The Hot Slice

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...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we catch up with Scott Wiener to chat all things pizza. Scott started Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City 17 years ago. And his pizza enthusiasm has only grown. As Josh says on the podcast, “no one knows probably more about the pizza business than Scott.”  Scott has been a frequent speaker at Pizza Expo and contributor to Pizza Today. He judges the International Pizza...

Send us Fan Mail When most people think of Chicago pizza, they picture a deep-dish behemoth, a cheesy beast you need a fork and knife to conquer. But locals know the real MVP of the region is Chicago Thin – and it’s finally getting the love it deserves. We sat down with Tony Troiano of J.B. Alberto’s Pizza, a 60-year-old Chicago institution and recent winner of the Great American Pizza Challenge f...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for this special New Year’s Day edition of The Hot Slice Podcast. The new year is full of new opportunities. The Pizza Today team gathers to commemorate the New Year with 2026 thoughts and reflections. We highlight goals we have to help the pizza community. Denise highlights priorities in her first full year as Editor in Chief. We look at pizza trends and share our forecas...

Send us Fan Mail Listen to George Gilliam, owner of Uncle G’s Pizza in Birmingham, Alabama on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today Merry Christmas from all of us at Pizza Today and Pizza Expo. This week on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today, we are replaying one of the most popular episodes of 2025 with George Gilliam, owner of Uncle G’s Pizza in Birmingham, Alabama. George reached out to us...

Send us Fan Mail From handing out menus before she could even reach the tables to taking the reins as owner of Pino’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria in Farmville, Virginia, Marilena Lentini’s journey is inspiring at every turn. In this episode, we talk about the terrifying yet rewarding transition from employee to boss. Lentini opens up about the importance of maintaining positivity, and how sh...

Send us Fan Mail The Hot Slice Podcast is back with one last episode from the Pizza Today booth at Pizza Expo Columbus in October with in-person conversations with pizzeria operators. We’re continuing our Pizza Expo Columbus episodes. You’ll hear riveting stories of entrepreneurship, growth, competition, struggles and ever a lesser-known pizza style.  Let’s end the special sessions with pizza pros...

Send us Fan Mail The Hot Slice Podcast is back at the Pizza Today booth at Pizza Expo Columbus in October with in-person conversations with pizzeria operators. We’re continuing our Pizza Expo Columbus episodes. You’ll hear riveting stories of entrepreneurship, growth, competition, struggles and ever a lesser-known pizza style.  Let’s continue the sessions with pizza pros who are growing in their o...

Send us Fan Mail Happy Thanksgiving! Today we’re replaying one of our favorite 2025 episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today. It features an inspiring conversation with Matthew and Hengam Stanfield, the engineering-minded power couple behind Mattenga’s Pizzeria. Fresh off their monumental achievement of being named Pizza Today’s 2025 Pizzeria of the Year, the Stanfields shared the strate...

Send us Fan Mail The fun continues this week, as we conduct quick interviews from the Pizza Today booth during the inaugural Pizza Expo Columbus. This episode of The Hot Slice features discussions with three mobile pizzeria operators at various stages of business development – starting with lessons from the first year in business through how to innovate during the 15th season of running a mobile p...

Send us Fan Mail We had a blast at Pizza Expo Columbus connecting with listeners and bringing them on the podcast. The Pizza Today crew hosted The Hot Slice Podcast from the Pizza Today booth at Pizza Expo Columbus in October with in-person conversations with pizzeria operators. For the next several episodes of the podcast, you’ll hear riveting stories of entrepreneurship, growth, competition, str...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Denise Greer and Kate Lavin as they sit down with Jen Strickland and Jeff Mettler from Home Slice Pizza to celebrate an incredible milestone—20 years of serving authentic New York-style pizza in Austin, Texas. In this episode, Jen shares the origin story of Home Slice, born from her love of New York pizza and frustration with Austin's lack of quality slices. She ta...