The Hot Slice

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to go from a 120-pound weight loss journey to landing on the 50 Top Pizza list in your very first year of business? In this episode of The Hot Slice, hosts Kate Lavin and Denise Greer sit down with Arpan Patel, the owner behind Lucky Dough Pizza in Pensacola, Florida, for a conversation packed with hard-won lessons every operator can use. Arpan's story start...

Send us Fan Mail How do you win a world pizza championship with a pie you'd never fully made before? On this episode of The Hot Slice, presented by Pizza Today, we sit down with Carmela Williams of Antonio's Italian Ristorante in Elkhart, Indiana, fresh off her world champion title in the Americana division at the Caputo Cup in Naples, Italy. It was Carmela's first time competing in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Hot Slice, we sit down with Mike Dew, the man behind one of the most intriguing pizza concepts in Northern Kentucky. Dew walks us through the realities of a longer-than-expected build-out, the quirks of a historic building and the creative ways he repurposed original wood flooring at Wayfarer Tavern in Dayton, Kentucky. Beyond a pizzeria menu he likens to a...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a 19-year-old tastes life-changing pizza at a Buffalo Bills game? For Joe Powers, it sparks an obsession that transforms a college freshman into the owner of Jay’s Artisan Pizza by age 22. In this episode of The Hot Slice podcast, Powers shares his remarkable journey into the world of award-winning Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizza.  Powers currently operates on...

Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we chat with Armando DiMeo, owner of Houston-based Coastline Pizzeria. In addition to 12-inch Neapolitan pies, Coastline specializes in grilled pizza. DiMeo explains that he “wanted to create another style of pizza that would … be the opposite of a Neapolitan pizza.”  He threw some dough on the grill, and the rest is history … almost...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded live at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago, this episode of Pizza Today puts Editor in Chief Denise Greer in conversation with two pizzeria pros shaping how modern pizza operations run. Juan Robles, corporate chef for Triple Beam Pizza in Los Angeles, California, breaks down the commissary model powering their five-location Roman-style pizza program — covering convey...

Send us Fan Mail Gabriel Baldinucci, along with Salvatore and Patricia are second-generation owners at Baldinucci Pizza Romana in Austin, Texas, Gabriel’s family has built one of the most talked-about fast premium dining concepts in the country, anchored by Roman-style pizza that Austin foodies and transplants can't stop eating.  In this episode of The Hot Slice Podcast, Gabriel talks about w...

Send us Fan Mail This week, The Hot Slice Podcast continues its Special Pizza Expo Series exploring how pizza stretches beyond the pizzeria.   First up, we chat with Chef Dr. Junnie Lai, MBA, PhD (Natural Medicine), founder of Global Cuisine Consulting. Chef Junnie Lai is an internationally recognized Research & Development Chef and product innovation consultant. With more than two decades of...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode taped live during Pizza Expo, we explore the Maryland pizza scene – plus some of its craft brews. First, we sit down with Brett and Bailey Robison of Maryland-based Mosaic Pizza and Silver Branch Brewing Co. to answer a question for the ages: What is the best pizza and beer combo of all time???   We sit down with Will Fagg of Tiny Brick Oven to hear about how his p...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we speak with Mario LaPosta and Dario Paone about what it’s like to introduce your pizzeria’s customers to pizza styles they might not have tasted before.   Mario LaPosta learned the craft of wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas in Italy before bringing the style to Da LaPosta in Newton, Massachusetts. He shares his journey developing a cus...

Send us Fan Mail When it comes to meeting customers where they are at, this episode of The Hot Slice podcast has it all. And, we’re doing it from the show floor of Pizza Expo 2026 in Las Vegas.  Pizza Expo speaker Dana Hokin of Robert’s Pizza & Dough Co. shares how the pizzeria leverages its location on the ground floor of a large waterfront apartment building in downtown Chicago to cater to t...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of The Hot Slice, we hear from Eric Sublett, co-owner of Firehouse Pizza in Kentucky. After his first pizzeria was damaged by a tornado, Eric and his wife used the opportunity to redefine their mission. They put their ideas into action at the Morgantown location and eventually replicated their vision in Bowling Green. The new menu included boozy shakes – a somewhat...

Send us Fan Mail This week, The Hot Slice Podcast continues its Special Pizza Expo Series exploring what it takes to succeed with a mobile pizzeria. In the Pizza Today Village studio, Senior Editor Kate Lavin talks with two experienced mobile operators. They break down the daily realities, tough challenges, and big wins of working on the road. Zephanie’s Pizza (Kahuku, Hawaii) Zach and Stephanie D...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we continue to bring you interviews from The Hot Slice Podcast Studio in the Pizza Today Village at Pizza Expo. Senior Editor Kate Lavin had an engaging conversation with Philip De Andrade, founder of San Francisco-based Goat Hill Pizza that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.   A piqued interest in restaurants initiated De Andrade’s journey into pizza, first in m...

Send us Fan Mail We are just back from Pizza Expo, where the staff of Pizza Today welcomed the industry for the inaugural Pizza Today Village. We recorded episodes of The Hot Slice live on the show floor and will be rolling them out over the next several weeks.  Our first guest? None other than Wylie Dufresne, the keynote speaker at Pizza Expo. Dufresne made a name for himself in New York City’s f...

Send us Fan Mail Happy Pizza Expo Week! We hope you are enjoying the best week in PIZZA happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center. While we are focused on connecting in person, and doing MORE podcast episodes from the show floor, we want to share one of our favorite episodes this year.  Listen to Tony Troiano of J.B. Alberto’s Pizza in Chicago, Illinois, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Toda...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today, we sit down with Odie O'Connor to explore the dynamic challenges of operating two distinct concepts 1,000 miles apart: Boxcar Pizza in Portland, OR, and Odie's Pizza Company in San Diego, CA.  Odie’s holds a special place for the owner as he returns to his hometown to carryout his pizza vision. Odie shares his de...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what it really takes to run a booming pizzeria without losing your mind?! Grab a slice and pull up a chair! This week on The Hot Slice with Pizza Today, we’re joined by Nkem and Kerrel Thompson, the visionary couple behind Bird Pizzeria in Charlotte, NC. Nkem and Kerrel have quickly become industry standouts for their commitment to craft, hospitality, and community—tra...

Send us Fan Mail To celebrate the milestone of 300 episodes of The Hot Slice podcast, we’re chatting with a true pioneer of the U.S. pizza industry: Anthony Mangieri of Una Pizza Napoletana. For nearly 40 years, Mangieri has been obsessively chasing the perfect pizza, but his journey hasn’t been a straight line. In this special anniversary episode, he opens up about his evolution to embrace the tr...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for the world's largest pizza show! In this special insider episode, the Pizza Today team pulls back the curtain on International Pizza Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, March 24–26. Hear directly from Jeremy White, Brand Director of Emerald Food Group, along with editors Denise Greer, Kate Lavin, and creative director Josh Keown as they share exclusive details about what mak...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what it takes to juggle a soccer ball while spinning a pizza dough? Or how nerve-wracking it is to toss a dough skin blindfolded while a panel of judges watches your every move? Welcome to “The Olympics of Pizza!” In this episode of The Hot Slice, we are joined by Justin Wadstein, owner of Sleight of Hand Pizza and champion of the World Pizza Games. He takes us behin...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what it takes to turn a neighborhood pizza joint into a James Beard semifinalist in just one year? You’re about to find out.  Ryan O'Hara, the new owner/chef of Pizza Grace, joins us on The Hot Slice podcast to spill the sauce on his wild journey. O’Hara went from fine dining and ice cream making to pizzeria ownership. We chat about keeping the legendary 25-year...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we chat with champion pizza maker and industry leader Lars Smith. Lars co-owns State of Mind Pub and State of Mind Slice House in Palo Alto, California.  Fresh off his recent trip to Italy, Lars competed at the Sigep World in Rimini. His finishes include 2nd place in Pizza in Teglia, 11th place in Pizza alla Pala and 25th place in Pizza Classica. He highlighted his winn...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode, we’re chatting with Marvin Kinney, the owner of R Town Pizza, who set out to bring Detroit-style pies to Reno in 2022. Kinney isn’t just thoughtful about making pizzas, he’s hoping to reform restaurant culture into a place of growth and mutual respect.  We ask Kinney how he keeps food waste under 1% and why he believes in collaboration over competition. Fro...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we chat with Robert Marek. He is Director of Business Development at Cosmo’s Pizza , a growing independent Colorado-based pizza brand with six locations and a commissary. He’s also coming to Pizza Expo in March to share his expertise in our powerful, industry-led education program.  A seasoned restaurant industry professional with a degree in Re...