in April and May. Here are some wild and farmed spring greats:

Evergreens

The depth of flavor gained by baby pinecones, spruce tips, cedar buds, and even wintergreen is pure magic. I like creating a balsamic-like glaze by reducing the buds with water and sugar. This pairs wonderfully on burrata, gorgonzola and with pine nuts, hazelnuts, Prosciutto di Parma, onions, ricotta, roasted garlic and bacon. Spruce tip Panna Cotta from Italy, or Posset, the British custard, are both cream forward and easy to make. Italian Mugolio and Varenye from the Caucusus both rely upon sugar to draw out the piney goodness of young buds and cones and make thick-sweet sauces that rival and even eclipse Balsamic glaze in flavor.

Spring Violet

by far the best edible flower for garnish you can put on a pizza. There are over a hundred different types of violets, but the common blue violet is the most harvested. Although they are all edible, some are more palatable than others. These are easy to spot and harvest. The greens can also be used in salads, soups and stewed.

Kale

Over wintered kale starts popping even before many other spring foods. This is perfect sauteed or shocked in hot then cold water before topping on pizza with garlic, olive oil, sausage, pork, potatoes, chorizo, onions, lemon, bell peppers, thyme, cheddar and Parmigiano.

Dandelion

An often-forgotten spring food here in the U.S. has been used for centuries in Europe. I was taught by a professional wild forager in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy to dig the small, spring dandelion up and trim the “hip” of the plant, cutting off the roots and the stems leaving a meaty round core like a small artichoke with a sweet, honey flavor with a nutty finish. In the middle of this core is one or two dandelion buds or “capers.” Both can be sauteed, roasted or pickled easily and are perfect to pair with Prosciutto di Parma or Speck, spinach, pork, chicken and mushrooms.

Garlic Scapes

These tender stems shoot from the spring garlic bulb after ramp season. They grow curly and end in an uncloaked flower head. The scape needs to be cut off to ensure the plant doesn’t expend its energy and ruin the underground bulb. I’ve found that using only young scapes that are foot-long are the best because they get tough and stringy the older they grow. Milder than garlic bulbs, scapes can be sauteed, pickled, roasted and pureed into pestos. I like to make Sicilian-style salmoriglio, salsa verde or garlic ricotta. Scapes are perfect for pork, chicken or anchovy themed pizzas.

Ramps

Ramps are the first things to pop up in spring. Try to avoid buying from disreputable dealers who send unsavory people out to clean out the whole forest of ramps. I never use the bulbs unless thinning out patches to grow more. Using the tops either sauteed or just raw before the pizza bake makes for a sublime taste and silky chew. Great with artichokes, asparagus, speck, anchovy, goat cheese, Gruyere, Bel Paese, Ricotta, Parmigiano, potatoes, morels, lentils and ham.

Asparagus

This comes in middle-spring and can be thin or fat depending upon the weather. Most store-bought asparagus is old and sold by the pound with a woody end and even mushy tops. Snap the bottom to find the perfect tender spot. Roasted or sauteed asparagus is wonderful and even raw (if local) on a pizzas or in calzones and makes traditional barriers on pizza like the famous “Quattro Stagione.” The perfect asparagus pairing is with whole grain mustard, pistachio, ricotta, parmigiano, bacon, anchovy, lemon, orange, pestos and in risotto.

Strawberry

This is the great finale of spring, coming at the tail end of this season. Local strawberries, unlike the hollow, hurried and sprayed junk found at the stores, are smaller and sweeter. Perfect for the agro dolce or sweet and sour pizzas like gorgonzola, strawberry and hazelnut pizzas. During the glut of strawberries, I turn to making sweet, pickled strawberries with just a touch of vinegar. These red wonders really shine with rhubarb, olive oil, mascarpone, almonds, spicy capicola, lemon, basil, mango, balsamic, mint and orange.

Morel Mushrooms

These are the spring king of mushrooms. They pop up, (or not) almost every year in the same locations. Morels are especially rare because they are hard, almost impossible to grow because of their symbiosis with forest trees. If you are lucky enough to find these hollow, triangular shaped wonders, you can cut them in half vertically or stuff with chicken mousse, asparagus, garlic, ramps and bacon. I recommend putting the morels on pizza halfway through the bake, so they don’t disintegrate. Fontina, Parmigiano and chevre are great morel cheeses. Lemon, olive oil, black pepper, caraway, fava beans, serrano ham, shallots and country ham are perfect pairings for morels.

Other spring foods that are abundant either in the forest or at farmers markets are Watercress, Wild Violet, Chickweed, Lambs Quarters, Fiddlehead fern, Turnips and Radishes.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post Spring’s Bounty is Ripe for Your Pizza Menu appeared first on Pizza Today.

Outsourcing Desserts

The question of when a restaurant should outsource desserts comes up frequently among owners and operators. While some pizza shops may be scratch-only kitchens or able to handle a full menu load, the reality for many others is that outsourcing some items makes sense for their operations. Some even find a balance in using a combination of in-house and outsourced desserts.

Jessica Hellaine, co-owner and operator of Black Dog Pizzeria in Dublin, Ohio says, “Outsourcing our desserts allows us to focus more on our main dish—our pizzas. It is less work for us that can be used elsewhere, and also helps us to save on space, time and money.  We’re just a takeout/delivery pizzeria and so our resources are limited. And working with local bakers allows us unique marketing opportunities.”

Outsourcing desserts comes down to time, labor and space — elements that many operations find sorely lacking into today’s restaurants. It’s important to always run the numbers. If you are considering outsourcing or the reverse and you want to take desserts in house, it is vital to establish your true costs and your pricing and profit margin goals with each dessert item.

If you are an operation that is deciding whether to incorporate dessert into the menu at all, many operators find it is worth it. Datassentials released its report that 60 percent of operators say that the desserts they offer help to drive profit. That survey also found the best-selling desserts were easy to prep and can be eaten on the go.

If you were at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, you may have noticed, and even tasted, dozens upon dozens of desserts offered by vendors, including gelato, cannoli, cheesecake, cakes, brownies, cookies and more. You may have also tried vegan and allergy-sensitive specific treats to nut, dairy and gluten allergies. With stringent guidelines for allergy-related foods, outsourcing especially these types of desserts can help you limit cross contamination that can occur in restaurant kitchen environments.

Some desserts are prone to outsourcing — like gelato and ice cream. But, the fact is almost any dessert you can dream up is probably already available through outsourcing. There are many options when outsourcing desserts. You need to evaluate which will work better for your business and more importantly which will sell well with customers. Here are sources where you can find desserts:

• Mainline Distributors. Some advantages to using your established distributor is that you already have a working relationship and delivery processes in place. They also typically have a large catalog of sweet treat options.
• Wholesale Bakeries. Wholesale bakeries have strong distribution network and can accommodate high-volume bulk production.
• Local Retail Bakeries. Since retail bakeries have a consumer direct model, name recognition can be high with diners.

A note on wholesale bakeries and retail bakeries: There are several bakeries that operate in both capacities.

What are you looking for in your desserts?

Knowing the answer to this question will help you find out which direction you want to go with sourcing your desserts. When Hellaine is looking for a dessert, she’s says she is seeking, “reliability and unique ‘cool’ desserts that taste good and travel well. We wanted to offer baked goods that are more interesting than just the standard baked cookies and brownies at a lot of the shops nearby. It’s also important for us to keep whatever food we sell as scratch-made as possible, and to work locally.”

Tasting and testing outsource desserts is just as important as when you research and develop in-house items. Run blind tastings with employees, customers and friends and family. Gather an honest assessment before you add it to the menu. This is no time to order and “hope it sells.”

Going with a Local Bakery

If you already have working relationships with local businesses in your community, buying desserts from a local bakery may be a great option for you to continue supporting fellow local companies. Hellaine uses two locally owned bakers/bakeries to supply desserts — Angie’s Rainbow Cookies and Paisley’s Pie.

“We have worked with Paisley’s Pies for about six years and Angie’s Rainbow Cookies for a little over a year,” she says. “Paisleys Pies we found at a local market and asked if she could make pies to sell in our shop—specifically pies unique and only available to our pizzeria. Angie’s Rainbow Cookies came to us asking if we would be interested in selling her cookies through our shop. She had previously been selling Italian rainbow cookies through her website and the local Farmer’s Market circuit.”

You may need to seek out those relationships. This is where social media, review sites and local news sources come in handy. You can find out who is already making the best desserts in town to see if what they offer would fit your business concept.

Working with local bakeries can also allow for flexibility and specialty products. “We put an order in at the beginning of the week with our providers for how many items we need and what type, and they bring them out a few days later,” Hellaine says. “They also make us monthly ‘specialty’ items that can only be purchased at our shop for that month—usually something holiday or seasonal themed—that we sell alongside their regular fare.”

Partnerships with a local bakery are great for cross promotion. “We co-market with Angie’s Rainbow Cookies,” Hellaine says. “She has an amazing social media presence and by collaborating on stories, feeds, and posts, we have access to each other’s customers. She’s brought a lot of her fans to us and our shop, and we’ve introduced a lot of people to just cookies. It’s a win-win and I think customers really appreciate seeing two local business owners working together and being front and center for their products.“

DENISE GREER is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.

The post When should a restaurant outsource its desserts? appeared first on Pizza Today.

Tony Cerimele wins World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at Pizza Expo’s International Pizza Challenge

Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo (March 19-21) in Las Vegas. After capturing the first-place finish in the Pan Division, Tony went on to win the Finals to be named World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year.

Cerimele was among the Top 5 competitors of 50 in the Pan Division to advance from the preliminaries on Tuesday, March 19. He continued to take the Pan Division Title in the Pan Finals on Thursday, March 21. Styles that fall into this category include, but are not limited to Roman, Chicago, Detroit, Grandma, Ohio Valley, Old Forge and Sicilian.

Winners of each division’s final — Cheese Slice, Traditional, Non-Traditional, Pan and Neapolitan — advanced to the Pizza Maker of the Year competition on Thursday.

Stay updated on all PIZZA EXPO 2024 News. We’ve created a hub for news from the World’s Largest Pizza Show. Find all the updates and happenings at Pizza Expo 2024. Go to the Pizza Expo 2024 Hub.

 A Quick Q&A with Pizza Maker of the Year Tony Cerimele

We reached out Tony Cerimele to get first impressions after winning the World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at International Pizza Challenge at last week’s Pizza Expo. Find out about the his competition experience and his winning pizzas. Read this quick Q&A with Tony Cerimele:

What does it mean for you to receive recognition as the Pizza Maker of the Year?

I think the biggest thing for me is that fact that I accomplished something I set out to do a long time ago.  I first started competing in 2017.  Since the beginning it has been a rollercoaster.  Looking at it now I am most happy to bring these awards back to my hometown of Nesquehoning, PA, and all of Northeastern Pennsylvania.  We have some incredible pizza in our area and I am just happy to be a part of the community.  I think the most import thing for me after winning is the fact that my daughters witnessed firsthand that hard work and determination really do pay off in the end.  They saw all the reps, all the trials and tribulations with this pizza, and to get this outcome was the greatest example I could give them to keep pushing forward to achieve what you dream off.

Tell us about your winning pizzas. What made your pizzas stand out?

Photo courtesy of Tony Cerimele

Both of my pizzas were made on the same Sicilian crust.  I formulated the dough to be light and airy through the 3-day process it takes.  The pizza that won the pan division was an upside-down Sicilian pie with whole milk mozzarella and sauce on top.  The sauce was simply crushed tomatoes with salt, pepper, and basil.  Post bake I finished it with a whipped ricotta, basil and Grana Padano.  What put this pizza over the top in my opinion was the pepperoni jam made by Lee Hunzinger. It is amazing.

The second pizza was stressful to say the least.  Using the same dough and only the ingredients provided, I paused in my mind for a minute and prayed to my father to put an idea in my head.  I literally focused on the red onions and bell peppers, once I saw the sausage in the fridge it hit me, make a crumbled sausage and pepper pizza.  So, I prepared the toppings like I would if I was going to be eating a sausage and pepper sub, then constructed the pizza in layers.  Finishing it with EVOO, basil, ricotta, and torn fresh mozzarella.

What was the competition like this year?

The competition was awesome.  So many people from around the world, it was incredible.  There was so much energy in that area it was palpable the entire Expo.  I also thought it was great having the finals round for each division.  Mike LaMarca, Jeremy Galvin, and their entire team do such an amazing job organizing

The post World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year 2024 is Tony Cerimele, New Columbus Pizza Co. appeared first on Pizza Today.

Results from the International Pizza Challenge 2024

We are bringing you results as we receive them from the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo 2024. This year, we have 5 divisions: Traditional, Non-Traditional, Neapolitan/STG, Pan, & World’s Best Cheese Slice, which will be represented in the pizza bake-off that will showcase the world’s best pizza makers. Each competitor will have the opportunity to bake their signature pizza on the spot at Pizza Expo, which will then be presented to a renowned panel of accredited chefs. The bake-offs will take place Tuesday through Thursday in the International Pizza Challenge contest area. The winners of each division will face off against each other in a mystery-ingredient bake-off to determine who will be named the 2024 Pizza Maker of the Year.

Stay updated on all PIZZA EXPO 2024 News. We’ve created a hub for news from the World’s Largest Pizza Show. Find all the updates and happenings at Pizza Expo 2024. Go to the Pizza Expo 2024 Hub.

Each day, we are posting results as they come in. Check back as the results are announced.

Tony Cerimele wins World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at Pizza Expo’s International Pizza Challenge

Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo (March 19-21) in Las Vegas. After capturing the first-place finish in the Pan Division, Tony went on to win the Finals to be named World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year.

Read a Q&A with Tony on his competition experience and his winning pizzas.

Champions have been crowned in International Pizza Challenge

Stay tuned for all the official International Pizza Challenge final details. Please be patient as we travel back to our homes. For now. let’s highlight the division winners. Congratulations to the following champions in the International Pizza Challenge:

• Traditional
  Sergio Balderas, Truly Pizza, Dana Point, California
• Non-Traditional
  Alex White, Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Neapolitan
  Vincent Santoro, Song e Napule, New York, New York
• Pan
  Tony Cerimele, New Columbus Pizza Co., Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania
• World’s Best Cheese Slice
  Tan Tuong (Andy) Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Best of the Best (Publicly Judged)
  Joe Carlucci, Valentino’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison,  Alabama
• Pizza Maker of the Year (Publicly Judged)
  Tony Cerimele, New Columbus Pizza Co., Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania

Final scoresheets are in!.

International Pizza Challenge Wednesday Results

International Pizza Challenge breaks the record for the number of competitors. Wednesday alone saw 260+ competitors presenting their best pie in:

• Non-Traditional
• Neapolitan,
• Ooni Traditional & Pan
• Daiya Vegan Divisions

Preliminary Results on the Top 5 competitors for Non-Traditional and Napoletana will advance to Thursdays finals.

Ooni Traditional Division Preliminary Results

Congratulations to everyone in the Ooni Traditional Division. Here are the Top 3:

1. Ryan Thompson
2. Jeff Taylor
3. Matt Hickey

Here are the full scoresheets:

Ooni Pan Division Preliminary Results

Congratulations to everyone in the Ooni Pan Division. Here are the Top 3:

1. Eidref Laxal
2. Ryan Ososky
3. Srdian Jelcic

Here are the full scoresheets:

Daiya Vegan Division Preliminary Results

Congratulations to everyone in the Daiya Vegan Division. Here are the Top 3:

1. Leonardo Zoppetti
2. Ali Afshar
3. Soyeon Chewning

Here are the full scoresheets:

Non-Traditional Division Preliminary Results

Top 5 Competitors in the Non-Traditional Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:

1. Michael Vakneen
2. Alex White
3. Deserai Satullo
4. Andrew Scudera
5. Mckenzie Sanvido

Regional Winners for the Non-Traditional Division are in!

In addition to the Top 5, the Non-Traditional Division also recognizes regional winners. Congrats to the following competitors who placed in their region:

Southwest

1. Michael Vakneen
2. Alex White
3. Mckenzie Sanvido

Northwest

1. Anthony Gilbert
2. Sean Dempsey
3. Niles Peacock

Midwest

1. Deserai Satullo
2. Paul Cataldo
3. Brian Hall

Southeast

1. Camryn Suggs
2. Alejandro Burgaleta
3. Joey Streeter

Northeast

1. Andrew Scudera
2. Tracy Dykeman
3. Eric Von Hansen

International

1. Heitor Benatti
2. Bruce Madadi
3. Aleksandar Aleksic

Take a look at the full Non-Traditional Scoresheet:

Pizza Napoletana Division Preliminary Results

Top 5 Competitors in the Pizza Napoletana Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:

1. Luca De Marinis
2. Vincenzo Capuano
3. James Terwilliger
4. Cesare Di lorio
5. Vincenzo Santoro

Here are the Pizza Napoletana Division full scoresheet:

International Pizza Challenge Tuesday Results

International Pizza Challenge breaks the record for the number of competitors. Tuesday alone saw 209 competitors presenting their best pie in:

• World’s Best Cheese Slice
• Pan
• Traditional
• CMAB Professional Division Preliminaries

Top 5 competitors will advance to Thursday’s Division Finals.

A note to competitors: These are preliminary results. When we share the full IPC Winners, we will include pizzerias, locations and links to the pizzeria.

Traditional Division Regional Winners are in!

In addition to the Top 5, the Traditional Division also recognizes regional winners. Congrats to the following competitors who placed in their region:

Southwest

1. Sergio Balderas
2. Matt Hutchinson
3. Alastair Hannmann

Northwest

1. Bill Crawford
2. Josh Hillman
3. Drew Balstad

Midwest

1. Carmela Cataldo
2. Ali Afshar
3. Nino Del Greco

Southeast

1. Andy Brown
2. Dustin Finnegan
3. Teo Tomasi

Northeast

1. Anthony Berghela
2. Michael Testa
3. Perry Bogacz

International

1. Gianluca Piersanti
2. Alessio Cataldo
3. Fiodar Huminski

Following are the Top 5 Competitors Tuesday’s Divisions who will advance to the Thursday Finals:

CMAB Pro Division Preliminary Results

Top 5 Competitors in the Pan Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:

1. Chef Apisit Jitprasong
2. Chef Shi (Kevin) Zhao
3. Paramet Saisutth
4. Chef Sakamoto
5. Chef Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang

Here’s the full CMAB Pro Preliminary Division scoresheet:

Pan Division Preliminary Results

Top 5 Competitors in the Pan Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:

1. Charlie Webb
2. Jeff Miner
3. Tony Cerimele
4. Craig Capano
5. Rov Bass

Here’s the full Pan Division scoresheet:

World’s Best Cheese Slice Division Preliminary Results

Top 5 Competitors in the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:

1. Rico Lunardi
2. Anthony DeSousa
3. Vicky Ixcot
4. Andy Huynh
5. Lorenzo Hernandez

Here’s the full World’s Best Cheese Slice scoresheet:

Traditional Division Preliminary Results

Top 5 Competitors in the Traditional Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:

1. Sergio Balderas
2. Anthony Berghela
3. Gianluca Piersanti
4. Alessio Cataldo
5. Matt Hutchinson

Here’s the full scoresheet: (Regional winners for the Traditional Divisions will be announced Wednesday morning.)

The post International Pizza Challenge 2024 — Daily Results appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Q&A with Blair Pietrini, Pietrini Pizza Napoletana, Los Alamitos, California

Concept:

Our concept is an elevated casual dining experience. We welcome all kinds of visitors and types of gatherings. We are the perfect spot for a weekly date night or for a night out with the family! We’ve become a hotspot for tourists and we love meeting new people and getting to hear their stories. Our restaurant is an extension of our family, and our love for bringing people together. We are dedicated to our community and to building and cultivating relationships within it.

Pizza & Dough:

At this point in time we offer two styles of pizza using a variety of Caputo flours. We make New York style pies that are baked in a deck oven, and Neapolitan style pies that are cooked in our custom made wood-fired oven that my husband had imported from Naples, Italy. Our dough is always evolving as we continue to learn and grow day by day. Right now we are using direct fermentation for our Neapolitan dough and cold proofing for about 48 hours. We are using a high protein flour and a  pre-ferment for our New York dough and cold proofing for at least
48 hours as well.

Reopening after your husband Gene’s passing, what is important as you continue to grow Pietrini?

After my husband Gene’s passing, the most important thing for me in reopening the restaurant  was  simply to  honor him by carrying on his legacy through endeavoring to  keep his “pizza dream” alive. He was so intensely passionate about making pizza, gathering people together to enjoy it, and doing everything possible to ensure that everyone felt incredibly welcome and satisfied during their visit. Continuing forward, we are dedicated to providing exceptional food using the finest ingredients, along with a huge helping of hospitality and kindness. Staying true to our family’s core values is extremely important to us.

How are you able to sustain the balance for your family and the business?

After experiencing such a devastating loss, we made the decision to limit our hours of operation to just five days a week and evenings only. I realize this flies in the face of conventional restaurant wisdom, but for us, family comes first and this is what we felt we needed to do in order for it to be sustainable for us during this time. When we are able to have sufficient staffing that is successfully cross trained, we will consider expanding our hours, but until then, this is the choice we are making to help maintain a healthier work/life balance for ourselves. I have heard too many stories of people whose restaurants ended up owning them rather than them owning their restaurant. After everything we have been through, that just isn’t a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Even before opening Pietrini you have been a strong community advocate. What has been the most fulfilling way you have given back to your community at Pietrini?

It has been an incredible blessing to be able to work in the same community that I grew up in. I have had the privilege of running a non profit organization that included a food pantry along with an emergency assistance program in our city for over 25 years. Upon my husband’s unexpected passing  ( just 10 months after opening PPN), it became clear that I needed to shift my focus and give our new restaurant my undivided attention. I later came to the realization that there were still ways in which we could continue to help people through the restaurant itself. There have been several ways whereby we have been able to give back to our community thus far, such as hosting chamber of commerce meetings, local police events and participating in various community campaigns and sponsoring local education programs and sports teams. We were able to host a Toy Drive that benefitted children in need along with sending over $2K (which we raised through our “Lifting up Lahaina” – Aloha pizza sales campaign ) to the Maui Food Bank to assist them in feeding people displaced by the Maui Wildfires.  Undoubtedly, however, I feel that the most fulfilling way we have been able to give back to our community has been to provide employment opportunities for those in need of a second chance, and those who simply need someone to believe in them.

What’s next for Pietrini? 

As for the future, our focus is on sustaining the growth we are currently experiencing, through expanding both our staff and our menu. We are looking to include some pasta dishes and other menu items to offset the volume of Neapolitan pizzas on any given night. Adding an additional oven and reworking our kitchen work space is also a must moving forward. A thriving business is a wonderful thing, but at Pietrini Pizza Napoletana,  it is extremely important to do so with a “family first” mindset, which will allow us (and our team members) to have a life outside of the restaurant.

The post Conversation with Blair Pietrini, Pietrini Pizza Napoletana, Los Alamitos, California appeared first on Pizza Today.

Listen to Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow of San Francisco-based Flour + Water on The Hot Slice Podcast

This week, we talk with co-executive chefs and partners Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow at San Francisco-based Flour + Water to get the skinny on the direction their taking their highly successful pizza concept. Check out more details provided by Flour + Water:

Thomas McNaughton, Co-Executive Chef & Founding Partner, Flour + Water Hospitality Group (Flour + Water, Flour +Water Pizzeria, Penny Roma, Flour + Water Pasta Shop)
Thomas McNaughton, founding partner, co-chef and CEO of Flour +Water Hospitality Group, grew up in Southern New Jersey. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, then gained valuable experience working for Bay Area restaurants La Folie, Gary Danko and Quince. On his culinary journey, he also worked at a number of Michelin-rated restaurants in France, Germany and Italy, falling head over heels in love with the hand-rolled pastas of Bologna and the nonne that produce them. Thomas is relentlessly driven by the community of farmers, craftsmen and “creatives” that call the Bay Area home.

Ryan Pollnow, Co-Executive Chef & Partner, Flour + WaterHospitality Group (Flour + Water, Flour + Water Pizzeria, Penny Roma, Flour + Water Pasta Shop)
Ryan Pollnow, co-chef and vice president of the Flour + WaterHospitality Group, discovered a love for cooking and the micro seasons of the Bay Area while growing up in Northern California. Ryan completed culinary school in Sonoma County while working at restaurants and wineries to further develop his acumen in the field. He continued his education abroad at renowned restaurant Mugaritz in northern Spain before returning to the Bay Area. Traveling for culinary inspiration has always been an important part of his growth, and his time in Italy left a significant imprint on his love for seasonal cooking. Ryan led each FWHG kitchen individually as Chef de Cuisine before transitioning into his current role overseeing all culinary operations as co-executive chef.

Flour + Water Pizzeria | Flour + Water Pizza Shop

Flour + Water Pizzeria, 532 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Flour + Water Pizza Shop, 1533 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

Co-Chefs: Thomas McNaughton, Ryan Pollnow

Beverage Director: Samuel Bogue

Director of Operations: Amanda Flores

General Manager: Paige McNeil

Hours: 11:30am to 10pm, daily

fwpizzeria.com | @flourandwaterpizzeria

In June 2023, Flour + Water Hospitality Group introduced their new flagship Flour + Water Pizzeria and new Flour + Water Pizza Shop concept in San Francisco’s North Beach, a community long-recognized for its history of Italian cuisine. With its prime location adjacent to Washington Square Park, Flour + Water Pizzeria’s new home is a hub for all things pizza, expanding upon the foundation of the restaurant. The 4,000 square foot restaurant is divided into three distinct spaces: an expansive full-service dining room and bar; a glassed-in Dough Room; and the dedicated Pizza Shop for quick service, pick-up and delivery.

With the flagship, co-chefs Thomas McNaughton + Ryan Pollnow reveal a new chapter that reflects their love for the pizza experience. From the meticulous craftsmanship of the hot pies to the sly nods to iconic pizzeria culture, every element showcases their passion for pizza. Utilizing hand-selected, expertly milled grains from industry leader Central Milling, the co-chefs refined their signature dough recipe to be the ideal canvas for both classic and non-traditional toppings, while also considering portability for the to-go program. Pizzas, antipasti and salads are composed with ingredients that highlight the chefs’ long-standing relationships with Northern California producers and farmers. Guests can anticipate the return of fan favorite hand-rolled mozzarella sticks and Double8 Dairy buffalo gelato soft serve along with new additions such as head-on shrimp scampi, Hawaiian pizza with chili crisp, and dine-in exclusive bone marrow pie (a nod to Flour + Water).

As part of the Pizzeria’s evolution, Flour + Water Hospitality Group’s Beverage Director Samuel Bogue offers a comprehensive beverage program with wine, beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic options. A concise wine list features predominantly Italian producers, as well as domestic offerings that reflect Bogue’s mission to champion small production, organically farmed, family wineries. The list includes Flour+ Water’s Pasta Water and Pasta Sauce “house” wines, a collaboration with Subject to Change Wine Co. in Richmond, CA. Bogue worked alongside North Beach resident cocktail expert Elmer Mejicanos for the cocktail menu to curate a list that includes classics such as negronis and daiquiris, as well as crushable creations such as the aperitif-inspired Boozy Slushy. Wine and beer selections are also available to grab-and-go from the Pizza Shop for those picking up pizzas and provisions.

The team collaborated with Lundberg Design and project architect Gavin Knowles to bring the Pizzeria to life, while paying tribute to the legacy of the restaurant’s predecessor, Rose Pistola. A fixture in North Beach for 21 years, Rose Pistola is credited for its defining role in the community’s Italian culinary scene, while also influencing the trajectory of restaurants such as Flour + Water. Lundberg composed a palette around the restaurant’s original Italian-inspired mosaic tile floor, selecting bright, high-contrast materials to complement the black, white, gray, yellow, and orange tones of the pattern.

Design features were thoughtfully constructed to celebrate the evolution of the dough. A dough stretching counter greets guests entering the Pizzeria from Columbus Avenue, while the glassed-in Dough Room at the heart of the restaurant provides a window into the production process. By night, the space transforms into a private dining room for gatherings of 12-14 guests. From the Stockton Street Pizza Shop entrance, a wall of to-go pizza boxes is displayed in a custom steel rack crafted by Lundberg’s in-house fabrication studio. The removal of boxes throughout the day provides visibility into the active Dough Room from the 12-seat Shop. “The Big Slice”, a daily-changing giant slice exclusive to the Pizza Shop, and a fully restored vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game provide further impetus for impromptu walk-ins. For locals picking up, a robust retail program of beverages and products rounds out the to-go experience.

Additional references to retro pizza culture are reflected throughout the 75-seat Pizzeria space with touches such as pendant lights made of corrugated cardboard. Two dedicated bars – a pizza bar overlooking the ovens, and anterior bar showcasing the restaurant’s new cocktail program – offer ample options for walk-ins. Custom banquettes, die-wall paneling, and Dough Room tables made with a recycled paper composite material called Richlite reveal Flour +Water’s commitment to sustainable practices.

Underscoring that ethos of environmental consciousness, the new Flour + Water Pizzeria location joins all Flour + Water Hospitality Group restaurants as a member of Zero Foodprint, an organization that funds grants for farmers switching to regenerative practices.

Flour + Water Pizzeria is open daily from 11:30am to 10pm. In the months to come, Flour + Water Hospitality Group will announce additional locations of the Flour + Water Pizza Shop concept, bringing their prized pizzas to communities throughout the Bay Area.

About Flour + Water Hospitality Group

Flour + Water Hospitality Group is a culture-driven San Francisco-based hospitality group dedicated to creating stand-out culinary experiences that reflect the leadership’s shared commitment to quality, community impact and transparency. Led by co-chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow, and their partners Kara Bratcher, Dan Nestojko, Vanya Shekell, and David Steele, the team operates Flour + Water, Flour + Water Pasta Shop and Penny Roma in San Francisco’s Mission District, as well as the Flour + Water Pizzeria and Flour + Water Foods brands. McNaughton and Pollnow’s creativity and expertise is on display across the group’s concepts with offerings reflective of regional Italian traditions and Northern California inspirations with hand-crafted pasta and pizza at the center.

Since the opening of the original Flour + Water in 2009, the Group’s passion for cultivating community through genuine hospitality and memorable experiences has established the company as an industry leader.  Their approach has had an indelible impact on the Bay Area’s culinary landscape, the restaurant spaces often functioning as incubators, expanding Flour + Water’s influence beyond their hometown. Committed to sustainable sourcing and practices, Flour +Water Hospitality Group was a founding member of Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit mobilizing the food world around agricultural climate solutions.

Thank you to our sponsor

The post 196. Flour + Water = a Vibrant, Growing Pizza Concept appeared first on Pizza Today.

A larger booth presence, new product innovation and expanded range of solutions are all in the cards for General Mills Foodservice at this year’s premier pizza event in Las Vegas.

MINNEAPOLIS (March 3, 2024) — General Mills Foodservice is upping its game at this year’s International Pizza Expo to reflect its expanded portfolio of solutions and in-depth technical expertise to help pizza makers serve their best pizza. Taking place March 19-21, 2024, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Pizza Expo is the largest event of its kind and draws thousands of pizza makers from independent and chain pizza restaurants from around the world.

General Mills Foodservice’s new booth will showcase its full continuum of pizza crust solutions, including its expansive flour line-up, complete range of dough and crust products from BONICI^® and TNT Crust™, and new Gold Medal™ All Trumps™ Dough Balls. In addition, the Doughminators™, a team with a deep knowledge of flour and technical baking expertise, will return to host more of their popular dough demonstrations and Pizza Crust Boot Camp sessions.

“We are excited to debut our larger booth and offer Pizza Expo attendees a one-stop shop for all of their pizza crust needs, whether they are seeking flour, dough, self-rising, parbaked or custom crust options,” said Tom Santos, senior technical training specialist at General Mills Foodservice who also serves as a Doughminator. “We always enjoy connecting with pizza makers from around the world as well as the chance to share our latest product innovations and demonstrate how our team of technical experts is in their corner when it comes to making the finest pizza.”

Pizza Crust Boot Camp

A highlight of Pizza Expo for more than 25 years, Pizza Crust Boot Camp is a free seminar featuring both technical and practical information covering ingredient functionality, formulation, signature crusts, troubleshooting, and dough-making steps and methods.

Pizza Crust Boot Camp (Room W210-211):

• Part 1 (Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20: 9:30-10:30 a.m.)
  • During Part I (technical), attendees will learn about basic dough formation, along with the interfunctionality of ingredients and applications of specialty ingredients.
• Part 2 (Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20: 3:30-4:30 p.m.)
  • Part II (practical) covers the dough-making process and discusses various dough-processing methods, as well as how to make “emergency” dough.

Pizza Expo attendees who stop by the General Mills Foodservice booth will find information, resources and expertise to serve pizza their patrons will love, including:

• Dough demonstrations with the new Gold Medal All Trumps Dough Ball along with samples of finished pizzas prepared by Wood Stone Ovens.
• BONICI^® crust solutions for various back-of-house needs.
• Details on a wide variety of pizza flour options, from untreated/clean label flours to solutions for specific pizza styles (e.g., New York, Neapolitan, Detroit).
• Information on custom solutions for operations that meet business requirements for partnership.
• An interactive booth that allows attendees to scan QR codes onsite to access extensive information on flour and troubleshooting resources at their fingertips.
• The Pillsbury Doughboy will be onsite throughout the expo, along with a variety of giveaways including bowl scrapers, pizza cutters and fun Pillsbury Doughboy swag.

“We are proud to be a trusted partner in the pizza industry, and it doesn’t get any better than Pizza Expo!” Santos added. “If you haven’t found your perfect pizza crust solution for your back-of-house needs, we are here to help you make a lasting match.”

Pizza Expo attendees can inquire about making an appointment with a member of the General Mills Foodservice sales team for a product consultation and visit at their own operation. For those who can’t make it to Pizza Expo, General Mills Foodservice’s website for pizzerias offers helpful resources including dough troubleshooting tips and dough-making video demonstrations. Click here for more information.

About General Mills Foodservice

General Mills Foodservice serves the foodservice and bakery industries by providing quality products from time-trusted brands along with culinary support, nutrition education, and marketing resources to help operators succeed. Its distinguished brand portfolio includes Big G Cereals, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, Bugles, Gardetto’s, Annie’s and TNT Crust/BONICI^®. For more information, please visit www.GeneralMillsFoodservice.com.

The post General Mills Foodservice to Double Down at Pizza Expo appeared first on Pizza Today.

Limited-time offerings can fuel urgency

Time is running out! Buy now before it’s too late! Don’t miss your chance!

It’s a cold hard fact that scarcity sells. Companies like eBay and StubHub are valued in the billions because of it. We get excited every time the McRib comes back and there’s mayhem when Pumpkin Spice Latte season returns. Fortunately for you, it’s also useful to independent pizzerias. A limited time offering, or LTO, can provide the power to do more than just boost sales. By tapping into the customers’ fear of missing out you can increase sales, attract media attention, and strengthen your community relations.

Seasonality

Every summer, pizza fans flock to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana’s sixteen locations for a taste of their fresh tomato pizza. This is a pizza that’s only available while tomatoes are in season, unlike the restaurant’s perennial pies that use canned tomatoes. Sales surge as customers grab what they can before time runs out. When summer ends, so does the fresh tomato pizza.

The rhythm of seasonality keeps Dan Richer engaged with both his customers and local farmers through his ever-changing menu at Razza in Jersey City. “Customers want to know when corn is coming back and when zucchini will be on the menu again. The truth is that I don’t know! What we’re doing is alive.” Richer bases his entire concept on perpetual change. He reprints menus every day so he can adjust to the limits of nature. There are some pizzas that will always be available, but the ability to constantly add items based on seasonality gives Razza fans a reason to come back more often.

Collaboration

What’s better than marketing to your own customers? Marketing to someone else’s customers! You can use LTOs to do both by offering a limited-time collaboration with another local business. Greenville Avenue Pizza Company in Dallas teamed up with a popular Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood to create a hit. “They told us their number one seller was the Dan Dan Sausage, so we took inspiration from that dish to create a super popular pizza that lived on our menu for just a few weeks,” says owner Sammy Mandell.

Alex Coons has had great success collaborating with like-minded businesses through his restaurant Hot Tongue in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles. “We recently ran a collaborative pie for just one weekend with a fantastic local restaurant called BeeWali’s. The collaboration proved to be a fantastic marketing tool for both of us, drawing in lots of new faces. It was one of our best weekends of the year.” Collaborations like this don’t just build a restaurant’s audience, they also strengthen communities.

Publicity

The main reason Greenville Avenue Pizza Company runs limited-time offerings is to stay relevant. “Our focus is on staying top of mind,” says Mandell. “How do you get yourself press coverage if you’re doing the same thing every day?” By having a rolling series of LTOs, Greenville Avenue Pizza Company has established a reputation within their community. It’s so much a part of their identity that the largest local magazine in Dallas recently featured them on the cover of their pizza-centric issue. Even better, the magazine asked GAPCO to collaborate on a special pizza in celebration of the issue. It doesn’t get any better than collaborating with the press!

On the social media side, an LTO provides loads of content opportunities. Images and videos of your new creation will generate buzz and provide a nice break from the same photo of your pepperoni pizza. MaiPai Tiki Bar in Hamilton, Ontario uses Instagram Reels to announce a new featured pizza every week. These videos rack up thousands of views and lead to a spike in pre-orders. MaiPai once ran a social media campaign that invited their followers to vote for their favorite weekly feature. They scored lots of engagement and used the results to update their regular menu.

Boosting Slow Periods

Time-sensitive offers have the ability to bring people through the door in times of need. Mama’s Too in New York City creates a new sandwich every week to be sold only on Wednesday. Regulars who usually come in for pizza make an extra visit on Wednesday just to pick up the weekly sandwich. The pizzeria announces the sandwich one day in advance via Instagram and they regularly sell out.

Diana Huynh, owner of Cici’s Pizza & Wings in Toronto, fired up an LTO when she noticed her merch line wasn’t selling. Last October, she celebrated Pizza Month with a special offer of a free slice with the purchase of any piece of Cici’s swag. She usually sells just five pieces of merch per month, but the free slice incentive increased that number to over forty.

Challenges

Creating temporary menu items takes a lot of work. You’ll have to devote time to R&D, especially if you’re working with an unfamiliar ingredient or process. Seasonal items pose a particular challenge because a short season won’t give you much time to experiment.

Before you can take your new item public, you’ll have to train your staff. The kitchen has to know how to prepare the dish and your servers need to be able to sell it. A complicated process that clogs up your makeline will give you more headaches than solutions. This is another reason it’s great to collaborate with another restaurant that can handle some of the prep for you.

One of the most popular LTOs at Greenville Avenue Pizza Company is their Pretty Pickle pizza. “We get more requests for this than any other pie,” says owner Sammy Mandell. “We would have already added it to the regular menu, but each pie gets 100 slices of pickle and that’s just too labor-intensive for my staff.”

Dan Richer agrees. “I can spend months perfecting chocolate cake but if it’s not a process my staff can execute perfectly every time it’s not worth adding to the menu.

The loudest refrain from pizzerias that use limited time offerings is that they have to become part of your routine. Greenville Avenue Pizza Company spent two years building their LTO program but now it’s an essential part of their restaurant. Razza and MaiPai consider short-run items to be part of their DNA. They’ve trained customers to anticipate LTOs as a way of holding their attention. It’s important to put in the work of establishing consistency, otherwise the occasional one-off will go unnoticed. It takes time and energy to build a rhythm, but the results could pump a new lifesource into your pizzeria.

SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org  Instagram: @scottspizzatours

The post Using FOMO to create an LTO appeared first on Pizza Today.

Raising prices on operators’ minds

“If you’ve got the power to raise prices without losing business to a competitor, you’ve got a very good business. And if you have to have a prayer session before raising the price by a tenth of a cent, then you’ve got a terrible business. I’ve been in both, and I know the difference.”
-Warren Buffett

Nick Bogacz, founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh

Our industry for so long has been thought of as an affordable option to feed a family. The fear when raising prices is that you will lose customers, or that you will become unaffordable. The truth is, for most of you reading this, you have been under-charging for a long time. There are many approaches determining what your pricing should look like. In the end, you want to be able to offer fair pricing, but you also want to make sure you are making a profit.

I like to take the approach of writing my menu prices down according to my food cost. Having your menu broken down so you know how much each pizza costs is essential. Let’s take breaking down the cost of a pepperoni pizza, for example. The first step is knowing how much ingredient goes into each recipe. If I ask you how many pepperonis go on your large pizza, you should know that number. At Caliente, we have build guides for every menu item that we sell. For our large 14-inch pizza, we know the cost of the dough ball, the cost of the 6 ounces of sauce, and the 8 ounces of cheese. We also know the cost of the 48 pepperonis that go on the pizza. We then look at the cost of the box that the pizza goes into. We then take that amount and start the process of finding our menu price. Our goal at the stores is to have a 29-percent food cost.

Reviewing each individual topping pizza like the example above, and then getting the average of what it costs to make each pizza, is the way to determine what a one-topping pizza should cost on your menu. However, there will be more variation when you break down your gourmet pizzas. I suggest having pricing tiers for your gourmet pizzas. We used to price ours all the same, but by designating them into three tiers, we have been able to keep the costs closer to that 29-percent food cost goal.

You have to get over the fear that you will lose customers if you raise prices. Stand behind the quality of your product. The worst thing you can do is get into a price war with your competitors. I have found raising prices has been essential in staying in business. Inflation has skyrocketed since COVID, and if you have raised your prices less than three times since the beginning of the pandemic, you need to raise them again now.

Going over every menu item, step-by-step, and breaking down the cost of each item is the second step — but you must first create the resources you need to monitor and determine those prices. Creating build and recipe guides for all your menu items is the first step in this process, and that’s what we will cover in the next installment of Building Blocks.

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh.  Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Building Blocks: Should I Raise Prices? appeared first on Pizza Today.

The story of how our Pizza Sauce came to fruition

The Global Tomato Market generates $181.74 Billion in revenue yearly. To put that in perspective, that is larger than the GDP of Ukraine and Morocco, and not far off from Greece, Peru and Portugal. According to a study published from the USDA in 2019, “Americans on average consume 30lbs of tomatoes per year. Sixty percent of that comes from canned tomatoes, as Pizza Sauce contributes to the high consumption of the vegetable.” Here is the story of how our Pizza Sauce came to fruition.

Tomatoes are a central and iconic element to Italian Cuisine, yet they are actually a “newer” ingredient that didn’t come along until the late 1600s. It’s hard to believe that some of the most famous Italians ever, Julius Caesar, Leonardo Da Vinci, Marco Polo, Michelangelo and even Christopher Columbus never had a dish of Spaghetti Pomodoro. George Washington, Ben Franklin, Sam Adams… our Founding Fathers did not know what pizza was.

Hundreds of years ago, long before Europeans had set foot in the New World, tomatoes grew wild in the Andes of Western South America. The natives began cultivating them, eventually bringing the plant northward through Central America and into Mexico. When the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century, they found the inhabitants growing a food crop called “tomatl” in the native language.

Seeds were brought back by the Spaniards, but tomatoes were not an easy product to introduce to fellow Europeans: they did not look or taste like any known plant, they had a strange consistency and texture and they were very acidic when green. Once ripe they were soft and they disintegrated in the lengthy cooking which was common at the time. But the climate and soil of the Mediterranean were ideal for their growing, and since they did not compete with local crops it was used as a supplementary one that did not interfere with the traditional ones.

For many years, tomatoes were feared,

partly due to their resemblance to the venomous nightshade plant and partly because of a false story that quickly circulated about a group of upper-class Europeans who died after eating them. While the group did experience fatalities after consuming tomatoes, further investigation revealed that the high acidity of the tomatoes leached lead from the pewter dinnerware, causing lead poisoning. The story circulated for years, raising suspicions across the continent.

It wasn’t until 1692 that we see the first-ever recipe featuring tomatoes appearing in “Lo Scalco alla Moderna” by Antonio Latini. Antonio, an orphan at the age of 5, grew up homeless in the streets but was eventually taken into a kitchen. He worked his way up to become the Steward for the Viceroy of Spain and Naples. His published recipe was for a sauce containing cooked tomatoes, intended as an accompaniment for cooked meat or fish. In 1790, Roman Chef Francesco Leonardi published the highly regarded cookbook “L’Apicio Moderno”, where he wrote the first recipe and proclaimed he had ”invented” pasta al pomodo (pasta with tomato sauce).

Early traces of pizza go back to ancient times with the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks, but pizza as we know today emerged in the 18th century, in the Southern Italian port city of Naples. From 1700 to 1750 the city’s population doubled from 200,000 to 400,000. There was a big need to feed a bustling metropolis with people always on the go. Street vendors would purchase disc-shaped flatbreads from bakeries and keep them warm in small tinned copper stoves that they balanced on their heads. Ingredients were simple like lard, garlic, salt, basil and in some instances caciocavallo cheese and fresh tomato.

Many believe that pizza sauce was invented by Raffaele Esposito in 1889 because he was credited with the invention of the “Pizza Margherita”. According to the legend, Queen Margherita summoned Raffaele to the Royal Palace to prepare the popular dish among the locals in Naples. Out of the three pizzas he prepared for her Majesty, her favorite was the tomato, basil, mozzarella pizza, of which he named in her honor. However, while we can attribute the naming of the pizza to Raffaele, we know with certainty that he was not the creator of that pizza, nor the first pizzaiolo to use tomato sauce.

In the second half of the 1700s, references to fresh tomatoes as pizza toppings began to emerge in essays and books, reflecting a growing trust among Neapolitans in tomatoes, due to their abundance, low cost, and ease of cultivation. The evolution continued in 1792 when Giuseppe Sorrentino obtained a business license to bake focaccias and pizzas, marking the establishment the first recorded pizzeria in Naples. This shift sparked a wave of entrepreneurs opening pizzerias, breaking away from the reliance of bakeries. Over the subsequent 50 years, Pizzaioli likely engaged in experimentation, incorporating tomatoes and tomato sauce onto pizzas as we recognize them today.

The first factual mention of pizzas with tomato sauce,

specifically describing what we now know as “la marinara” and “La Margherita” comes from Francesco de Boureard in his 1866 book “Usi e costume di Napoli” (Customs and traditions of Naples). We’ve established pizzaioli were making sauces with tomatoes, let’s remember that tomatoes were still seasonal during this period, available only part of the year.

Francesco Cirio, a Northern Italian, started working at his father’s fruit and vegetable stand in Turin at 14. Inspired by French confectioner and chef Nicholas Appert, Cirio established a canning factory in 1856, at the young age of 20, pioneering the Appertization method for preserving food with heat initially focusing on peas. With the high demand of tomatoes in Southern Italy, Francesco founded the countries first tomato factory in 1875, near Naples in San Giovanni Teduccio and Castellamare di Stabia. These towns were near the Vulcanic Angro Sarnese region, where the popular San Marzano tomato continues to grow till this day. The year-round availability marked the exponential growth of tomato popularity in Italy, and then also in Europe. We also know it’s safe to say in 1875 pizzaioli all over Naples were using the peeled tomatoes year-round to make their pizza sauces.

Italian immigrants introduced pizza to New York in the early 1900s.

Initially baked in coal fired (also some wood) bakery ovens, their sauce mirrored traditional methods, made by hand crushing whole peeled canned tomatoes with the addition of salt. The canned tomatoes being used were not the expensive imported Italian ones, but the more economical American grown, which had a different flavor profile than they were accustomed working with. Due to the higher acidity than the San Marzano, I would suspect sugar and olive oil could have begun to find its way to some of the Pizzaiolis recipes, in attempts to achieve the balance of the tomatoes they were accustomed to.

The complete evolution, or revolution depending on how you want to look at it, really began in the 1930s when Frank Mastro invented the gas oven. Adopted by most New York and East Coast pizzerias by the 1940s, these ovens baked at a lower temperature that required much longer cooking times. A sauce with less water content that prevented the pizza from drying out and to help retain its moisture was needed, and so thick tomato sauces, dense purees and slow cooking batches of tomatoes to reduce water content where deployed.

By the 50s pizza had spread rapidly across the country. It was taken up by many enterprising restaurateurs who were often not from an Italian background, and adapted to reflect the tastes and needs of the cultural melting pot that America was becoming. It was no longer an Italian ethnic dish, but a proud food that became symbolic of the local people it was serving. Hence we see the birth of different styles, like the Chicago Deep Dish or the Detroit Pan, and the addition of non-traditional ingredients to their pizza sauce like sugar, oregano, garlic, onion, pepper and rosemary to name a few.

Pizza sauces have not really changed much from the 60s and 70s when we had our biggest boom of pizzeria openings. In talking to many operators around the country, I have noticed places adding their unique signature, like Janet Zapata of Pizza 550 in Loredo, Texas, who adds a little crushed pepper to her sauce to give it a kick, or Tony Garcia from Guy from Italy in Lubbock, Texas, who likes to add a little more sugar than average to kill the acidity and bring an additional level of sweetness.  I do believe we will see a change in the way tomatoes and sauces are packaged in the future. Some manufacturers are offering their products in plastic aseptic bags (think bag in box), that they claim offers a unique set or advantages that help preserve the freshness, flavor and nutritional value of tomatoes. And some dispute that claim. Regardless of how it’s packaged, one thing I know for sure is that we will always love our pizza sauce.

Pasquale DiDiana is owner/operator of Bacci Pizzerias in Chicago, Illinois and a frequent speaker at International Pizza Expo.

The post The Tomato and Pizza Sauce Journey appeared first on Pizza Today.

Ricotta Cheese: Role Player

Ricotta is a whey cheese to which pizzeria operators are no stranger. A menu staple in many pizza shops and Italian restaurants coast to coast, the creamy cheese plays a role in various applications from calzone filling to lasagna enhancer to pizza topper. It often lends texture more than sheer flavor, which contributes to its ability to be used in both savory or sweet dishes.

Though it can be made from virtually any animal milk, in the United States ricotta is predominately made from cow’s milk. The item isn’t going to be the shining star in most dishes, but ricotta’s functionality makes it nonetheless a must-have. Getting right to it, here are some recipes that make excellent use of the cheese. As always, use these as a starting point and experiment until you get it just right for your customer base.

• Angry Meatball and Ricotta Pizza
• Tomato and Ricotta Pizza
• Italian Cake with Ricotta and Chocolate

Interested in trying your hand at making your own fresh ricotta in house? It’s surprisingly simple. Here’s an easy method.

Get the Fresh Ricotta recipe.

Jeremy White is the Editor in Chief for Pizza Today.

The post Ricotta Cheese is a Staple Item for Every Pizzeria appeared first on Pizza Today.

Flatbread Pans offer chefs a blank canvas

LloydPans Flatbread Pans expand baking versatility even more by offering multiple configurations and styles. Our lineup helps commercial bakers and chefs create everything from American-style flatbread pizzas to globally-inspired shareables.

Flatbread Pan Specifications:

• 5×15 inch, 0.5-inch deep
• 14-gauge aluminum with Dura-Kote release finish
• Folded, angled rim for strength
• Solid pan performance
• Made in the USA

Perforated Flatbread Pan Specifications:

• 5×15 inch, 0.5-inch deep
• 14-gauge aluminum with PSTK release finish
• Folded, angled rim for strength
• Perforated for increased airflow

Additional Flatbread Pans:
Rounded Corner Hex Pan: raised beaded edge for strength
Perforated QDF40: flat folded rim for strength and aid for peel access
Hearth Bake for Artisan Style Crust: designed to bake in a fast bake (calibrated) conveyor pizza oven and emerge with the special crispness associated with hearth oven baked pizzas

LloydPans, a U.S. manufacturer of commercial pizza pans and tools, bakeware, cookware and foodservice equipment, is located in Spokane Valley, Wash. In addition to an extensive line of standard products, LloydPans also offers custom solutions for just about anything their customers need. LloydPans’ products are sold online at www.lloydpans.com and through distributors.

LloydPans
800-748-6251
www.lloydpans.com
sales@lloydpans.com

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Key Menu Takeaways from the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report

We have spent months pouring over last fall’s Pizzeria Operator Survey results. The extensive 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report is a lot to digest and hits on many facets of pizzeria operations. If you know me, you know I love crunching the data and finding common themes and trends. Pizzeria menus are so important that we devoted some much needed attention in the report to what is happening on pizzeria menus in America.

In the report, we highlight current menu trends, including top pizza styles nationally and by region, Top 20 pizza toppings, hot toppings to watch and pizza toppings on the horizon. We know that offering multiple pizza styles is on trend. Detroit is the top pizza style to add for the second year in a row. Grandma and Sicilian are coming up fast. Pizzerias are branching out from traditional pizza toppings. Meats are still on top as pizza toppings. There are so many more over-arching pizza menu trends in the report. If you haven’t read the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report yet, check it out.

Now, I’m looking across the data to share insights that I discovered in our survey. I’m going deeper into the data to break down striking menu trends to take notice of.

Here are the 13 Pizzeria Menu Trends from the Pizza Industry Trends Report

1. Seafood lovers are a niche that some pizzerias have earned, when done right. Those with seafood on the pizza menu gravitate towards shrimp, clams, crab meat and yes, anchovies.  
2. Americans are crazy for chicken. It’s the sixth most popular topping. Not only that, but operators are also testing new ways to use chicken in their kitchens. Baked, smoked, fried, barbecued or seared, it’s a great versatile ingredient to take across your menu.
3. Vegan is still very hot. When it comes to plant-based offerings, imitation is best form of flattery. Consumers are looking for those common pizza toppings that are plant-based. Popular vegan items include vegan mozzarella, vegan pepperoni and vegan sausage.
4. Wings might have a high food cost, but they are the second most popular item on the menu behind pizza at most pizzerias in the U.S. Wings can be dressed in many ways. Most popular include classic Buffalo, dry rubbed, BBQ and garlic Parmesan. 
5. Sandwiches are providing a great return. Go classic with sandwiches and watch your lunch daypart get a boost. Top sandwiches from the survey included Italian Beef, meatball, Italian sub and a steak and cheese.
6. More burgers are going on pizzeria menus. If you are adding a burger, be sure you’re going with high-quality beef. Smash burgers and thick gourmet-style burgers are hot right now. You can’t have burgers without fries. Expect to see them on the burger menu and offered on their own on the apps menu.
7. Customers crave more doughy masterpieces to accompany their pizza orders. Cheesy bread, garlic bread or garlic knots are a solid add-on choice for customers. They prove to be an in-demand item across the country.
8. Even amid concise menus, salads are a strong sales item. Today’s customers expect more than iceberg lettuce and carrots. Be as bold with your salad menu as your pizza menu. Create color, use local produce and top with interesting or even house-made dressings.
9. Pasta is a hit with pizzeria diners. The most noteworthy pasta on menus around the country is lasagna. It’s a great option if you are looking for something that can be made ahead of time and heated to order. Second is traditional spaghetti and meatballs.
10. Meatballs were one of the most added items to menus. They are versatile gems — great for the pizza menu, on sandwiches or as a standalone app with marinara and hot chili oil. See Audrey Kelly’s Hot Chili Oil Story.
11. Over 82 percent of operators surveyed indicated that they offer a vegetarian pizza. It’s is one of the easiest offerings to add. Every makeline is equipped to make a vegetarian pizza. We would like to see that number at 100 percent. 
12. Nearly 66 percent of operators surveyed offer a gluten-free crust. While you do not hear about gluten-free in news headlines as much, gluten-free is still top of mind with American consumers with gluten sensitivity or Celiac Disease. 
13. A surprising 39 percent offered a cauliflower crust. While in many cases cauliflower crusts are a good gluten-free option, they are also diabetic friendly, Keto friendly and low carb.

Knowing what is happening on pizzeria menus at a national level can help you evaluate what to add, what to keep and what to remove. Explore more menu trends in Menu Development. Be sure to complete our survey later this year so that what’s happening at your pizzeria can be counted nationally.

DENISE GREER is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.

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The Stinger — Trending Hot Chili Oil

Hot oil is the answer to what all your pizzas have been missing. Looking to add extra flavor to a basic cheese pizza? Hot oil. Looking for a fun condiment to keep on the tables? Hot oil. Does your Italian sub need some zing? Hot oil. As you can see, there are many ways to utilize this awesome ingredient.

The four main ways to use hot oil are:

1. Use it as a finisher for any dish — pizza, salads, sandwiches or appetizers. The versatility of chili oil makes it the perfect complement to so many unexpected dishes.
2. As a marinade. Brush different raw meats and veggies before you cook them with hot oil to create a more dynamic flavor and add an underlying heat to the pie or dish.
3. As a dipping sauce. Forget Ranch or even honey. All you really need is one banging hot oil to make sure every last bite of crust gets eaten up. You can also serve it with a side dish of homemade focaccia or garlic knots.
4. In the pan. Instead of using straight olive or canola oil for sautéing and roasting, cut it in half and sub out hot oil.

Making Hot Oil

There are really two different ways to make hot oil. The first is using a pre-made canola or a neutral tasting olive oil and infusing it with chilies. The second is by adding fresh chilies to the olives during the olive oil extraction where the chilies and olives are then crushed together. This is called the Agrumato Method. This method creates beautifully complex and flavorful oils. The only downside is that you definitely need to have an olive mill to produce it.

As you can see there are a few differences to the two process’ of making hot oil. David Garci-Aguirre, the Master Miller at Corto, has been making Agrumato oils there for a few years now. He said, “It is so important to distinguish agrumato oils (sometimes referred to as co-milled or co-crushed) from other flavored oils because they are so unique. The making of olive oil is a complex process where incredible flavors and aromas are formed. When you add fresh ingredients at this stage you can create new and unique combinations of flavor and aroma that cannot be replicated in the kitchen or after the oil is extracted. Infusions and extracts for example, tend to be very one dimensional in flavor. This is because there is no interaction between the ingredients when the flavors of the oil are being developed. In contrast, agrumato method oils are the product of an intricate interplay between both ingredients.”

Since the two versions of hot oils taste very different, the one you decide on will depend on how you want to use it and whether or not you want to make it yourself. I think a basic, infused hot oil can be a great all-around option to have at your shop. Since it is fairly inexpensive to make, you can use it as sauté oil or give it away as a dipping sauce to customers. With such a unique and aromatic flavor, Agrumato oil on the other hand, is the perfect finisher for pizzas and the flavor really comes through baked into dishes and desserts. Think chili olive oil cake, focaccia finished with a drizzle of chili oil or house-made chili rolls.

If you want to make your own hot oil in house, and I will say I am definitely one of those people who likes to make anything I can in house, there’s a good chance you already have all of the ingredients on hand. Simply said, chili oil can be made from infusing oil with chilies. You can use any chili but a neutral oil is recommended. There are only three basic ingredients: oil, chili flakes or dried chilies and time. You can change up the flavor by the type of chilies you use and whether or not you add additional ingredients.

The main thing to keep in mind is the temperature of the oil. You want to be between 180 F to 350 F. The hotter it is, the darker the oil will be. If it gets too hot (think smoking), it will burn the chilies and result in a bitter flavor. You can test the oil by dropping in a few chili flakes and if it sizzles, it is ready. I like to leave the chili flakes in the oil for a few days to gain maximum flavor, then strain. After that the oil is ready to go. Chili oil also has a pretty long shelf life, two to three months if you store it in a cool, dark place.

To make other types of chili oils you can add other ingredients, such as granulated garlic, shallots, salts or peppercorns. A really popular one is a chili crunch sauce. While this is traditionally used in Asian dishes, it adds a ton of flavor and texture, which can be great on pizza too.

Different oils in general are great flavor boosters for pizza and just like a great extra virgin olive oil, hot oils can be cross utilized throughout your menu. They are a great addition to sandwiches, can add a kick to salad dressings, tossed with wings and used to finish appetizers, such as a mushroom crostini or burrata over roasted vegetables. It’s also easy to make a big batch and have it available for your customers to add to their own slices and pies.

There are multiple dimensions to every pizza and when you want maximum flavor you want to look at every one. I’m a big believer that there doesn’t need to be tons of toppings on a pizza but rather good quality and well thought out ones. Hot oil provides a complex and flavorful option to up your pizza game.

Hot Oil Recipe:

Get a Hot Oil recipe.

Audrey Kelly owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

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Blend it like Beckham

“Today’s pizzamakers are fortunate to live in an era wielding not only a diversity of grains, but also the knowledge of nutrition, gluten strength and fermentation to harness their full potential. The Fertile Crescent has come full circle as ancient grains are blended with contemporary expertise to create these beautiful modern pizzas.”
-Serhan Ayhan, Owner, Next Level Pizza, New York

In these modern times, chefs, bakers and innovative pizza makers like Serhan Ayhan are all looking for identity-shaping foods for their businesses. Many pizza makers have shifted their focus to a more artistic strategy that was usually used by chefs in their shiny controlled kitchens. This new artistic perspective about the platform that is pizza combines structural integrity, layering of flavors, new uses of ancient grains, and a combination of grains for their pizza crusts. The new pizza artists are now pushing the limits of manipulation like fine wine makers to achieve the perfect pizza crust. The more knowledge you have of your flour, the more you will be able wrap your pizza head around the perfect crust for your pizzeria. Just remember, any negative characteristics of a certain flour can be altered by other flours to create a superstar pizza crust.

Mixed Blessings

The characteristic of flour depends on the variety, location and growing conditions. Some wheats are considered soft and some are known as hard. Hard wheat has more of the protein’s gliadin and glutenin which form gluten when the flour is moistened. While mixing doughs, there are two distinctions; strong flours — which have a high protein content and are used to make breads, pizza and other yeasted products and weak flours — which are made from soft wheat and are used to make cookies, cakes, and pastries.

Endo What?

The composition of each wheat kernel consists of bran, germ and endosperm. Let’s jump in this geeky swamp for a second.

Bran: This is the hard, outer skin of the kernel and represents 14 percent to 17 percent of the grain. It is darker in color than it appears as small brown flecks, usually named whole wheat. In cases where millers crush white wheat, or screen out the bran, they may appear lighter. Other darker flours like Spelt, Einkorn, Rouge de Bordeaux etc. are darker also. Whole wheats may be altered into more lighter, or “golden” by the miller screening more of the bran out.

Pizza Bakers Note: Because Bran flakes are sharp, they affect the strength of the gluten bubbles and negate a certain level of extensibility you seek to both stretch your dough for a better cornicione, or airy crust. Millers use the distinction extraction that refers to the total amount of bran and germ taken out as a percentage. A lower extraction means that more endosperm is in your flour and less bran and germ. This may help you formulate the rise of your pizza with other factors like heat and hydration.

Germ: This little nugget of life is what creates a new plant if the kernel is sprouting and represents 2-3 percent of the grain. The germ is the vitamin hub of the kernel containing protein, nutrients and vitamins. Germ also contains a lot of fat and therefore can become rancid quickly if held too long.

Pizza Bakers Note: Adding raw wheat germ at 5-7 percent of total flour in your pizza recipe will create a nice nutty flavor and much more nutritious bread without hindering the gluten strength.

Endosperm: This is the starchy, white interior of the kernel after the bran and germ are removed and represents 81-83 percent of the grain. Depending upon the type of kernel, it represents about 67-76 percent starch and between 6-18 percent protein. It contains small amounts of minerals, sugar, fat and moisture. Many consider this as flour once the germ and bran are removed by the millers.

Pizza Bakers Note: Because the ground endosperm represents the bulk of starch and protein, it is most important to know the aspects of each one. Starches are complex carbohydrates and can absorb up to half of their weight in water and a small amount of starch becomes available as food for yeast. About 6-18 percent of white flour is protein depending upon the variety of kernel. Roughly 80 percent of proteins are glutenin and gliadin which, when combined with water create gluten. This creates the scaffolding that supports the gluten net that holds the carbon dioxide which makes an airy pizza crust. Of course, all this depends upon many, many factors. Some high-gluten flours contain added gluten to achieve consistency- some companies call this “reinforced” flour.

A Note on Baker’s Percentage:

This practical shift from ounces and pounds provides an accurate and faster way to measure flour in your pizzeria. By taking the total flour in kilograms and grams and basing the other ingredients individually against the flour, you’ll be able to speedily mix and replicate recipes. For example, when 1000 grams of flour is used with 100 grams of water, the water baker’s percentage is 10 percent. If the salt in this same recipe is 10 grams, then the baker’s percentage of the salt is one percent.

Power of the Flour

Flour is usually categorized as high-gluten flour at 14-percent protein, bread flour at 11-13.5-percent protein, cake and pastry flour which are 8 percent and 9 percent respectively.

European flours typically top out at 11.5-percent protein, lower than typical North American flours. They are graded on ash content. T45 and T55 are flours with low ash for cake and pastry. T65 are high-gluten and higher grades are flours with increasing darkness ending at dark rye designated T170.

Some other flours that are trending in innovative pizza products are as follows:

Spelt: Often considered the ancestor of modern wheat, this grain has become increasingly popular in pizzerias. It has a lower absorption than wheat and a weaker gluten structure, so it usually needs to be ground finer and/or mixed with a high-gluten mix. I’ve used local, Amish-grown spelt at a 60-percent mix to 40 percent high gluten for almost 15 years. The payoff of using spelt is a deep, slightly sweet, molasses flavor and nutty flavor that customers love.

Kamut: This durum wheat is trending with up to 40 percent higher protein than modern wheat. This golden flour has a nuttiness with hints of butter, and it is packed with nutrients. Many flour companies are milling white Kamut flour. Kamut has a reputation as being more easily digested than regular wheat and it has a chewy texture. I like this pizza dough with strong cheeses like goat and Gruyère paired with fatty pork, sweet fruit, and nuts.

Buckwheat: First documented in China 6000 years ago, this grain is rich in zinc, copper and manganese and is an important grain for vegans. Buckwheat adds zero gluten to your pizza crust mix but packs loads of strong nutty flavor. It must be ground finely because it will dilute the structural matrix, less is more.

Kernza*: I’ve used this Perennial Wheat for almost 10 years in my menu-mix. Long known as the next wave of sustainable grains, Kernza has roots that can penetrate the earth up to 10 feet down which will produce grain even in drought conditions. This also means no tilling, no fertilizers or pesticides that are needed to grow this grain. Kernza has 17-percent protein and a sharp bran which means it needs to be screened more by the millers. The reward is a pizza crust that is a brown sugary, almost honey-like flavor of nuts and maple.

Durum: Because of climate change, this is the grain of the future because it grows in hot, arid environments. Durum is a golden flour known as semolina and has different grinds, for pasta and breads. I’ve been getting different blends from Sicily that are stone ground at Molina del Ponte. The Rimacinata flour is a blend of Simeto, Duilio and Appio durum wheats but my favorite for baking a wonderful Focaccia Barese and Pizza in Teglia is 100 percent Tumminia. The sweet nuttiness and cakelike texture of this grain makes an airy, unforgettable crust.

Einkorn: This is one of the oldest wheats that has been cultivated. Its low gluten content may drive a pizza maker nuts which is why I use it with higher gluten flour for a fluffy, velvety texture with a slight chew. The advantage is a deep nutty and almost grassy taste perfect with cream sauces and strong cheeses.

Soy and Rice: These both contain no gluten and are used extensively in non-gluten crusts. These flours are added to the trendy Roman pizza called Pinza*. The soy flour is used as a non-gluten replacement for wheat and the white rice flour gives the pizza a crunchy and soft texture. It is mixed with olive oil to cloak some of proteins that form gluten. Using too much soy flour can lead to an unpleasant beany flavor but toasted soy flour adds a pleasant taste. Too much rice flour adds a sticky and oily finish to the tongue.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

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How pizzerias can keep sustainability momentum rolling well into the future.

Even when leadership’s intentions are pure and their commitment firm, a pizzeria’s momentum with sustainability can nevertheless stall.

Employee turnover might overrun even the most well-designed efforts, as a revolving door of employees weaken an operation’s ability to consistently execute sustainable practices.

Costs might derail thoughtful local purchasing objectives, especially amid inflationary pressures in an already low-margin industry loathe to raise menu prices.

A lack of resources or know-how might hamper management’s ability to troubleshoot and subsequently drive a return to more familiar – and less environmentally kind – patterns.

And the need to extinguish daily operational fires, from missing cash to a no-show employee to a plumbing issue, might nudge sustainability into the background over time. After all, amid mounting orders, pizzas to cook and bills to pay, tackling climate change might seem more luxury than necessity.

To be certain, it’s not easy being green – and even harder staying green.

Josh Prigge of Sustridge, a Minnesota-based sustainability consulting firm, and Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), offer pizzerias battle-tested thoughts on building a productive and lasting sustainability strategy.

First, take a wider view of sustainability’s value.

So often, business leaders mistakenly view sustainability in terms of dollars and cents alone. While they might launch sustainable initiatives for the “right reasons” – namely, to contribute to a healthier planet – they then evaluate such efforts exclusively through the bottom line.

In some instances, sustainable practices will deliver clear financial positives. Decreasing energy use, for example, will spur lower operating costs and reducing waste will prompt fewer trash pickups. Both will generate an obvious bottom-line impact.

Some of sustainability’s other benefits, however, are less evident and instantaneous. Prigge says restaurant leadership must understand sustainability’s wider value and use that as fuel to maintain momentum.

“With some sustainable efforts, there might not be an immediate payback, but rather some intangibles that lead to the long-term health and success of the business,” Prigge says.

To Prigge’s point, restaurants incorporating and promoting their sustainability efforts can attract new customers. According to an October 2022 report from Datassential, nine of out 10 consumers say sustainability matters to them, while more than half say restaurant sustainability practices “somewhat influence” their out-of-home dining choices.

“Folks are looking for businesses who share their beliefs,” Prigge says, adding that sustainable initiatives can also spur PR opportunities and “free advertising” for the restaurant.

Oshman, meanwhile, notes that sustainability can also help businesses attract and retain quality employees. In IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV) report released in 2022, 67 percent of the survey’s 16,000 respondents said they were more willing to apply for positions with environmentally sustainable companies. Given the high cost of employee turnover, the ability to attract and retain talent can spark significant benefits.

“Employees want to be working at a place that matches their values,” Oshman says.

Second, bake sustainability into the business strategy.

For many restaurants, sustainability frequently becomes a disjointed collection of scattered decisions. Buy more local ingredients here. Reduce energy there. While such one-off practices are noble and positive, a more cohesive strategy positioning sustainability as a core value and central business strategy increases the likelihood of long-term success.

Prigge urges restaurant operations to create a formal sustainable strategy featuring defined targets and attainable short and long-term goals.

If a restaurant wants to increase its local buying, for example, it must first understand what percentage of goods are currently purchased locally. Thereafter, it can create a realistic target to push that figure up in the short and long-term with specific action steps – convert to purchasing all local cheese by the close of 2024, for instance – to hit those marks.

Yet more, everyone at the restaurant should know the goals. Leadership should incorporate sustainable practices into staff members’ formal job duties – maybe it’s recording food waste or separating trash into compost or recycling bins – and provide clear communication on why specific efforts matter. Leadership should also communicate progress and celebrate notable wins with staff.

A formal strategy including designated tasks and targets will help engrain sustainability into an operation’s culture and its daily activities. Employees and management alike will know the expectations and goals, which makes it easier to maintain momentum even amid staff turnover.

“Sustainability isn’t a one-month thing,” Oshman reminds. “It’s commitment and support and ongoing effort.”

Finally, be vigilant in looking for ways to improve.

Any restaurant will encounter challenges as it pursues more sustainable operations. A manager passionate about sustainability will move on or a local vendor offering a great line of sustainable disposables will cease operations. Those temporary hiccups cannot stall progress.

“Keep in mind there are more physical solutions than ever before, so there’s not just one good napkin anymore,” Oshman says.

Specifically, Oshman urges restaurants to utilize resources designed to help drive their sustainability efforts. Two summers ago, for instance, the GRA launched six badges, each one outlining “understandable and relatable” environmental steps a restaurant could take to increase sustainability. The Near-Zero Waste badge, for example, features instructions on recycling, waste reduction, food waste, training, reusables and disposables.

Many local utilities or state restaurant associations, meanwhile, offer resource pages to help commercial operations pursue more sustainable practices or adhere to environmentally minded legislation. Such resources promise to elevate restaurant leadership’s awareness, highlight winning strategies and propel sustainable efforts.

In addition, Prigge urges restaurants to shift their calculus. As one example, energy efficient investments like a smart thermostat or shutting down idle equipment might offer a more immediate and noticeable financial payment, particularly in older buildings. In contrast, water savings might not appear as robust off the bat. Rather than looking at each utility individually, he suggests “bundling projects together” to see the bigger ROI picture.

Then, he recommends using savings in one area to fuel additional investments, thereby allowing today’s sustainability to feed tomorrow’s gains.

“Create a revolving loan fund,” Prigge says. “Put the savings from one sustainable project with immediate payback in there and then reinvest it elsewhere down the line, so your sustainability continues to grow.”

DANIEL P. SMITH Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

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Selling pizza in stadiums and arenas

When you’re building your brand in your local area, there are many traditional ways to do this. Whether it is being entrenched in your community or using the typical forms of advertising. For making a huge impact in brand recognition there may be no bolder move than getting aligned with your local sports organizations and venues. Even if you do not have any major or minor league teams in your area you will have some high school sports that may present some opportunities as well.

We currently have 17 different concession stands spread out over five different venues. They are Acruisure Stadium, (home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers) PPG Arena, (home of the Pittsburgh Penguins) PNC Park, (home of the Pittsburgh Pirates) Beaver Stadium (home of the Nittany Lions) and Pegula Ice Arena (home of Penn State Hockey). We have done this all over the course of 18 months. In that 18 months we have gone from people not knowing about us to almost anytime someone sees us in our shirts they at the very least say that they need to eat there, that they have heard about us or someone they know loves our food. We have made a huge mark on Western PA in the form of name recognition.

The Product to Sell in Stadiums

Before we ever spoke to any sports team we had to think about a product that we could sell in the stadiums. I suggest doing your research and trying other pizzas in outside concessions. You don’t want to ruin your brand by putting out an inferior product. The product you sell inside your stores may not be able to be duplicated in a venue that’s not your pizzeria. Inside our pizzeria we never freeze any of our dough. We knew if we could freeze just the shells after we parbake them we would be on our way to having a product that we could sell outside of the restaurant.

From there it was important to use the same sauce, cheese and pepperoni as we do on premise. It was also important to be able to build the pizza on site with fresh product on top of our frozen shell once it was defrosted. The shell that we make is the same dough recipe as we have always used for our five other styles of pizza. Just like the other five styles we use different processes when fermenting and baking the shells.

Once we had the quality where we wanted it we knew we could mass produce the product because we had just purchased a 4,800 square foot commissary building. This gave us the means to produce dough during the day and we have a place to store the shells. With that being said I know of some friends in the industry who overnight produce shells for their other locations at their pizzeria and this same method could work for making shells for outside venues. We use the commissary to mass produce prep for our restaurants and producing the shells for stadiums has offset the cost of the operations of our commissary building.

Staffing & Training at a Concession Venue

Each venue that we operate in has a contract in place. Each venue is a little different, but they are all somewhat the same. In the sense that we sell them the shell. This is how we offset the operations of the commissary building as mentioned above. Then from there we set up a licensing agreement where we get a certain percentage back on each slice of pizza sold. We have no staff operating the booths, we use the vendor staff. The initial thought is how can you monitor quality if your staff is not making the pizzas? We have put forth some proven ways to control the quality. We train all of their supervisors in the very beginning so that they can train their staff. From there we have produced wall charts for all the concession stands that show how to properly prepare the pizzas. We then supply the venue with measuring cups for the cheese and the proper spoodles for the sauce.

Once the training is complete a small team of my employees and myself do go to the first few events at the venue. We never step in and make all the pizzas but we do train and spot check for quality. One of the ways we ensure that our product will be made up to our standards when we are not there is to make their employees feel like our employees. The first thing I do at each new venue is to give them all a Caliente Pin and a Caliente T-Shirt. The leaders of each stand I gave them a $100 Caliente Gift Card. I learned all their names and called them by such when I saw them.

When I took a prospective stadium through one of our existing stadiums they could not believe the camaraderie and love that I had for them and they had for me and my staff. They asked me how often I am there and I told them just in the beginning a few times a year for spot checks. You could tell they care about the product and they care about me. I also make sure I give them all a gift card at Christmas time. If you have read anything I have ever written, you know I am huge on treating people the right way and caring about them before they care about you. The stadiums and outside concessions are no different.

We have learned a lot about being in outside concessions and what I have laid out for you above are the must do’s. The don’t or mistakes along the way that we have made is really not so much on the product end but more on the end of how the deal is structured. There is so much effort that goes into being in stadiums the last thing you want to do is go in and not have proper signage or display of your product. I can not stress enough how important it is to have all your signage details in any contract that you sign. Where all signage will be displayed, who’s paying for it and most importantly who is installing it. I ended up with a huge bill for signage to be installed because I had to use their installers who happened to be union workers. In the end don’t just treat the outside concessions like just an extension of your business, treat it like your business.

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh.  Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Building your Brand Through Off Premise Concessions appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Look at Pizza Places Around the U.S.

Each month, we highlight pizzerias across America and showcase what makes them standout. Explore featured menu items and pizzas.

Berwick Pizza & Subs, Green Camp, Ohio

Berwick is home of the dessert pizza. The pizzeria uses cereals and other sweet favorites to create the pies. Berwick applies that creativity to its entire pizza menu. “One thing that sets our restaurant apart is our crazy pizza creations,” says Austin Buckland. “We feature a new pizza every month with our Pizza of the Month program and dare to be different. From Cosmic Brownie and Pumpkin Donut to Caramel Apple Fritter, we come up with a new recipe monthly. We are well known to be heavy pizza toppers. We load the pizza toppings on. Our large pizza has nearly a pound of cheese! We make our own dough daily and cook our pizzas in an old-fashioned deck oven. One of our most ‘stand out’ menu items would have to be our Fruity Pebbles dessert pizza. We have several dessert pizzas on our menu, but it’s a classic favorite flavor in pizza form. We start off with a sugar cookie base, sweet cream filling, and our own dessert streusel. We top it with Fruity Pebbles and swirls of icing!”

Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria, Bethesda, Maryland

This Neapolitan-style pizzeria is embarking on its second location this year. The original location sits in the Wildwood Shopping Center and features an open kitchen drawing eyes to its dome oven. The menu is full of small plates, sandwiches, salads and pizzas. The menu also highlights mussels, including Smoky Pancetta with white wine, crema, leeks and parsley. In addition to classic Neapolitan pizzas, Piccoli Piatti also offers unique creations like the Inverno with mozzarella, goat cheese, Brussels sprouts, caramelized red onion and herbs. The Norma is topped with mozzarella, eggplant and ricotta. The Fiarelli features mozzarella, sausage, broccoli rabe and fontina.

Circle Inn Pizzeria, Clearfield, Utah

Congrats to Circle Inn, which reopened in a new location after a devastating fire in 2022. The multi-generational family-owned pizzeria has been a staple of its community since 1941. The menu features cheesy and garlic bread, wings, sandwiches, salads and pizzas. Sandwiches include the French Dip with au jus dipping sauce. Specialty pizzas include Chicken Bacon Ranch, Turkey Bacon Ranch, Philly Cheesesteak, Spicy Buffalo Chicken and BBQ Chicken.

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Norwood, Mass. (January 18, 2024) – As National Pizza Week wraps up this Sunday, January 20, 2024, Uno Pizzeria & Grill – the birthplace of deep dish pizza – is proud to announce its 80^th birthday celebration this year. The iconic pizza destination will honor the milestone at its fifteen restaurants throughout Massachusetts with a series of contests, events and promotions where nostalgic Uno guests from the last eight decades can share some of their fondest memories and experiences at Uno’s for a chance to win prizes, including an all-expenses paid trip to Chicago, where the Uno story began in 1943.

The contest will encourage Uno’s fans to share their ‘Uno’s Moments,’ heart-warming stories of family nights, first dates, post-game meals and gatherings with friends at www.unos.com/80years and through Uno’s’ social media pages. Contest entrants will also have opportunities to win free pizza for a year and Uno’s swag and apparel in addition to the all-expenses paid trip to Chicago, which also includes a visit to the original Uno Pizzeria & Grill on the corner of Ohio and Wabash. Plans for in-restaurant events, along with weeklong celebrations for Uno’s’ other signature styles of pizza including Chicago Thin Crust, Detroit-style, Tavern-style, Gluten-free and Cauliflower crust will be announced in weeks ahead.

“The common thread amongst our loyal guests from over the last several decades is that fond memories are created at Uno’s, long-lasting memories of visiting our restaurants and trying our deep dish pizza for the very first time with friends, family and teammates,” said Erik Frederick, CEO of Uno Pizzeria & Grill. “We look forward to hearing more of those memories through Uno’s Moments, and creating even more memories in the years to come here in Massachusetts, which became our home away from home when Aaron Spencer introduced delicious deep dish pizza here in 1978.”

Uno Pizzeria & Grill, formerly and commonly referred to as Pizzeria Uno, was introduced outside of Illinois for the very first time in 1978 when Aaron Spencer – Massachusetts resident, entrepreneur and prominent businessman – purchased the franchise rights to the restaurant and brand. Spencer opened the first franchise location in Boston with an expanded menu to attract a broader crowd than just pizza enthusiasts. Uno’s now has fifteen restaurants in Massachusetts cities and towns including Attleboro, Bellingham, Braintree, Dedham, Framingham, Haverhill, Leominster, Millbury, Revere, two in Springfield including the Basketball Hall of Fame, Sturbridge, Westborough, Worcester and Wrentham, and its corporate headquarters are located in Norwood.

Knowing well that some people who grew up with Uno’s here in Massachusetts have moved to different areas in New England, Uno’s is also offering the contest to those who now reside in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine and can take advantage of in-restaurant promotions and events at their respective hometown Uno’s. For more information, please visit www.unos.com.

About Uno Pizzeria & Grill:

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation includes approximately 80 company-owned and franchised UNO Pizzeria & Grill restaurants located in 18 states, and the District of Columbia, India, and Saudi Arabia. UNO is all about connecting people over awesome pizza – from its famous Chicago Deep Dish, which UNO invented in 1943, to its Chicago Thin Crust, to its gluten-free and vegan pizzas to its new Detroit Style Pizza. For more information, visit www.unos.com.

The post Uno Pizzeria & Grill Celebrates 80 Delicious Years with ‘Uno’s Moments’ and Chances to Win Trip to Chicago and Free Pizza for a Year appeared first on Pizza Today.

Odie O’Connor, owner of Boxcar Pizza in Portland, Oregon on The Hot Slice Podcast

his week, we chat with Odie O’Connor, owner of Boxcar Pizza in Portland, Oregon. Boxcar is a vegan Detroit style pizza shop. His first venture into the pizza biz was a wood-fired pizza cart. On the show, we got the skinny on Odie’s next pizza project, a New York-style pizzeria in his hometown of San Diego, California, offering New York sourdough pies, as well as Sicilian and Grandma.

That’s five styles. Odie has a passion for pizza dough and learning. We talk about the process and the various styles. He shares how he decided to go into business with each style.

Doing a vegan Detroit pizza is unique. He details what he wanted in a Detroit pizza and why it’s open to all pizza lovers. Yes, we even talked cheese, since it’s a signature of the style.

In a Conversation in Pizza Today Magazine, Odie talked about the R&D of his Detroit. He said “When developing the vegan recipes I always consider taste, smell, allergens, and food cost.  Our meats are typically made from either vital wheat gluten or textured vegetable protein.  Once I decide what the base will be, I begin adding spices and liquids that I think will best represent umami flavors and also bake how I want them to on the pizzas. It really is just research, trial, error and then repeat.” Read his Conversation: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/conversation-odie-oconnor-boxcar-pizza-portland-oregon/

Check out Boxcar Pizza on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/boxcarpizza/ and his new project https://www.instagram.com/odiespizza/ .

Thank you to our sponsor

The post 192. Five Dough Styles and Going with Odie O’Connor appeared first on Pizza Today.

Fast Casual Franchise by 13-Time World Champion Tony Gemignani Had a Record Day of Pizza Sales, Reinforcing its Success as a Beloved Pizza Restaurant with 29 Locations in Arenas and Stadiums in California and Nevada as a part of its 145 Units Open or in Development Nationally

SAN FRANCISCO (February 14, 2024) – Slice House by Tony Gemignani, the highly successful fast-casual pizza franchise by world renowned pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani, is proud to announce a record day of pizza sales at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, February 11, 2024, for Super Bowl LVIII. Slice House served an incredible 8,200 slices of pizza to football fans in attendance at the big game; the impressive milestone is a testament to customers’ love of Slice House’s authentic pizzas, as well as the franchise’s success within such venues. Slice House’s five locations at Allegiant Stadium are among its 29 locations in arenas and stadiums in California and Nevada, including the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park, San Francisco Warriors’ Chase Center, San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium, and the newly opened Sphere in Las Vegas – which are a part of its 145 units open or in development nationally.

“As a football fan and pizzaiolo, there is no bigger day than Super Bowl, so it was incredibly exciting for Slice House to have such a strong presence at Allegiant Stadium, serving a record 8,200 slices of pizza on the day of the big game,” said Founder Tony Gemignani. “Food has a way of bringing people together and this was no exception. I was honored to be at Slice House during the Super Bowl to personally serve our authentic pizzas to fans, whether they were San Francisco Bay Area natives who are familiar with our pizzas or customers visiting from other cities who were experiencing Slice House for the first time.”

President George Karpaty continued, “Slice House has a long history being a part of sports and entertainment communities, and we look forward to continuing to expand in arenas and stadiums and beyond as a part of our nationwide franchise program. Super Bowl was a great example of how Slice House provides top-quality pizza and genuine hospitality in fast casual, high traffic environments with a franchise that supports every aspect of the business.” In advance of the big game, Slice House designed and executed a dedicated social media campaign inclusive of organic and paid elements that targeted fans.

Slice House is a convenient way for diners to experience pizza and more by a world-champion, celebrity chef. Originally opened in San Francisco’s historic Italian neighborhood of North Beach in 2010, Slice House by Tony Gemignani has since expanded to include 6 standalone locations as well as 29 locations within arenas and stadiums. In 2023, Slice House by Tony Gemignani, named the #1 Emerging Brand in Pizza Marketplace’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers, launched its nationwide franchise program; to-date, it has achieved 145 franchised units open or under development across five states.

For more information, please visit www.slicehouse.com and follow along on Instagram @SliceHouse and Facebook @SliceHouseFolsom.

ABOUT SLICE HOUSE BY TONY GEMIGNANI

Originally opened in San Francisco’s historic Italian neighborhood of North Beach in 2010, Slice House by Tony Gemignani is where artisan pizza meets fast casual dining.  Slice House is a convenient way for diners to experience the 13-time world champion’s famous New York, Sicilian, Grandma, Detroit, and California style pizzas including gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options, as well as pasta, wings, and salads accompanied by a drink menu featuring local craft breweries and natural wines.  In 2023, Slice House by Tony Gemignani launched its nationwide franchise program and achieved 100 units open or under development across five states. Named the #1 Emerging Brand in Pizza Marketplace’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers 2023, Slice House presents the opportunity to join a seasoned team with over 30 years of experience in the multibillion-dollar pizza industry, offering the credibility of a celebrity chef, access to authentic regional recipes, and a flexible revenue stream from brick-and-mortar locations to stadium kiosks, with fast-casual, sit-down, take-out, or third-party delivery services.

The post Slice House by Tony Gemignani Serves 8,200 Slices of Pizza at Allegiant Stadium’s Slice House Locations for Super Bowl LVIII appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizza Valentine’s Day Fun to add to your pizzeria’s V Day celebration

Pizza is the perfect meal for sharing so, of course, couples and families love to visit pizzerias on Valentine’s Day. The holiday gives you the opportunity to show your customers the love with heart-shaped pizzas and other Valentine’s Day-specific promotions, like a couple’s complete meal package.

9 Pizza Valentine’s Day Card Greetings to try!

We’re counting down 9 of the best Pizza Valentine’s Day Card Greetings. Try one of these on your social today:

1. You got a PIZZA my heart!

2. Every PIZZA me loves every PIZZA you!

3. You stole a PIZZA my heart!

4. All you need is love and PIZZA!

5. Any way you SLICE IT, you’re mine!

6. You’re the Pepperoni to my PIZZA!

7. PIZZA is my Valentine!

8. I love you with every PIZZA my heart!

    

   Now, this one might be contrary…

9. I love you more than PIZZA! And I really love PIZZA!

The post Happy Valentine’s Day appeared first on Pizza Today.

Hairy Styles: Classifying Pizza Styles

If you feel like you’ve been experiencing Regional Pizza Style Fatigue lately, you’re not alone. Not long ago, the vast majority of Americans categorized all pizza into just a few broad categories: New York Style, Chicago Style and Other. Thanks to the Food Network, social media and various pizza competitions, we’ve been exposed to a wide array of global variations. Some are legitimate regional specialties while others are mere mirages used for marketing. How do we tell the difference and when is it important to ignore such classification? Let’s find out by diving into the history of regional style nomenclature.

What defines a food as regional in the first place?

The original pizza of Naples was itself a regional distinction. Well into the 17th century, the term pizza was used to describe cookies and cakes. The famous Renaissance chef Bartolomeo Scappi’s 1570 recipe collection, Opera, includes several recipes for biscuits and cinnamon buns that he portrays as different types of pizza. When the savory pizzas we now love appeared in Naples around the mid-18th century, the modifier Napoletana specified the dish based on its point of origin. Geography is certainly the most important element of a regional style’s definition.

There are strong parallels between pizza and BBQ, particularly in the case of provenance. BBQ expert and New York Times best-selling author Meathead Goldwyn explains that “South Carolina [currently] has many different styles of BBQ but the one that’s unique has a mustard-based sauce. Germans brought that in through Charleston.” In the same way, Texas style BBQ is often beef-focused because cattle were more common than pigs by the time the regional designation was made. The connection between place and food is integral to the legitimacy of a regional style.

Differentiation is another important step in determining a regional style’s definition.

Karen Dybis, author of Detroit Style Pizza: A Doughtown History, relied on that concept for clarity in her research for the book. “Detroit style pizza is not round, isn’t baked in a standard pan, does not only use mozzarella, and the sauce is not below the cheese.” The fact that Detroit’s deep square pizza isn’t identical to any other city’s indigenous style is what defines its identity.

This explains why Chicago’s deep-dish pizza has long defined its hometown despite being far less popular locally than thin, square-cut pizzas. By the early 1980s, it was seen as the antithesis of New York City’s thin slices. Chicago Pizza Tours founder Jon Porter points out the contrast between the Chicago deep-dish and NYC slice dining experience. “There weren’t many places that did [deep-dish] pizza. You had to go downtown, find a parking spot, and wait 40 minutes for your pizza. It was a special occasion restaurant, unlike the everyday corner slice shop experience in New York.”

Although the distinct characteristics that form a regional style are integral to its definition, the public is more concerned with what’s on the plate rather than a set of required recipes. According to Italian food expert, award-winning author, and TV host Katie Parla points out that Romans accept variation among their city’s Pizza Tonda restaurants. “They’re not all adhering to a specific [recipe], but the final product has the crispy and chewy texture that the local population requires.” We see plenty of variation in the pizza of Naples, but they all serve a similar size, texture and experience. The same goes for the pizza of New Haven, Connecticut. The city’s pizza is often associated with coal-fired brick ovens, but only a small number of its
pizzerias use them.

New Haven pizza expert, and author of Pizza In New Haven, Colin Caplan credits longevity for his hometown’s signature style. “Pizzerias in the New Haven area have been making it the same way for around a century. Our pizzas are thin, crispy, and charred – that’s what the people of New Haven have come to expect,” says Caplan. “I get [upset] when the pizza’s not charred.” Charred pizza isn’t unique to New Haven, but it has become an expectation across the past century.

What legitimizes a regional pizza style?

A legitimate regional style requires critical mass both in terms of the number of pizzerias serving it and the number of consumers recognizing it. A new pizzeria in Tuscaloosa that claims to have created Tuscaloosa style pizza last year is not making a legitimate regional style. Nor is a pizza that bases its identity on a topping combination. For instance, Hawaiian pizza has never claimed to be a style of pizza from Hawaii. It’s merely a topping combination loosely referential to the island state. Windsor, Ontario has several pizzerias that claim to make Windsor style pizza, but the only common thread among them is the use of shredded pepperoni, canned mushrooms and a local mozzarella. That’s a topping combination, not a regional style. We tend to identify artisan pizzas made with local produce as California style, but pizzerias across the country have managed to do the same without being anywhere close to the Golden State.

This begs the question: at what point does one pizzeria’s specialty transform into a regional style? Dybis thinks it’s all due to recognition from beyond the region. Despite being around since the 1940s, Detroiters didn’t recognize their own deep, square pizzas as a regional style until just over a decade ago. Some of the earliest
instances of the phrase “Detroit Style pizza” come from articles written in the 1980s in places like Lincoln, Nebraska, reporting on the new pizzeria in town that’s making “unique thick square pizza with the sauce on top.” Once enough pizzerias started serving the thick squares in Colorado, California, Texas and New York City it suddenly became a recognized regional style.

Pizzerias today often desire to be associated with a particular style. It definitely makes marketing easier, especially when a style is different from the mainstream options. Pizza schools and certification courses are making it easier than ever to gain credibility and acceptance. There are programs for Neapolitan, Roman, New York, New Haven and even Detroit style. For pizza makers interested in learning new methods or newcomers looking for a place to start, categorization can be extremely helpful.

With all the content bouncing around social media, it’s now easier than ever to draw inspiration from multiple styles, resulting in cross-pollination that blurs the lines separating regional classifications. Meathead Goldwyn believes that strict taxonomy is becoming less advantageous. “I think those walls have tumbled down. There used to be regional styles, but we’re in a global economy now.”

Humans love to categorize. It gives us a sense of order that helps establish expectations. As helpful as it can be for those entering the pizza business or customers encountering an unfamiliar slice, it can get in the way of creativity. Meathead puts it best. “I think we really need to worry less about these definitions and just make beautiful food.”

Regional Pizza Style Requirements:

1. Origin: All regional pizza styles are tied to a specific birthplace.
2. Differentiation: Must be unlike other styles in the area and unique from styles in other areas.
3. Longevity: Requires decades of existence.
4. Critical Mass: Both in terms of the number of pizzerias making the style and the population’s acceptance.
5. Recognition: The strongest regional styles are referenced from beyond the region.

SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org  Instagram: @scottspizzatours

The post When does a pizza become a regional pizza style? appeared first on Pizza Today.

Fill your February Calendar with Key Dates, Observances and Food Holidays

February may be the shortest month of the year. It is also packed with observances, food holidays and one of the biggest pizza sales days of the year.

Let’s look at some key dates and how you can honor them in your pizzeria. Mark the following dates on your calendar:

Black History Month

Find ways to spotlight Black-owned Businesses and chefs you partner with, as well as black-owned businesses in your area. Donate to charitable food organizations supporting black communities like Black Farmers Network and Black Chef Movement. Partner with local history and cultural organizations to host an educational food series. Spotlight and amplify the voices of your employees internally and externally. Extend these programs all year long.

5-9 National Pride in Foodservice Week

This is a week to honor fellow foodservice teams who work in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, correctional facilities and other foodservice workplaces. Let them know you appreciate them.

9  National Pizza Day

It’s time to celebrate America’s favorite food, PIZZA. Find a unique way to mark National Pizza Day that reflects your brand. Market it and then be sure you are ready for a big day.

11  Super Bowl Sunday

It’s one of the busiest, if not THE busiest days in American pizzerias. Get those systems in place to flow seamlessly in the massive rush of football fans, in house, to-go and delivery. We have some ideas to help the day run smoothly.

13  Galentine’s Day

This one is often overlooked. Give ladies the idea to dine with you. Create a friends meal package including app, pizza, dessert and alcoholic beverage.

14  Valentine’s Day

Heart-shaped pizzas will sell out on this day. Find out how to make a heart-shaped pizza. If White Castle can sell out reservations on V-Day, so can you. Have fun with your packages and promotions.

14  Ash Wednesday (Start of Lent)

This date marks the start of the 40-day season of Lent, during which time follows may abstain from meat during the period or many may abstain on Fridays. Restaurants offer lent specials and meatless promotions. Many restaurants add seafood and fish specials during lent. Highlight veggie pies or create something special to adhere to Lent specifications.

19  President’s Day

It’s a big deals day for consumers. Get in on the action with an offer your customers can’t resist.

Be sure to tag us @PizzaToday to share your February celebrations and events. Check out 10 Can’t Miss Pizza Holidays!

The post February brings Pizza Love Opportunities — February Observances and Food Holidays appeared first on Pizza Today.

National Pizza Day is Friday, February 9!

Your customers are already getting excited for National Pizza Day on February 9 and so should you. Pizza Friday and National Pizza Day, Friday will be a HUGE day. Pizzeria operators have found creative ways to mark the occasion. We’ve scoured the web and social media to share how pizzerias are celebrating. Here are ten fun marketing and outreach ideas we came across:

• Blow up social media with tag challenges for pizza giveaways
• Participate in Pizza Across America, a national pizza donation campaign
• Debut limited-time-only pizzas and new pizzas to secret menus
• Pizza giveaways for the first “X” number of customers
• Discounts, promo codes, BOGO deals, meal packages galore
• Let a pizza maker take over your social and share some pizza how-to tips.
• Reach out to media to make pizzas on local news programs and other media spots
• Games and more games, including pizza naming and trivia for swag, prizes and gift cards
• Pizza and craft beer pairing events
• Tie in a Customer Appreciation Day with a party

Don’t forget to tag @PizzaToday in your National Pizza Day posts so we can see how you celebrate and share on our social.

Other February Pizza Moments

National Pizza Day isn’t the only sales opportunity day this month. Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday. Pizza is all about the love and the biggest day in professional football is also one of the busiest days for pizzerias.

Here are a few pizzeria resources for you to make the most of these big February sales days:

Are you ready for Super Bowl Sunday?

Don’t get caught off guard with poor inventory management and staff scheduling. Wee have tips for you get ready for a super-sized sales day.

Valentine’s Day Heart-shaped Pizza

Did you know there is a heart-shaped dough mold? Yeah, we didn’t either so we made heart-shaped pizzas using a template. Learn how to make a heart-shaped pizza. We want to see those heart-shaped pizzas. Tag @pizzatoday on social.

Don’t forget to check out 10 Can’t Miss Pizza Holidays!

The post National Pizza Day, February 9th: 10 Ways Pizzerias Will Celebrate appeared first on Pizza Today.

LloydPans Quik-Disks are superior alternatives to mesh pizza screens

Transform the way you bake pizzas with LloydPans Quik-Disks. Say goodbye to the hassle of spending extra time in the kitchen by giving customers speedy satisfaction and deliciousness without a long wait.

Hot, crispy pizza will be delivered in record time, thanks to Quik-Disks’ features:

• Hard coat anodized 18-gauge (0.040-inch) aluminum
• No seasoning required and ready to go out of the box
• Permanent finish will not chip, bake, flake or peel off — ever
• Durable: outlasts and outperforms pizza screens
• Folded flat rim for added strength and easier removal with peels
• 40% airflow to 60% surface ratio

In addition to standard Quik-Disks, LloydPans also offers customers Hex Quik-Disks, which have the most airflow, Heart Shaped Quik-Disks in time for Valentine’s Day and Rectangle Quik-Disks for square shaped pizza lovers.

LloydPans, a U.S. manufacturer of commercial pizza pans and tools, bakeware, cookware and foodservice equipment, is located in Spokane Valley, Wash. In addition to an extensive line of standard products, LloydPans also offers custom solutions for just about anything their customers need. LloydPans’ products are sold online at www.lloydpans.com and through distributors.

LloydPans
800-748-6251
www.lloydpans.com
sales@lloydpans.com

The post LloydPans Quik-Disks Redefine Fast, Delicious Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizza Expo 2024 — 40 Years of Community

The pizza industry is different than most. There is a strong bond, a sense of community and a helping spirit. It wasn’t always that way. What changed the industry was the first International Pizza Expo in 1984. Today, the pizza industry is a realization of the vision of the inaugural Pizza Expo.

Pizza Expo 2024, commencing at the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 19-21, is expected to be biggest and best Pizza Expo yet. Attendees and exhibitors can expect fanfare and celebration of our four decades. “If you don’t make it this year to our 40th anniversary show, you’ll have missed being part of the largest gathering of pizza professionals ever assembled” says Bill Oakley, Pizza Expo Show Director. “It’s going to be a record-breaking show in terms of attendance and net square footage of exhibit space. Each year, we are committed to improving the experience for attendees and exhibitors alike in response to the industry’s ever-changing needs, demands and market changes.

“Expo attendees each year gain access to the latest equipment, technology, and software, as well as an education and demonstration program second to none. But they should also expect to find more new exhibitors and products than ever before. Pizza Expo continues to be your one-stop shop for everything you need for your restaurant all under one roof. It’s also your single best opportunity to discover what’s new, what’s working and what’s trending. You’ll be able to obtain new industry knowledge, insights and ideas that will help you position your pizzeria for improved profitability and future growth.”

Stay updated on all PIZZA EXPO 2024 News. We’ve created a hub for news from the World’s Largest Pizza Show. Find all the updates and happenings at Pizza Expo 2024. Go to the Pizza Expo 2024 Hub.

What’s new at this year’s Pizza Expo?

Each year, we up our game at Pizza Expo, invigorating the show with new ideas. The 40th iteration will see the introduction of new competitions and events sure to satisfy attendees.

Oakley gave a breakdown on some of the exciting new additions to Pizza Expo 2024. They are:

1. The World’s Best Cheese Slice competition is new to the 2024 International Pizza Challenge.

2. We have 2 new pizza-making competitions this year.

a. Ooni Pizza Throwdown – The Ooni Pizza Throwdown will have two divisions, Traditional and Pan. Each competition will be limited to 15 entrants in each category. Entrants may only compete in one
category. Pizzas will be made in an entrant’s choice of Ooni oven – either Ooni Koda 16 (Natural Gas), Ooni Karu 16 (Natural Gas) or Ooni Volt (Electric.) Traditional pizzas can be any style cooked directly on the stone. Pan can be any style cooked in a pan or sheet.

b. Plant-Based Competition – A Plant-Based Competition featuring Daiya Foods Dairy-Free Cheeses! The crust/dough/batter must be fresh or parbaked. In addition, the dough — and all toppings — must be plant based. Each competitor’s goal will be to showcase Daiya Foods’ dairy-free cheeses and blends, including, but not limited to the following.

• • Daiya Dairy-Free Mozzarella Style Cheese
  • Daiya Dairy-free Shredded Italian Blend Cheese
  • Daiya Dairy Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • Daiya Dairy-free Cream Cheese

3. 2 new hands-on Pizza Making Workshops (Paid – $250)

a. Reaching for a New Generation of Pizzaioli – Francesco Marra, Co-Founder and Director, Pizza University & Culinary Arts and Giulio Adriani, Master Instructor, Pizza University and Culinary Arts

b. Mastering Dough with Sourdough Willy – Will Grant, Owner and Master Pizzaioli, Workshop Presenter, That’s A Some Pizza

4. New School of Pizzeria Management Workshops (Paid – $250)

a. 1 New – Master Profitability: Conquer Budgeting Fears and Empower Financial Success and What to do BEFORE You Increase Menu Prices – David Scott Peters

b. Crafting Your Brand and Marketing Strategy – Mike Bausch, owner-operator, Andolini’s Pizzeria

c. Maximizing Revenue via Online Ordering – Melissa Rickman, owner – CFO Wholly Stromboli

The Sunday and Monday fee-based workshops were added to Pizza Expo less than a decade ago. In that time, they have helped many operators grow their business through intensive courses. “The workshops are so detailed,” says Content Director and Editor In Chief Jeremy White. “They give attendees the opportunity to really deep-dive into the subject matter with proven experts in the field. The knowledge you walk away with from these pre-show workshops is very valuable. I highly recommend attending one, particularly if you’re just getting started in the business. You’ll find a real nuts-and-bolts approach that leads to initiatives and procedures that you can immediately implement in your business to help it thrive.”

Pizza Expo has a long history of providing a top-notch education program. This year’s offerings include hard-hitting critical issues facing pizzeria owners. Bring your team and assign everyone educational sessions so you don’t miss any.

“This year’s education program has plenty of new workshops, seminars and demos that are sure to appeal to Pizza Expo attendees,” White says. “Scott Anthony is doing a seminar on exit strategies for retirement, a topic many pizzeria owners don’t plan for enough in advance. Drew Butler is a new face to the program. He’s going to discuss how he turned his pizzeria ownership dream into a reality. Eric Von Hansen is covering the importance of building meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with vendors. Anthony DeSousa, another new face to the program, will detail how he took his online ordering sales over the $1 million mark. Lars Smith will be doing a seminar on using locally grown ingredients. Lots of exciting new things going on!”

Demonstrations on the show floor add to the excitement of the exhibit hall. Demos fill up fast. Arrive early, ask questions and take notes. Let’s highlight a few can’t miss demos. “You won’t want to miss Frank Zabski’s demonstration on New Haven Apizza,” White says. “It’s a style that is not very prevalent across the country outside of its home base in Connecticut. But it’s gaining traction, and for good reason. Plus, Frank is an energetic and entertaining speaker. It’s the perfect demo to kick off the show. You also don’t want to miss Tony Gemignani’s demo on Chicago Tavern Pizza or Scott Sandler’s presentation on how to make vegan nut cheeses. Our entire demo lineup is first rate, so make sure you plan in advance so you don’t miss the ones that are most applicable to your pizzeria.”

Let’s get the party started right by planning your Pizza Expo experience ahead of time. Go to PizzaExpo.com and download the app. See you in March.

Stay updated on all PIZZA EXPO 2024 News. We’ve created a hub for news from the World’s Largest Pizza Show. Find all the updates and happenings at Pizza Expo 2024. Go to the Pizza Expo 2024 Hub.

The post 2024 Pizza Expo Preview appeared first on Pizza Today.

Bell Peppers on Pizza: Ring the Bell

It’s time to ring the bell. Bell peppers, of course. Bell peppers ranked as the No. 8 most popular pizza topping in America, according to our pizzeria operator survey published in our 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report. In some areas of the U.S., bell peppers break into the Top 5 Pizza Toppings.

Most pizzeria toppings list include these peppers that are in the Grossum Group of the Capsicum annuum. Let’s dive into a few more fun facts about bell peppers. They are in the nightshade family Solanaceae and they are native to the Americas. Bell peppers are loaded with Vitamin C. Red, yellow and orange bell peppers are all variations of the green bell pepper at various stages of ripeness and are typically sweeter than the green. Did you know that Paprika is made from bell peppers? If you haven’t played with dusting a bell pepper pizza with paprika or even smoked paprika, here is your invitation to try it.

Raw vs Cooked Bell Peppers

How you prep your peppers is up to you. Whether you use them raw or cooked may impact how you cut them. Generally, peppers are diced, sliced or cut into rings. Thickness varies.

Avoid large chunks or cuts when you are applying bell peppers raw onto a pizza. They will not have time to fully cook, unless you are going for the crunch of a pepper.

The mild flavor of the bell pepper makes it a good complement for other toppings. It doesn’t overpower other flavors. This is why you see so many supreme, deluxe and the works pizzas include green bell peppers. Peppers are raw in this application.

If you are looking to enhance the flavors of the bell peppers, cooking will bring out the sweetness. Cooking will also evaporate excess water in the pepper. You can saute them but a better method for a pizza kitchen is to roast them in your pizza oven. Simply leave whole and place on a roasting pan. Or quarter the peppers and remove the seed. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until you get a nice char on the skin. When removing peppers from oven, some choose to peel the skin off. But many prefer to keep the skin on.

Take peppers across the menu

Bell Peppers can be used in everything from appetizers and salads to sandwiches and pastas. Get the most of your pepper inventory with dishes that make bell peppers shine. There is one areas I’d like to see more bell peppers appear in and that is sauces.

An easy sauce that will wow customers is a pepper pesto. The spin on a traditional pesto is full of flavor and perfect on a pizza with chicken and spinach. Here’s the recipe:

Get the Roasted Red Pepper Pesto recipe. 

John Gutekanst has shared a sauce from Rome that is dynamite on pizza or on sandwiches. For an upcharge, offer it as a dipping sauce. Here is his recipe.

Get the Roman Roasted Pepper Sauce recipe.

The possibilities in pizza topping combinations that work well with bell peppers is endless. One of the most popular pizza combinations is a sausage and peppers pizza. Let’s create a simple, yet flavor-packed pizza recipe that kicks up the flavors of sausage and complements the bell pepper. Here’s the recipe:

Get the Spicy Sausage and Sweet Pepper Pizza recipe.

DENISE GREER is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.

The post Think differently about how you use bell peppers on pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

Walk through the Pizza Process

Everyone’s ideal pizza will look, taste and feel differently. The key to building your perfect pie is understanding how to utilize different dough methods and how they will change your final product, picking the right tomatoes, cheese and toppings as well as when and how you add ingredients to your pizza.

The Dough

Let’s start with the dough. Depending on what style of pizza you are making, the ingredients and dough process will be different. The one thing that all doughs should have in common though, is proper fermentation. It is when the proteins in flour combine with water to create gluten. Yeast (whether commercial or natural) is added and consumes the simple sugars in the dough to create carbon dioxide bubbles. With the addition of salt, a stronger bond and gluten net form, causing the dough to rise and age. If you think about it, the slower and longer this process is, the resulting crust will be more dynamic by creating lots of airy bubbles and flavor in the dough. That being said, you don’t want to over ferment dough. Once there is no more fresh flour for the yeast to oxidize, the dough will turn flat and sour, thus not rising. That is why it is important to pick the right flour and hydration for your fermentation process and time.

Certain flours are synonymous with specific types of pizzas, but there is so much more to a flour than just the company that produces it. A few things to look for are:

• Protein percentage: the higher the protein of a flour the longer the fermentation time can and will be.
• W Factor: the extensibility of the dough or the strength of the gluten in the flour. A flour with less gluten, or a soft flour will be between W180-250. A strong flour will be between W250-300.
• Grind of the Flour: Measured on a scale from 00-2 with 00 being the finest and 2 the coarsest.
• Bleached or unbleached: Bleached flour uses a chemical aging process whereas unbleached doesn’t.

After you settle on your flour, the next important decision in dough is whether you use a Direct Method (mixing flour directly with yeast, salt, water and any other ingredients in your dough) or Indirect Method (A two-stage process to making dough using either a Biga, Poolish, Pate-ferment or sourdough starter).

The Sauce

While a lot of thought and experimentation should go into finding the right dough, the toppings can be just as important since they are the first thing that hits a person’s taste buds while devouring a slice. I’m a big believer that your sauce will only be as good as the tomatoes that go into it. That’s because it you use a quality tomato you don’t need to add very much else. The flavor of the fruit speaks for itself. There are a lot of different types and brands of tomatoes available, each bringing a unique flavor and texture to your final product. Almost everyone is partial to one or another. This can be dependent on the style you are making, where you live or what dominant flavor you look for in a tomato. For example, if you make certified VPN Neapolitan pizza, you definitely want to use DOP San Marzano tomatoes. This particular variety is only grown in the fertile soil under Mount Vesuvius in the Campania region of Italy. If your pizza style doesn’t need a specific tomato, there are a few really great options that are grown in the USA or Italy. Whatever you choose, you want to make sure they have a bright flavor and color as well as a good mouthfeel. A few of the different tomatoes you can buy are: whole peeled, strips, crushed/ground with skins on or off, or tomato purees. Blending a few varieties can create a balanced sauce without having to add additional sugar. Almost all pizza sauces should be uncooked. There are, of course, exception, such as using a sauce that needs to be cooked down with other ingredients like onions or Guanciale. The reason that it should be uncooked is that it cooks in the oven and you want to retain the sweet, bright flavor of the tomatoes.

The Cheese

Cheese. Pizza people stand by their brand of cheese and will almost never waiver or change. I’ve used the same brand since opening, but every year we re-try other brands or new ones that have emerged. My brother and I will do a blind taste test but every time we land on the one we have always used. The reason for revisiting it every year? The price. Whether you use fresh mozzarella, blocks or even stretch it yourself, cheese is one of the most expensive components on your pie. Yes, tomatoes and flour are expensive these days too, but the quantity you use per pizza compared to cheese is much, much smaller. My brother jokes that we should have a market price for slices depending on how much the cheese is.

Aside from the brand of cheese, a few things to look at for mozzarella cheese are:

• Milk fat percentage: do you want whole milk, part skim or a blend? I am a big believer in whole milk mozzarella. That grease drip that comes off your folded slice? Pure goodness. However, if you’re looking for a cheese that gives a good pull (think Insta worthy), part skim will be more your jam.
• Pre-shredded or blocks: Pre-shredded is obviously easier and very consistent. The downside is that a lot of brands add an anti-caking agent to them which gives the cheese a grittier texture. They are also usually more expensive than block cheese but that also is determined by your labor costs. If you buy the blocks you can either shred it or slice it. Slicing has the advantage of being very consistent for portioning.
• Mozzarella or blend: Mozzarella is the most common cheese on pizza but obviously different styles have different cheeses. Certain brands are coming out with mozzarella blends (cheddar, provolone, etc.).

Once you’ve decided on your dough, sauce and cheese, it’s time to consider any additional toppings. When and how you put on toppings can change the way a pizza tastes and feels in your mouth. If you put cheese on top of the sauce it will taste different than if you put it on the bottom. If you pinch on fresh sausage rather than add on sliced links it will interact with the other toppings differently. Certain things should always go on before the bake: raw meats, certain veggies and cheeses. While others should go on after: Arugula, cured meats, finishing cheeses and oils.

The type of oven should also be a consideration when building your ideal pie. Whether you use gas, electric, wood or coal, the choice will affect the structure, texture and flavor of your pizza. Each type and brand bakes differently so it is a personal choice. You can manipulate it with certain things like what bench flour you use, the temperature you bake at (hot and fast or low and slow), whether or not you use a screen and how long your dough has been out.

As you can see, creating your perfect pizza really comes down to time and temperature, picking the right flour, tomatoes and cheese as well as toppings. There are a few other things that I live by when making a pizza, or really any dish for that matter. Never underestimate the value of a really good olive oil. Don’t forget to salt and as I tell my Little Slices, salt in stages.

Really, the bottom line is, stay true to your pizza and dough but take the necessary steps to make it properly fermented, structurally sound and acceptably topped. Most importantly, never stop learning and trying to improve your craft.

Don’t miss Audrey’s Demo at Pizza Expo 2024

Wednesday, 10:15 am -11:15 am

D05 Demo: How to Build a Better Pie

Audrey Kelly, Owner/Pizzaiola, Speaker, Audrey Jane’s Pizza

Type: Demo | Track: Demo | Room No: Show Floor Demo Area

See the full Pizza Expo Education Schedule.

Audrey Kelly owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

The post What makes a great pizza? appeared first on Pizza Today.

Traditional American Pizza Styles: States of Play

Explaining what an American style pizza is to anyone is like showing them a what an American looks like. The breadth and depth of diversity of pizzas in this country is peppered with differing dough making, toppings and cooking methods. Unlike some other countries, pizzas in the U.S. are not regionally bound to mimic centuries of pizza making in that range or region. To find the spine of pizza making in the United States, we must look to our culinary past, which relies upon the tools and techniques of Europe but then accommodates the wide and productive American landscape and the diverse culinary desires and tastes of this diverse populace.

“At its core, American pizza is one that favors the present over the past and it follows customers, not custom. It’s not even a style, it’s a refusal to adhere to one specific style because it’s always evolving.”

— Scott Wiener, Founder, Scotts Pizza Tours, and Slice Out Hunger

Phat of the Land

The United States has always been known as the “land of milk and honey.” Our shared history of domination, immigration and integration has always relied upon the commoditization of foods. The first pilgrims tilled the fertile soils producing plenty of traditional foodstuffs but did not mimic the native American use of the ebb and flow of the seasons and use of wild foods. The coastal tribes’ practice of putting up food stores of corn and smoked fish and meat for the winter sustained them but the pilgrims’ disdain for native practices lead to starvation in the first years. In fact, at Plymouth alone, half of the pilgrims were dead before the first winter was over.

Stat-chew of Liberty 

The first fact to know about American cuisine is that compared to European countries, we are culinarily, very young. Mass starvation and poverty through wars and upheaval in Europe has necessitated specific techniques, methods and creative twists in food. This innovation seems to be missing in historic American cooking practices. Our largesse of meat, fish and vegetables mirrored the huge fertile landscape of this country. This is reflected in the number of toppings on an American pizza. More cheese, meat and dough tend to satisfy U.S. customers. The arrival of soldiers who served in Italy in the 40s brought a new craving for Italian food and started the ball rolling for the different styling of American Pizza. The past 20 years have seen many chefs practicing traditional European pizza making in the United States and have upped American culinary mojo with pizza schools, demonstrations, media and social media putting this finesse on the fast track. This has also led to more innovative sauces, meats, cheeses and grains.

American Pie

There are many factors that have influenced American style pizzas. Corporations, regions, cheese, flour and meat companies, supply and even individual pizza chefs have had a hand in making some traditional American pizzas popular.  Here are some variations of American pizzas that you may, or may not, not be familiar with. I’ve kept individual names out to protect the innocent.

New England Beach Pizza

This Pizza made only in Southern New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts is both simple and different. The crust is wafer thin, cooked on seasoned sheet pans and you can get a single slice or a box of 8 or 20 squares. Other toppings are available to pair with a very sweet sauce and just a smattering of aged provolone. Two pizza places dominate this market and are rivals which is why I will not disclose their names.

Milwaukee Pizza

This cracker thin pizza originated at the Caradaro Club and has evolved into several micro-styles depending upon the place you go to. It is sheeted round or oblong, some with a cornmeal dusting and each tavern-style cut is crunchy like crazy. Some pizzas are as thin as two credit cards. In some places, this crisp thinness is achieved by par-baking the crust in deck ovens then turning it over before saucing and cheesing, others go straight on the deck. The sauce is simple, sweet, and placed as just a thin layer of whole milk mozzarella.

Quad-City Pizza

This Mississippi River Valley style is prepared in Davenport and Bettendorf Iowa, Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline Illinois. This pizza is made with malt and hand-stretched to a thin crust with a slight cornicione, or crust. Chili flakes and ground cayenne makes the thin tomato sauce zing with spice. It is usually loaded with fennel sausage. Pizzas are available in 16-inch and 10-inch styles and cut into strips as opposed to slices or squares.

Detroit Pizza

This rectangular pizza baked in a seasoned blue steel pan that was initially said to be used in the automobile business for draining oil or catching grease. This focaccia-like pizza with small cell structure is usually par-baked with Wisconsin brick cheese baked in a “Frico” or bark around the side. Cheese and toppings lie under the sauce which is put on after the final bake. Many different variations now dominate the market.

Colorado Pizza

These small 8-inch round pizzas have a braided crust with added honey in the dough. A major heaping of whole milk mozzarella tops the extra-sweet sauce, and the braided crust ensures that the boatload of toppings doesn’t fall off. Colorado style has been described as like Chicago deep dish but sweeter with a cooking time that is shorter. This pizza is sold by the pound and is accompanied by more honey.

California Pizza

This pizza tends to lack a particular crust, size, style or even bake. The similarities of this pizza lie in the dissimilar nature of them. They all tend to lean on seasonality, international flavor profiles, freshness and artisanal ingredients that Spago, Gjelina, Hail Mary, Tony’s, Tandoori, Mozza, Pot Pizza, California Pizza Kitchen all have made available to Californians.

Altoona Pizza

Originally made at the Altoona Hotel before it was burnt down in 2013. Other pizza shops have taken up the mantle. This is usually a square-cut, sheet pan baked, thick Sicilian style crust with a soft feel. It was originally topped with Velveeta over deli salami and green peppers but now most places place the salami and pepper slice under processed American cheese. Other toppings can be added.

Ohio Valley Pizza

This pizza is made in the northeastern Ohio Valley around Steubenville, Ohio and Wheeling West Virginia. It is best described as a square pie with a bready crust, sweet sauce baked at 550 F and garnished with sauce made of green bell peppers, oregano and olive oil. This pizza is par-baked and taken out before topping with more sauce and a small amount of cheese. After the final baking, the pizza is topped with shredded provolone cheese and cold toppings and cut into squares.

Philly Tomato Pie

This square pizza is usually compared to the Sicilian Sfincione because of its thick, focaccia-like crust. It is also called a “Bakery Pizza” in nearby Rhode Island. Most of this style has just a smattering of Romano after the bake. The thick sauce is just as high as the crust and is cooked for over 40 minutes with sugar, oregano, garlic salt and olive oil.

Midwest Pizza Dough Recipe

Here is a dough recipe which, to me best reflects the middle ground in middle America. I’ve left this recipe at 66% hydration. Strong enough to hold sauce, cheese and toppings and flavorful enough after proofing to enable a digestible crust. Mixing it with cold water (and using less yeast) followed by cold fermentation slows the yeast activity down, giving the starches in the flour time to convert to simple sugars releasing fantastic flavors. This recipe is designed to be used within 6 hours if using warmer water, and up to 3 days using the cold holding method.

Get the Midwest Pizza Dough Recipe.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post The evolution of Traditional American Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

Get the Midwest Pizza Dough Recipe

John Gutekanst wrote an article on Traditional American Pizza which he outlines some variations of American pizzas that you may, or may not, not be familiar with. The Midwest style pizza was included.

Here is a dough recipe which, to me best reflects the middle ground in middle America. I’ve left this recipe at 66% hydration. Strong enough to hold sauce, cheese and toppings and flavorful enough after proofing to enable a digestible crust. Mixing it with cold water (and using less yeast) followed by cold fermentation slows the yeast activity down, giving the starches in the flour time to convert to simple sugars releasing fantastic flavors. This recipe is designed to be used within 6 hours if using warmer water, and up to 3 days using the cold holding method.

The post Midwest Pizza Dough appeared first on Pizza Today.

Gas ovens were once the standard at pizzerias and restaurants across the U.S., but electric ovens are gaining ground

For decades, gas ovens dominated restaurant kitchens, including pizzerias. These days, however, electric ovens are cutting into that long-held supremacy.

While natural gas remains the preferred cooking energy source in U.S. restaurants – three out of four domestic restaurants use natural gas, according to a National Restaurant Association (NRA) Research Group survey – electric ovens continue gaining ground.

To be certain, technological advancements have propelled the increasing use of electric ovens, which have become more versatile and robust. However, the uptick in electric oven adoption may be attributed to another key factor: regulations forcing the use of electric ovens.

In 2019, Berkley, California, became the first U.S. city to ban natural gas hook-ups in new buildings. Numerous other cities, counties and states scattered across the map followed suit, including New York, where the state legislature passed a measure last May banning natural gas appliances in new buildings starting in 2026. The advocates of such regulations tout the environmental benefits of relying on electricity rather than gas as well as safety factors, including research linking gas stoves to toxic gases threatening employee health and the environment.

“Europe has been using electric for years and they’ve set the baseline showing it’s possible to maintain food quality and flavor profiles without draining natural resources or adding to one’s carbon footprint,” says Nathan Beucler of Ohio-based Burkett Restaurant Equipment & Supplies. “Still, that doesn’t mean restaurants here in the U.S. are ready to abandon gas.”

An earnest assessment of gas ovens

Compared to their electric counterparts, gas ovens offer some clear benefits.

First, gas ovens heat up faster and reach higher temperatures, two particularly appealing elements for many pizza-peddling operations.

Second, gas ovens are generally more affordable to purchase and operate as well as more durable. Beucler, who sells both electric and gas ovens, says gas units typically cost 30-40 percent less than comparable electric options. And as gas is a more accessible utility in most markets across the U.S., operational costs run about 10-30 percent less than electric, according to NRA reports.

Finally, many foodies believe gas ovens deliver a more flavorful taste, particularly with the char and flare ups gas ovens can provide. In particular, solid-fuel ovens, such as wood or coal with gas assist, help produce “a true rustic pizza taste,” notes Mike Rudd of KaTom Restaurant Supply in Tennessee, which is why those options remain popular with pizzerias, in particular.

Gas ovens, of course, have their drawbacks. They require a bigger fan on the hood, which increases the investment, and they fall short of their electric rivals on energy efficiency.

Yet more, heat distribution on gas ovens can be more uneven than electric, which can threaten product quality and consistency. Gas ovens also produce carbon monoxide emissions, carry the ever-present risk of a leak or explosion and require more effort to clean given their many dirt, dust and grime-capturing components.

Evaluating the electric oven

While electric oven sales have surged thanks, in part, to regulations, some pizzeria operators have voluntarily opted for electric over gas. (Of note, Rudd sees more electric oven varieties entering the marketplace, including open-hearth options that can serve as a pizzeria’s centerpiece.)

In the fast-paced restaurant environment and in an industry with notoriously high turnover, the operational ease of electric ovens, which can be conveyor, deck or convection, proves particularly enticing. Controls are generally more intuitive and feature easy-to-adjust settings.

Electric ovens also provide more precise temperature control and heat distribution throughout the cooking chamber. This helps drive product consistency and minimizes the risk of hot or cold spots on a pizza or dish. Meanwhile, the ability to control the electric oven with distinct temperature zones allows a restaurant to cook thicker or thinner pizzas on different decks of the oven, which is an attractive feature for operators serving various pizza styles.

Many view electric ovens as the safer option, too, for both staff and the environment. They are more energy efficient than gas and do not emit carbon monoxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Also, alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind, can power electric ovens, which is an appealing reality for some pizzeria operators and their clientele.

Yet, there are some trade-offs when swapping a gas oven for an electric model. Electric ovens are generally more expensive to purchase and operate, as electric is more costly per Kilowatt hour. Heating up at a slower pace than gas, the electric ovens also top out at about 700 degrees, well short of the temperature limits gas ovens can reach.

4 questions to ask before buying an oven

#1: Is there a regulation demanding electric ovens?

Such regulations remain rare, but they are increasing across the country. If such a requirement exists (or is
being debated), the gas vs. electric decision is made easier for the operator.

#2: Is three-phase electric present?

To accommodate a larger electric oven, the pizzeria will likely need access to three-phase electric, something Beucler says few buildings have. If three-phase electric is not present, Beucler has seen the cost to obtain it run as high as $85,000.

#3: What’s my menu?

A pizzeria’s menu will often dictate one’s decision to go with gas or electric. As electric ovens top out at about 700 degrees, shops serving Neo-Neapolitan pies frequently favor gas or solid-fuel ovens, Rudd says. Those serving multiple pizza styles, however, might prefer the versatility of electric ovens.

#4: Finally, what’s my budget?

Operators will need to investigate the cost of the oven itself, installation and operational costs. A gas oven will often be more economical than an electric option, both upfront and on a daily operational basis.

Beucler, however, is seeing a growing number of operators leaning toward electric conveyor pizza ovens, many of which are ventless. Such units eliminate the cost of the exhaust hood and the accompanying buildout required with a gas oven, investments that could touch $20,000 in total.

“There could be significant upfront savings there and you won’t have a hole in your roof,” Beucler says.

Daniel P. Smith  Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

The post Gas Ovens vs. Electric Ovens: Heating Up appeared first on Pizza Today.

Read the February 2024 Issue of Pizza Today Magazine

It’s the Pizza Expo Preview. Get more details on the upcoming International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. This issue is packed with business-focused articles, like using a Pro Forma to grow, Cash Flow and learning how to buy like the big pizza chains. Find out what to do if you have a service outage. Explore the process to making a better pizza and the backstory on traditional American pizzas. Get a primer on what classifies a pizza as a regional pizza style.

You can check out the full Digital Edition — Pizza Today February 2024.

The post February 2024 appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Q&A with Odie O’Connor, owner of Boxcar Pizza, Portland, Oregon

Concept:

The concept for Boxcar was created in the early summer of 2020. I had temporarily closed my first business, Baby Blue Pizza, due to the pandemic. So with the extra time I had on my hands I began experimenting making vegan Detroit style pizzas. After a lot of trial and error (and a ton of help from Marc of Square Pie Guys) I came up with a dough that I was really proud of.  A second generation pizza spot became available so I decided to take the leap and open up Boxcar in August of 2020.  The goal has always been to make really good pizza that just happens to be vegan. I never wanted the selling point to be that it was vegan.

Pizza Style & Dough:

Our Detroit style pizzas are a 70-percent hydration sourdough that we par-bake every morning.  We use Small’s Family Bread Flour who are located here in the Pacific Northwest. Doing sourdough Detroit style pizza was challenging because the rise is such an important part of the style. I learned that timing the first mix and the feeding of the starter perfectly is vital.  We do an overnight autolyse with the leaven and half the flour and water for the batch (most dough savvy people would say this is not a real autolyse). Allowing the dough to autolyse with the leaven in really develops the flavor, dough strength, and gets a head start on the first rise. When I first opened Boxcar we were not par-baking the doughs, but we couldn’t get the consistency that I was looking for. Since deciding to par bake every morning we can assure that we’re getting the dough at the perfect spot in the fermentation process, and we get a much more springy crust because the initial bake isn’t weighted down with ingredients. Par-baking also makes for a lighter, fluffy inside and a very crispy bottom and edges.

Tell us what went into finding/creating your vegan products? What was your R&D process?

When developing the vegan recipes I always consider taste, smell, allergens, and food cost.  Our meats are typically made from either vital wheat gluten or textured vegetable protein.  Once I decide what the base will be, I begin adding spices and liquids that I think will best represent umami flavors and also bake how I want them to on the pizzas.  It really is just research, trial, error and then repeat.

Detroit Style and Vegan, that is unique. How have you been able to find your market in Portland?

The food scene is Portland is incredible.  There always seems to be a new pop-up, restaurant, or event happening and Portlanders really show up for our community.  It’s definitely risky to open a 100 percent vegan restaurant. Luckily there is a very big vegan community in Portland and we’ve been able to create a returning customer base through friendly customer service, consistency in the pizza, and always looking for ways to improve. We have loyal customers who are vegan and also loyal customers who are omnivores. The selling point has always been this is good pizza, not “you should buy this because it’s vegan”.

What did you learn from your first restaurant that helped you in Boxcar?

I learned a lot from my first pizza business, Baby Blue Pizza. The main points would be: BE CONSISTENT, there are so many good food options out there, one bad experience can turn a customer off for good. HIRE WELL, if you hire someone out of pure necessity and not because you think they would be a great addition to the shop, you will end up firing them 100 percent of the time, and they will add a ton of stress to your life until you do fire them.  CREATE A RELATABLE BRAND. Customers want to know there is a human behind the business, the day of the cookie-cutter, cliche social media post is over-show that you are a human. CARE ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES. Take time to learn about who your employees are, and recognize that people work so they can live their lives, never the other way around. No one will ever care about your business as much as you do, and that is fine — it’s the way it’s supposed to be.

The post Conversation: Odie O’Connor, Boxcar Pizza, Portland, Oregon appeared first on Pizza Today.

Serhan Ayhan shares his approach to unconventional pizza toppings

There’s no denying that the classics like pepperoni, mushroom, and sausage are tried and true. But earlier this year, New York Times Cooking called Brooklyn’s Cuts & Slices oxtail pie “New York’s Most Exciting Pizza”, and lines have been out the door. Featuring unique pizzas on your menu can turn heads – and customers into your shop. Here are a few roadmaps for unconventional toppings to get you started.

Bet The Farm

Celery Root Pizza — Photo by Serhan Ayhan

One place where I frequently discover new ingredients is at our local farmer’s market. If you have access to one, challenge yourself and pick out a fruit or vegetable or other ingredient that you have never seen or heard of and start connecting the dots to other ingredients.

An invaluable tool to make these connections is The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. The first time I encountered celery root, I did not have a CLUE what to do with it. Referencing The Flavor Bible for celery root, Gruyère (a nutty cheese) is noted as a flavorful pairing. From there, I flipped to the section for Gruyère pairings, with ham being one recommendation. While we did not have ham, we had a pancetta that complemented the Gruyère with its savory, salty, and slightly smoky flavor. The pancetta, in turn, reminded me of maple bacon, which led to the incorporation of a spicy maple syrup. Before I knew it, a beautiful and unique pizza with complex flavors was born.

Walk Down Memory Lane

Hawaiian Furikake Bar Pie — Photo by Serhan Ayhan

Not every creative pizza needs a farm to table approach. Sometimes foods like a favorite childhood snack can revisit us in the form of a pizza. Think about bites that you or others grew up with that are remembered dearly. Is there a creative and tasteful (pun intended) way to make them work on a pizza?

Earlier this year, I was thinking about how despite its name and ham & pineapple toppings, Hawaiian pizza’s origins are not from the islands. This got me wondering – how could I put a true Hawaiian twist to this pizza? I hit the web to conduct my due diligence on nostalgic Hawaiian snacks and learned about furikake Chex Mix, a popular island treat that incorporates a buttery soy sauce glaze and furikake seasoning into Chex Cereal. I topped the snack onto a Hawaiian pizza on a bar style crust, and sure enough, it was a hit – I even had pineapple haters complimenting! Chex Cereal also shared it on their socials!

Tap into the Collective Consciousness

When I get stuck in a creative rut and the well of ideas run dry, I look to others for inspiration.

One day I was walking in our neighborhood and saw some stunning in-season tangerines, and just knew that I had to think of a way to showcase them on a pizza.

Tangerine Pizza. Photo by Serhan Ayhan

When I got home, I hit the web for recipes using citrus and came across Claire Saffitz’s blood orange olive oil cake and was astonished at how she beautifully incorporated the oranges. It looked wonderful – but I wasn’t making a cake! I went through my cookbooks and found Chris Bianco’s lemon and red onion focaccia. Taking the visual cues from Claire’s cake and the execution cues from Chris’s focaccia, I created something uniquely my own: an alluring round pan pizza with thinly sliced tangerines, red onion, mozzarella, fontina, pecorino Romano, and mint.

These are but a few roadmaps to lead you to your new and creative pizzas. Deconstruct an existing dish. Look to other people and cultures. Step out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to try a few new things when figuring out what resonates with your customers.

Serhan Ayhan is the pizza maker of Next Level Pizza in New York, focusing on pizza pop-ups, private events, and consulting.

The post Unconventional Pizza Toppings: Beginner’s Guide appeared first on Pizza Today.

Everyone’s Favorite: Get the Chicken Scarpiello Pizza Recipe

As I was thinking of what pizza to make this month, I couldn’t help but ask myself “what do I really love to eat?”  As usual, my stomach starts growling and I say to myself “I could really go for some chicken scarpiello right now!” So, we are going to make a chicken scarpiello pizza. For those of you that don’t know, it’s typically chicken thighs, sausage and cherry peppers. I know — delicious, right? For this recipe I used chicken breasts because I assume most of you have them in your restaurants. Preparing in advance and letting the flavors meld together for a day or two really helped, so keep that in mind.

This recipe will give you up to four 10-inch pizzas.

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram,

The post On Deck: Chicken Scarpiello Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

Iconic St. Louis-style pizza company marks occasion by launching a commemorative pizza box and specials throughout the year

PRESS RELEASE

ST LOUIS (Jan. 8, 2024) – 60 years ago a thin-crust, Provel-covered legend was born in St. Louis and pizza has never been the same. In 1964, Ed and Margie Imo opened their first Imo’s Pizza Parlor at the corner of Thurman and Shaw in South St. Louis, introducing generations of pizza lovers to The Square Beyond Compare. Today the company has 98 locations across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.

To mark this special anniversary, Imo’s Pizza partnered with St. Louis artist and lifelong Imo’s fan, Dan Zettwoch, to create a commemorative pizza box which pays homage to the company’s humble beginnings. Throughout the year, Imo’s will offer a variety of specials to mark the company’s 60^th anniversary. The first special of the year will be a two-topping, 16-inch pizza for $19.64 – a tribute to the year Imo’s Pizza was founded. In addition to the specials, Imo’s will also begin airing new 30-second television spots – a downloadable version is available here.

Photo Credit: Imo’s Pizza

“It’s our birthday but the celebration is all about our loyal fans,” said Nichole Carpenter, Director of Marketing for Imo’s Pizza. “Imo’s is a part of St. Louis history, and we’re excited to honor the community that has supported us all these years. As a St. Louis company, it was important that we worked with a local artist to create a unique pizza box that captured our roots. We love what Dan created, and we are looking forward to celebrating our 60^th all year long!”

“As I was researching this project, I loved making connections about the contemporary mid-60s history and design in St. Louis,” said Zettwoch. “As Imo’s was opening its first location, the Cardinals won the World Series and had their last season in Sportsman’s Park as Busch Stadium II was being built. At the same time, the Arch was under construction, forever changing the St. Louis skyline. Imo’s is a part of our city’s rich history, and I was honored to create a box for my favorite pizza!”

For fans of Imo’s Pizza who don’t live near a parlor, it is available for nationwide delivery via Goldbelly.

About Imo’s Pizza

Since first opening their doors in 1964, the Imo family has welcomed generations of customers to Imo’s Pizza locations across the bi-state area. Today, Imo’s Pizza is proudly served in 99 locations in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Additionally, Imo’s Pizza products – consisting of more than 17 different items, including frozen pizzas, sauces, dressings, marinades, pizza crusts and Provel cheese products – are available at participating grocery chains in the greater St. Louis area. Imo’s has earned a solid reputation and loyal following through its commitment to maintaining the highest level of quality in all of its restaurants, as well as in the grocery stores that carry its products. This quality starts with ingredients. From fresh ground meats and the Imo family’s homemade sauce to delicious vegetables and full strips of bacon, every topping that covers its crispy, edge-to-edge St. Louis-style pizza is of the highest quality. For more information visit imospizza.com.

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35 Pizzerias to Watch in America in 2024

We asked independent pizzeria owners to submit their businesses for consideration in our Pizzerias to Watch list. We received hundreds of outstanding submissions and have painstakingly whittled them down to this list of 35.

While the Hot 100 Independent Pizzerias List we used to do ranked pizzerias by highest sales volume, our Pizzerias to Watch feature looks at the total operation, from sales and employee programs to community outreach and marketing.

We present to you 35 pizzerias to watch as they continue to thrive and grow. While we asked several questions, we’re sharing one or two of the pizzerias’ Q&A responses here in this issue — in their own words.

Abbiocco Pizzeria, Indianapolis, Indiana

AbbioccoPizzeria.com
facebook abbiocco Pizzeria
Year Opened: 2021

Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 600,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 500,000

Year-over-Year Sales: Up 20%

How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
Over the past 12 months, our company has experienced significant growth and achieved several milestones. First, our sales have seen a remarkable increase of 15 to 20%, which is a testament to our dedicated team, loyal customers, and the quality of our products. We’ve also been fortunate to receive increased recognition in the culinary community, with features in prominent publications such as YelpIndy and Indy Monthly’s ’25 Best Restaurants.’ Looking ahead, our future growth plans are both exciting and strategic. We aim to expand our presence and reach new audiences by venturing into the food truck industry. This move not only allows us to create word-of-mouth buzz but also serves as a valuable testbed for potential future brick-and-mortar locations. By taking our delicious pizza to different neighborhoods and events, we intend to gauge the reception and demand in various areas. This approach aligns with our commitment to thoughtful expansion and ensuring that we provide our exceptional pizza experience to as many people as possible. We’re thrilled about the possibilities this growth trajectory holds for our company in the coming years.

Billy Bricks, Lombard, IL

billybrickshq.com
IG @billybrickshq
Year Opened: 2005
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 8,709,906.45
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 9,440,112.57
Year-over-Year Sales: Down 7.75%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
In the past 12 months we shrunk in unit size to cut a few of the underperforming location and to really focus in on our core stores and areas to re-expand. We have 4 units that will open by 2024 as part of our re-expansion and we will add at least one more ice cream truck and pizza truck to our mobile catering fleet. We plan to open 2-4 units either stand alone pizza or pizza parlor and ice cream parlor per year over the next 6 years with a goal of 20 units by 2029 and an ever growing mobile fleet to support regions/territories. *sales numbers entered above reflect a few of the closures sales no longer being included, however, our per unit average greatly increased and our net profit as a company increased significantly by cutting the underperforming units*

Cheshire Pizza & Ale, Cheshire, CT

www.cheshirepizza.com
IG: @cheshire_pizza
Year Opened: 2017
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 4,114,930
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 3,789,750
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 8.58%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
Our customer base has consistently grown since our inception in 2017. We have grown by focusing on what our customer base looks for. Quality product, consistent service all coming from staff that buys into our systems. We are looking into establishing a commissary kitchen and launching a DELCO concept within a 50 mile radius.
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
There are countless worthy Pizzerias to watch throughout the country. Although we are the red headed step child when it comes to the New Haven pizza scene (we serve pan pizza!) we believe that our continues growth and investing in our staff has separated us from our competition. With the ever-changing employee retention issues facing the hospitality industry, laying the foundation in place via health and retirement benefits has helped us change the stigma that restaurant employees cannot make a career out of their job.

Dedham House of Pizza, Dedham, MA

www.dedhamhouseofpizza.com
IG @dedhamhouseofpizza
Year Opened: 1986
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 2,034,036.44
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 1,831,865.63
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 11.03%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
In the past year, our pizzeria has experienced remarkable growth driven by our unwavering commitment to quality and the development of our exceptional team members. As a small pizzeria, we’ve made significant strides in enhancing our services. One notable initiative involves the creation of comprehensive guidebooks with vivid photographs translated into our team members’ native languages, ensuring crystal-clear communication and a deeper understanding of our processes. Moreover, we’ve reimagined our uniforms and hats, even crafting custom attire for our dedicated long-term employees, instilling a sense of pride and unity within our team…

DeFazio’s Pizzeria, Troy, NY

Www.defaziospizza.com
IG @defaziospizzeria
Year Opened: 1989
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 1,800,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 1,600,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 12.5%
What community outreach initiatives do you organize?
Every year we organize “Stick It to Hunger.” This stickball tournament brings local companies together to play stickball and donate to a shelter two blocks from our location that supports 35 local families. We typically raise over $15,000 worth of good. We donate over $3,000 in gift certificates to local charities.
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
Our 2nd location in Albany has doubled business from their first year. We are attached to a distillery with a great outdoor space. We have hosted 4 weddings and many private events. Our Troy location continues to be a staple for locals and people traveling upstate New York. We are building a 100 seat restaurant that we will open in 2024.

Georgio’s Chicago Pizzeria, Crystal Lake, Illinois

www.georgiospizza.com
facebook.com/GeorgiosPizzaCrystalLake
Year Opened: 2002
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 6,200,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 5,600,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 10.71%
What is your pizzeria’s brand and how do you market your pizzeria?
We’re a Chicago-style pizzeria serving authentic deep dish and thin crust pizza, the way they were first served in Chicago back in the 1940’s. We do very little marketing. Most of our marketing is through community sponsorships, donations, and word of mouth. We also have a loyalty program that keeps our best customers engaged.

Go 4 Pizza, Rancho Cordova, Ca

Go4pizza.com
IG @go4pizza2.0
Year Opened: 2009
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 2,000,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 1,700,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 17.64%
What community outreach initiatives do you organize?
We support all local schools and sport teams and do fund raisers throughout the year. We also offer our party room and party patios for season ending sports parties at no cost to the teams!
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
We are more than a pizzeria, we are the center of our communities! We do tap take overs, live music, trivia every week, paint night, corn hole tournaments and comedy nights and other special events! Our concept, food and restaurant layout and family atmosphere I have not seen in all the years reading Pizza Today!

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, Dallas, Texas

www.gapc.co
facebook.com/GreenvilleAvenuePizzaCompany
Year Opened: 2007
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 6,131,882
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 6,125,823
Year-over-Year Sales: Up .09%
What is your pizzeria’s brand and how do you market your pizzeria?
*We are a badass neighborhood pizzeria in Dallas, TX. Come for the show and meet your PIZZA SLAYERS. Our restaurants are open kitchen concepts so that our customers can watch our process and see how much care, love and passion is put into each pizza. Our Slayers wear chef coats and holsters that hold their tools which adds extra edge to the look of our team. *Our Unique Limited Time Offerings, (seasonal pizza & one day specials). Some of our favorite LTO’s include The Pretty Pickle, The Doobie (our 4/20 special) and The Hatche Chile and Chorizo. *We are here for our neighbors and provide a fun Neighborhood Experience- Each location is hyper local and we encourage everyone to come as they are to feel welcome and comfortable. We use the highest quality ingredients, like Grande cheese and Stanislaus tomatoes. We pride ourselves on being a from scratch kitchen, we make our own sauce, cook and prep our toppings, put our soul into the food.

Itri Wood Fired Pizza Bar, Bristol, PA

www.itriwoodfired.com/
IG @ itri_wood_fired
Year Opened: 2017
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 1,900,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 1,200,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 58.33%
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
Six years ago we took a very big risk on a main street that had yet to begin it’s revitalization. Many had written off our great little town as a place that didn’t understand a restaurant driven by a community oriented mission that also included a cool and rustic ambiance. We zeroed in on an eclectic playlist, a great sound system, interesting art on our walls, and most importantly, fantastic pizza and food. The question six year ago from many was “why?” Why are you opening there? In our first year we did$550,000 in sales. Since then many other restaurants, cafes, distilleries, and breweries have opened. They are all great in their own right and doing a great job in moving the street forward. However, we are proud to have been one of the first and we continue to grow, change, and adapt. We are on pace to do $2,000,000 in sales in 2023. Finally, our pizza remains the most central aspect to our business, and in our humble opinion, it’s fantastic. We have a unique offering of 12 wood fired Detroit (ish) style pizza daily and a variety of NEOpolitan pizzas that are out of this world. We try to get local ingredients and sustainable products whenever possible.

Mattenga’s Pizzeria, Schertz, Texas

https://mattengas.com/
facebook.com/mattengaspizzeria
Year Opened: 2014
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 5,124,154.16
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 3,109,144.88
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 64.8%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
Our restaurant has grown significantly over the past 12 months, both in terms of customer base and revenue. We have implemented a number of strategies to increase our visibility and attract new customers, such as upgrading our website, increasing our social media presence, and offering discounts and promotions. We have also invested in new equipment and staff training to improve the quality of our food and service. For the future, we plan to continue to focus on increasing our customer base and expanding our reach through online marketing and partnerships with local businesses. Additionally, we will continue to invest in our staff and equipment to ensure that our customers receive the best possible experience. We plan to continue this growth trajectory by expanding our locations, increasing our marketing efforts, and exploring new markets through food truck. We also continue to develop menus to ensure that our products remain competitive and up to date.

Old Town Pizza, Auburn, California

www.otpizza.net
facebook.com/OldTownPizza
Year Opened: Pizza Restaurant opened in 1999 and my family purchased it in 2002
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 12,862,804
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 10,777,273
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 19.35%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
Our growth the last 12 months have been entirely organic. Our newest location opened in May of 2022. Our future plans include a new “owned” location in the Roseville, Ca. area and we are planning on getting into the mobile kitchen business in the near future. Lastly, we are thinking about getting into the “event center” business and using our Pizza and Beer success to anchor an event center.
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
Our brand turns 25 years old in July of 2024 and we are still growing with a great reputation. We love being our communities “hometown” pizza place. Our guests celebrate their life milestones with OTP. Our relationship with our community is truly a win-win partnership.

PARLOUR, New Albany, Indiana

eatparlour.com
linkedin.com/company/parlourpeoplepizzapints
Year Opened: 2019
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 7,797,029.27
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 6,273,465.66
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 24.28%
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
PARLOUR is a standout candidate for the Pizzerias to Watch list, led by the resilient and transparent leadership of Don Robinson. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Don’s unwavering resilience and commitment to open communication have been pivotal in steering the company to exceptional success. Under his guidance, PARLOUR has experienced an impressive 195.36% sales growth from 2020 to 2022. This growth is not only a testament to Don’s strategic vision but also reflects the dedication of the entire team. The company’s expansion into new locations, strategic partnerships, and franchise agreements showcase its commitment to broadening its reach and impact. With a vibrant company culture, a focus on employee well-being, and a mission to take the PARLOUR brand nationwide, it’s clear that PARLOUR is not just a pizzeria but a dynamic force in the industry, worthy of close attention and recognition.

Pietrini Pizza Napoletana, Los Alamitos, Ca

Www.pietrinipizza.com
IG @pietrinipizza
Year Opened: 2021
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 963,814.3
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 393,927.39
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 144%
Why is your pizzeria a great place to work? (What employee incentives/benefits do you offer?
We have worked hard to cultivate a healthy/ positive atmosphere, and work hard to keep it. We have a genuine love for people and care for the well being of our employees and they know it. We have an open door policy where employees can ask questions, voice concerns etc. Employees are recognized for their hard work and achievements during team meetings and gatherings, earning swag, personalized chef coats, etc. Birthdays and work anniversaries are recognized and celebrated with gift cards, desserts on the house etc. We have team meetings / dinners with raffle prizes, contests etc and make it fun.

Perrotta’s Pizza, Canton, Georgia

Perrottaspizza.com
facebook.com/perrottaspizza
Year Opened: 2018
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 1,200,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 940,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 27.65%
Why should you be among the Pizzerias to Watch List?
That depends on your view should we be considered because we are still the old school family owned and operated pizzeria but using technology input from the younger family members to grow sales and possibly expand to other locations. Or maybe because we are heavily involved in the community and charitable organizations even though we work countless hours a week but we still find time to give back. Or you could say winning best pizza in Canton Georgia four years in a row should be why. It not up to me if we deserve to be on the watchlist either way we’ll be happy because we love what we do it’s our family bond and passion.

Pizzoco Pizza Parlor, Winchester, VA

www.pizzoco.com
IG @pizzoco
Year Opened: 2019
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 1,000,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 850,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 17.64%
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
We are a small independent pizzeria in a historic building in a true neighborhood that has developed a large following since we opened in 2019. We have been on Yelp’s Top 100 pizzerias in the USA for the past two years in a row (2022 #53, 2023 #32). People routinely make the drive from Washington DC (1.5 hours) just to eat our pizza. We are veteran owned and have become a pillar of the community. We are the highest rated pizzeria in the state of Virginia.

Rochettos Pizzeria, Scott, LA

www.rochettos.com
facebook.com/rochettospizzeria
Year Opened: 2009
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 2,700,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 1,850,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 45.94%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
Opened a second location Dec 21, 2022 in Crowley, Louisiana, located 15 miles form original location, Just expanded a catering/ banquet room to accommodate local business activity
Why should you be among the Pizzerias to Watch List?
Rochettos Pizzeria standard has been a staple in South Louisiana for 13 years now and growing. In a community that relies on tourism and the restaurant industry Rochettos has remained strong through economic hardships and the pandemic. The concept developed by the owner is one that can fit in any city in America and is designed to be a pillar of the community.

Slice Pizza & Brew, Birmingham, AL

https://www.slicebirmingham.com/
IG @slicepizzabrew
Year Opened: 2011
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 5,760,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 4,500,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 28%
Why should you be among the Pizzerias to Watch List?
Since opening in 2011, our pizzeria has stayed true to our original mission of being a family-owned and operated business that combines a welcoming, friendly atmosphere with fresh, mouthwatering food and local brews. Over the past year, we have experienced significant growth with the opening of our fourth location, the expansion to a full-service commissary, and the upcoming launch of our fifth location in Birmingham, Alabama. As the home of the first stone pizza oven in the city of Birmingham, we have remained loyal to our roots, pairing specialty pizzas with local brews that keep our customers coming back for more. We are also committed to giving back to the community through outreach initiatives such as our Dough Raiser fundraisers, SliceFest and other unique events that have allowed us to donate more than $100,000 back to the Birmingham community. We would be honored to be included on this year’s Pizzerias To Watch List because of our commitment to always finding new ways to honor our core values that make us Slice Pizza & Brew while working alongside other local businesses to support and engage with the communities we call home.

The Onion Tree, Sea Cliff, New York

www.TheOnionTree.com
IG @ theoniontreeseacliff
Year Opened: 2020
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 1,164,862
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 857,399
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 35.85%
Why is your pizzeria a great place to work? (What employee incentives/benefits do you offer?
Our employees are family rather than just folks who work with us. We pay above NYS average pay – we offer 2 weeks paid vacation, 10 sick days and bonuses on achievement of revenue targets. 2 annual company parties – offer us an opportunity to express our gratitude to our team members. As a result, our team takes an ownership approach and works with heart and hospitality.
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
We are a Pizzeria/Gastropub where Pizza Napoletana meets Indian Cuisine + Rock n Roll! We opened our business on March 6, 2020. Lost almost everything in the first couple of months. We however zigged and zagged to survive. Our concept – while quirky and maybe even eccentric, is a product of the pandemic – a result of our burning 🔥 desire to survive the hardest times we’d ever seen, not only to survive but to thrive….🙏🏽

Tre Amici, Bayamon, Puerto Rico

www.treamicipr.com
IG @treamicipr
Year Opened: 15-Oct-21
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 628,438.46
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 288,667.06
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 117%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
The growth Tre Amici has been experience is astounding. When the business started the goal was to sell 40 pizza pies daily to survive and pay the bills considering our production is handmade and fresh. Twenty-four months later we are selling at least 200 pies daily, still by hand. The sales keep growing. People come back every week and we go sold out every weekend. The future growth plan for Tre Amici is getting another place where we can attract more customers and store more inventory. We cannot make more than 200 pies daily because we don’t have enough place to store them. The new place has two floors, two firewood ovens and one dumbwaiter. At the new location the goal is to sell 500 pies daily and make the best cocktails in town. The team hopes to be open at the end of this year. The future has never been brighter.

Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, AL

valentinaspizzeria.com
IG @valentinaspizzeria
Year Opened: 2020
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 1,000000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 750,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 33%
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
Valentina’s has grown more than I ever thought since opening. I opened in 2020 with 7 tables and little staff. In three years we have outgrown our 1000 square foot location and are about to move to a new brick and mortar that is 4000 square feet. I could not have done this without my incredible community and staff.
Why should you be among the Pizzerias to Watch List?
I have been in the pizza community for over 25 years. This community is like no other. I have failed more times than I can count. After years and years, I finally got it right. Valentina’s is named after my daughter. She comes in a works in the store right alongside me. I am incredibly blessed and thankful that after 3 years of opening Valentina’s, I have already outgrown this space by 3 times the amount.

Via Farina, Omaha, Nebraska

Goviafarina.com
IG @goviafarina
Year Opened: 2016
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 1,200,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 875,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 117%
What community outreach initiatives do you organize?
I have organized a cold weather clothing drive for 6 years running. We average anywhere from 1000-1500 pounds to clothing donated every winter. This will be our first year doing pizza across America. We work from time to time with the native American and American Eskimo rehabilitation society to get job placement in a safe space for those that are slowly reintroducing themselves back into the work force.
How has your company grown during the past 12 months and what are your future growth plans?
We have grown in the last year with the presence of our mobile pizza oven. We are in plans currently for a second location and hope to be open by early summer 2024.

Wild Ace Pizza & Pub, Greer, SC

https://thewildace.com/
facebook.com/wildacegreer
Year Opened: 2009
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 3,640,924.26
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 3,468,985.4
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 4.95%
What is your pizzeria’s brand and how do you market your pizzeria?
Wild Ace Pizza & Pub is an aviation themed restaurant featuring a full menu with aviation named menu items, cocktails, and advertising of military Flying Aces. Hanging airplanes occupy the ceiling and entertain both children and adults. The large, dog friendly, outdoor patio is a big draw during most of the year.
What community outreach initiatives do you organize?
We sponsor an Oktoberfest each fall and also host a non-profit benefit semi-annually called The Good Time Benefit that raised money for children with life threatening conditions. We also heavily support Greer Relief and Resources Agency – our community agency that exists to transform neighbors in need to neighbors who thrive by providing services to eliminate poverty and help neighbors overcome barriers for success.

Zio’s Pizzeria, Omaha, Nebraska

Ziospizzeria.com
facebook.com/ZiosOmaha
Year Opened: 1985
Gross Annual Sales July 2022-June 2023: 4,100,000
Gross Annual Sales July 2021-June 2022: 3,900,000
Year-over-Year Sales: Up 5.1%
Why should you be among the Pizzerias To Watch List?
Our establishments have been around since 1985 in the Omaha market. We are long term trusted pizzeria (we have 4 of them in Omaha). We try to focus on community with marketing that includes schools, churches and other local events. Plenty of donations go out monthly to many of the local charity groups in Omaha. We take pride in our daily food we prep with nearly 45 freshly prepped items along with fresh dough daily. We will continue with our table service standards during the evenings as long as we can continue to hire service oriented people that love working with customers and food. That has been a major challenge since the end of Covid. Our restaurants are all recently (within the last 5 years) been remodeled. With patios at 2 of them and a drive thru at 1. With our loyal guests (many of whom we see at least once per week), we hope to bring another set of younger customers with the help of some of the current trends in social media.

New Pizzerias on our Radar

Blue Square Pizza
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
www.bluesquarepizza.com

Coniglio’s Old Fashioned
Morristown, NJ
https://www.coniglios.com/

Double Zero Pie & Pub
LAS VEGAS, NV
https://www.doublezeropie.com/

Hearth & Table
Lincoln City, OR
www.hearthandtablelc.com

Mangia Mangia Pizzeria
Estes Park, CO
www.mangiamangiapizzeria.com

Prohibition Pizza
High Springs, Fl
www.prohibitionpizza.com

Stellenzo’s Pizza
Santa Clarita, California
www.stellenzos.com

Truly Pizza
Dana point, California
Trulypizza.com

Regional and National Pizza Companies and Chains to Watch

Farrelli’s Pizza
Dupont, WA

Home

Piesanos
5200 Nw 43rd st, Gainesville
Piesanos.com

Sal’s Pizza
Lawrence, Massachusetts
sals.com

Via 313 Pizza
Lehi, Utah
Via313.com

The post 35 Pizzerias to Watch in 2024 appeared first on Pizza Today.

New Pizza toppings to add right now

So, what are the big pizza topping trends you will see this year? If you know me, you know I love analyzing and talking trends and industry change and evolution. For the past decade, it has been my mission to be able to look for what’s next. It keeps me on the pulse of the pizza industry, as well as pizza enthusiasts.

Pizza toppings are a tough predictor as what’s hot can change quickly. That is why I, first, want to share with you some of the insights from our 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report. The toppings represented here are not from me. Instead, they are responses from 750 pizzeria operators from across the U.S., who participated in our annual industry survey. While we’re looking at pizza topping trends here, you can go to the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report to get a deeper dive into toppings including the Top 20 Pizza Toppings. You can even find a list of toppings that operators are removing from menus. Now let’s get into the fun stuff. 

Hot Pizza Toppings to Watch

We asked operators what pizza toppings they have introduced in the past 12 months to get a gauge on what’s hot with pizza toppings.

We found toppings that are new to pizzeria menus include:

• Going with a different pepperoni style like cup and char or old world
• Vegan meat and cheese alternatives
• Sweet and hot pepper varieties, including jalapeños, cherry peppers, and pasilla peppers
• Mexican-inspired meats like Birria, chorizo and carne asada, BBQ pork, chicken and brisket

You can check out more hot pizza toppings in the report.

Cheese Please! 

Cheeses were all over the fill-in responses for topping additions. The biggest take away from cheeses is the trend towards blending cheeses. A few cheeses to add to your R&D are ricotta and goat cheese. Play with the whipped versions, too.

Also, it’s time to nail down the right vegan cheese for your pizza. There are a ton on the market, or you can try to make your own. Addtionally, Scamorza and fresh mozzarella are finding their way into more pizzerias around the country.

Pizza Toppings on the Horizon

In our survey, we wanted to know what toppings are in research and development. This year, the creativity in pizza kitchens is high. Here are some common themes among operators who are experimenting with pizza toppings at their shops:

• Find the right plant-based toppings. Pizzerias are looking for the best plant-based products that work for their vegan and meat- and dairy-free customers.

• Play with unique and creative toppings. While some may be seasonal, unique pizza toppings are finding their way onto menus, from more exotic mushrooms like shiitake to persimmons, waffles and even octopus. Others include smoked Kalamata olives, sweet drop peppers, curry sauce, lemons and pecans.

• Look to International flavors. Mexican, Cuban, Indian and other Asian specialties inspired pizzas are wowing culinary explorers at pizzerias.

These are just a few of the inspirations behind new topping choices. More ideas are in the report.

Denise’s Picks — 2024 Hot Pizza Topping Trend 

This wouldn’t be a trends feature without me sharing what I see coming as hot pizza topping trends. Some of these toppings appear in our report. But others are toppings I’ve been tracking and noticing spikes as they are featured on more menus. In no particular order, they are: 

Cup-and-char sausage

Many have never heard of this version of cup-and-char meat, but a major industry player rolled out its product last year. Will it get as much love as its cousin, the roni cup? That will be determined by pizza lovers. I’m excited to see how this one develops.

Birria

You can thank TikTok for the rise of this braised Mexican beef. Creators have had viewers drooling over Birria slo-mo shorts. While goat and lamb are traditionally used, many versions use tender beef, various dried chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onion, spices and apple cider vinegar to create a broth that you are going to want to offer as a dipping sauce. 

Unique Pesto

The basil-based sauce has been rejuvenated by a new generation and they are not sticking to tradition. Instead, they are gravitating towards a new field of ingredients — nuts like pistachio and oils like avocado and grapeseed, even changing up the classic basil with other herbs. Don’t know where to start? Check out Audrey Kelly’s pesto story.   

Corn

We alluded to it over the summer that corn is having a moment and it’s not finished. With Southwest and Mexican style pizza popularity rising, this ingredient will find its uses across the menu. Give an elote corn pizza a try! 

Smoked Salmon

Now hear me out, this cured fish has its place on pizza. Creative culinary minds are proving that. Last year, cream cheese hit the mainstream on pizza and here is its perfect pairing. Use the fully cooked salmon as a finishing ingredient and pair it with arugula, cream cheese, chives and lemon. Go crazy and add avocado. That’s another ingredient I am watching closely.

Mortadella

This classic Italian cured meat is going through a resurgence and we’re here for it. Try mortadella post-baked with arugula, stracciatella cheese and pistachios.

Maybe you’ll find your next hot pizza topping after reading this. Maybe it will inspire you to find another ingredient that your customers will love. Either way, introducing new toppings will create excitement with your customers and your team. Let us know what you come up with.

DENISE GREER is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.

The post Hottest of Hot Pizza Topping Trends 2024 appeared first on Pizza Today.

Bacon breaks into 5 most popular pizza toppings! 

Updated January 2, 2024. Most popular pizza toppings vary by region and even individual pizzeria. There are some universal pizza toppings that are popular across the U.S. Pepperoni is the No. 1 pizza topping in the U.S. but in areas of Illinois, sausage beats out pepperoni for the top spot.

Pizza topping lists are continually changing as Americans’ tastes change. Hot pizza toppings in the 2010s could drop on the list in favor of others. This is true even in the top five pizza toppings. In past years, onion, green peppers and olives have made the Top 5 toppings list. Not this year; meaty toppings reign supreme.

We sought to find a definitive answer so we can track and monitor the changes each year. We went straight to pizzeria operators to find out what are the most popular pizza toppings on their menu as part of our 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report. The extensive operator survey received nearly 750 responses from across the United States. Pizzeria operators used their POS systems to identify the most popular pizza toppings. We analyzed the data to bring you the top pizza toppings in America.

What are the five most popular pizza toppings?

The Top 5 Pizza Toppings in the US are:

1. Pepperoni
2. Sausage
3. Mushroom
4. Extra Cheese
5. Bacon

Now let’s break down each of the Top Five Pizza Toppings.

1. Pepperoni

This has long been America’s favorite pizza topping. What is pepperoni made of? It’s cured sausage made of pork and beef that has been seasoned with spices like paprika, chili pepper, cayenne, black pepper and even fennel and allspice. Pepperoni varies in size from thick or thin flat laid pepperoni and cup and char pepperoni to cubed pepperoni and Old World pepperoni.

Explore more on America’s favorite pizza topping in the Pep Talk: Styles of Pepperoni, America’s No.1 Pizza Topping feature.

2. Sausage

If you are from the Midwest, sausage is often a go-to pizza topping. If you’re in Chicago, sausage is the No. 1 pizza topping in the land. Sausage varies widely in type and style. While there are sausage links like kielbasa and andouille, we tend to think of the pizza topping as ground sausage. It is flavored several ways, from fennel and sage to Italian spiced.

Try a sweet Italian sausage recipe. 

Today, pizzeria operators find unique and flavorful ways to make sausage stand out. Check out our Guide to Making Sausage in House and Pizza Topping Combos.

3. Mushroom

Mushrooms have remained a top pizza topping consistently, and for good reason. Varies are abundant. They can either stand out on a pizza or complement other pizza ingredients. The most common mushrooms used on pizza are white button mushrooms, followed by cremini and portobellos.

Get ideas on how to prepare mushrooms and whether they go over or under the cheese on pizza.

4. Extra Cheese

Extra Cheese is often a pizza topping that people don’t think of as a topping. Cheese is part of the holy trinity of pizza — crust, sauce and cheese. But Americans love cheese and lots of it, so pizzerias added an “extra cheese” option long ago that has become one of the most popular toppings.

Learn more about how to price extra cheese in Extra Cheese, a Top Five Pizza Topping — What to Charge.

5. Bacon

This brings us to the newbie on the list. We have watched bacon climb up the toppings list for years. As we analyzed the survey data, it was no surprise to us that bacon broke into the Top 5 Pizza Toppings. After all, bacon is a key ingredient on several popular specialty pizzas across the country. The mantra “everything is better with bacon” stands on pizza as well.

Deep dive into bacon pizza with these two features:

Bacon on Pizza: Crispy Business

You’re Bacon Me Crazy

What are the Top 10 Pizza Toppings in America?

Let’s go further than the Top 5 Pizza Toppings and look at the top 10 most popular pizza toppings in American according to pizzeria operators.

1. Pepperoni
2. Sausage
3. Mushroom
4. Extra Cheese
5. Bacon
6. Chicken
7. Onion
8. Red/Green Bell Pepper
9. Ham
10. Black Olives

Explore more about this year’s pizza topping trends including the Top 20 most popular pizza toppings in our 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report.

Looking for more new topping ideas?

If you are looking for new pizza topping ideas, we have several stories that give you inspiration for pizza toppings to try in your kitchen. Check out these pizza toppings articles:

Hottest of Hot Pizza Topping Trends 2024 — New Pizza toppings to add right now