The Hot Slice

Send us Fan Mail Today is National Detroit-Style Pizza Day. What better way to commemorate the occasion that to revisit our conversation with the original Detroit pizza, Buddy’s Pizza. Listen to Chief Branding Officer Wes Pikula talk about the development of the Detroit pizza and how the legendary pizza company is in full growth mode.

Send us Fan Mail This we talk to Steve and Patricia Bangos about moving their pizzeria, Eureka Pizza Company, from Seward, Alaska to Yorba Linda, California. Learn how the concept has translated and thrived with a very different customer base. Also discover their cornerstones to customer service.

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk to Stuart Cameron, chef at The Crown Tavern in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was an Ivy League science student who fell in love with restaurants and never looked back. See how he developed his dough formula and perfected the neo-Neapolitan pizza the tavern is known for.

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk to Brett and Chadd Nemec, who opened Zaza’s Pizzeria in Chicago, a mere five months ago. We talk opening strategies, New York-style pizza in the Chicago market and what’s next for the brothers.

Send us Fan Mail Going strong 15 years in the pizzeria business is a feat. The Pizza Place on Noriega has done just that in San Francisco. We talk succeeding in the Bay Area market and best business practices with owners Cindy and Kevin Hayward-Baryza.

Send us Fan Mail Jeremy White and Josh Keown sit down with Lars Smith from State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria in Los Altos, CA. Lars dishes on the big win he recently pulled off at a major pizza competition in Italy, the thought process that went into his award-winning creation and a host of other topics in the lively discussion.

Send us Fan Mail To commemorate our 100th episode, everyone’s favorite pizzeria ambassador Pete Lachapelle joins us on The Hot Slice Podcast. Pete has been the fixture at Pizza Expo and Pizza Today for over 20 years. Pete has so many stories to share. You won’t want to miss this special episode.

Send us Fan Mail Detroit-style pizza is trending across the country. This week, we talk to Chief Branding Officer Wes Pikula of Buddy’s Pizza, the original Detroit style. Discover more about Buddy’s, the development of the Detroit pizza and how the legendary pizza company is in full growth mode. 

Send us Fan Mail We continue our mini sessions from above the Pizza Expo exhibit hall. Hear from Brian Hall, owner of Crafters Pizza & Drafthouse in Carmel, Indiana. We talk rebranding the concept, staffing, new products on the show floor and International Pizza Challenge. We chat with Linda Ortega, owner of Fired Up Fresh mobile catering company in Watsonville, California. Linda shares her st...

Send us Fan Mail We continue our Pizza Expo Mini Series from above the show floor talking to pizzeria folks from two pizza companies killing it in their markets. First up, we chat with Christian Buck and Calvin Freatman, co-owners of Cascadia Pizza Company with two locations and food trucks in the Seattle area. We also talk to Jennifer Howell, director of marketing with Catch-a-Fire Pizza with two...

Send us Fan Mail We continue our Mini Sessions from Pizza Expo 2022 with Nicole Bean, co-owner at Pizaro’s Pizzeria in Houston, Texas and Rocky and Courtney Shanower, owners of Park Street Pizza in Sugar Creek, Ohio and Bahler Street Pizza mobile kitchen in Austin Texas. We talk shop and Pizza Expo with these leading pizzeria operators.

Send us Fan Mail Mini Sessions from Pizza Expo are back with a brand new setup. We kick off Pizza Expo 2022 sessions with two of the leading women pizzeria owners Leah Scurto, PizzaLeah in Windsor, California and Brittany Saxton, 600 Downtown, Bellefontaine, Ohio. Hear about their Expo experiences and what’s happening at their pizzerias. 

Send us Fan Mail From above the exhibit hall, Jeremy White and Denise Greer share their takeaways from the highly successful Pizza Expo 2022, including pizzeria industry trends from the show floor. Thank you to everyone for making this year a great show.

Send us Fan Mail It’s Pizza Expo Week! We’re revisiting one of our favorite chats with Ken Forkish, the man behind Ken’s Artisan Bakery and Ken’s Artisan Pizza in Portland, Oregon and a keynote speaker at Pizza Expo. We learn more about the James Beard Award winner and a big January announcement. He also dishes on his first two books: Flour Water Salt Yeast and The Elements of Pizza, as well as an...

Send us Fan Mail Jeremy White, Josh Keown and Denise Greer are here to get you ready for Pizza Expo less than week away. Find out their favorite show moments and get insider tips on how to approach the packed schedule of events. For all things Pizza Expo, visit http://PizzaExpo.com .

Send us Fan Mail Veteran pizzeria owners Jennifer Morales and Phoebe Reckseit have experienced a lot in their 30+ years in pizza business at Pizza Girls in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. On this episode, we talk words of wisdom, employees, closing a location and what’s next for the Pizza Girls.

Send us Fan Mail This week, our guest is Eric Rickman of Wholly Stromboli in Fort Lupton, Colorado. We talk overcoming obstacles, husband and wife business roles, expansion plans and employee strategies. Eric will join us as a panelist on an Overcoming Obstacles session on Wednesday, March 23 at Pizza Expo. More details at pizzaexpo.com.

Send us Fan Mail This week, we explore the interworking of building a family business from food truck to brick-and-mortar and beyond. Lasonia’s idea to sell Jay’s family night pizzas has turned into the flourishing Triple Jay’s Pizza in Atlanta, Georgia. Also see how they’ve reached TikTok acclaim.

Send us Fan Mail This week we dive into Juan Perez’s passion for pizza making. Juan is executive chef at Posto in Boston. He has reached millions of viewers on TikTok and Instagram. Find out how he does it. Also learn how Juan manages and trains pizza makers at Posto and the pizza he grew up on in Columbia. Check out his social: https://www.instagram.com/juangpizza/ https://www.tiktok.com/@juangpi...

Send us Fan Mail 87. Getting Real on Labor & Pricing Bruno Zacchini, owner of Pizza Bruno in Orlando, Florida, is on the show this week. He shares the reality of labor and menu pricing and how it’s impacting his pizzeria. Big things are also ahead as he plans to add a second location.  

Send us Fan Mail Rocky Shanower is a visionary restaurateur and a keynote speaker at Pizza Expo 2022. We chat about new directions with his two concepts, Park Street Pizza and Bahler Street mobile catering. He’s devised some new strategies for retaining employees and they are working at his Sugar Creek, Ohio pizzeria.

Send us Fan Mail Pizza Man Dan Collier is one of the most respected voices in the pizzeria business. We talk Pizza Expo education, how he’s growing through internal franchising and what’s next for his California-based Pizza Man Dan’s. And, of course, we get the skinny on all of his pizza swag, including the famous pizza Corvette.

Send us Fan Mail We have the Jersey Pizza Boys on the show this week to talk Pizza Across America, the largest pizza delivery donation happening the week of National Pizza Day (Feb. 9). Carmine Testa and sons Michael and Nicky founded Pizza Across America with Scott Wiener and Slice Out Hunger. We couldn’t let dough acrobatic celebrities off the show without chatting about the upcoming World Pizza...

Send us Fan Mail The week, we chat with Ken Forkish, the man behind Ken’s Artisan Bakery and Ken’s Artisan Pizza in Portland, Oregon. We learn more about the James Beard Award winner leading up to his keynote address at International Pizza Expo and a big January announcement. He also dishes on his first two books: Flour Water Salt Yeast and The Elements of Pizza, as well as an upcoming third book.

Send us Fan Mail As attracting and retaining employees continues to be a challenge, Dallas-based GAPCo adds its third location. Co-owners Molly and Sammy Mandell dive into the employee component with Editor In Chief Jeremy White and Executive Editor Denise Greer.