Pizza Quest

Previous Pizza Quest guest Chef Wylie Dufresne recently had an extensive cameo in the momentous season ending episode of "The Bear" on Hulu. The episode features appearances from many of the chefs (both real and imaginary) that inspired the restaurant in the show, so it seems timely to look back on our conversation with Wylie from the Fall of 2023. In the episode, he described his move into the pi...

Korshak Bagels , nestled in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic Italian Market neighborhood, was like the mouse that roared. Producing only 1,000 hand-shaped sourdough bagels a day, Philip Korshak ‘s love-child of a bagelry garnered national press during its brief two-year run, and elicited deep mourning and lines two blocks long during its final week, even when folks were warned they could buy o...

We are joined this week by Charles Wekselbaum , owner and head salumeriest for Charlito's Cocina , makers of fine charcuterie. Is it salumi or salami? We'll find out, as Charles guides Peter through a tasting of three of his most popular Spanish-influenced products, and explains how he transforms fresh meat products into cured and fermented dried meats in which his goal is to evoke the full potent...

This week's guest is a long time friend of mine (we go back to 7th grade together, circa 1963), Tim Lorsch , Nashville musician/sideman, who has created a one-man performance piece called " The Suitcase ." The show was inspired when Tim unexpectedly received an old suitcase that had formerly belonged to his great uncle before being sent to Auschwitz, where he was killed by the Nazis. The suitcase...

Peter's brother Harry was with Peter the day they discovered Pizzeria Beddia about eight years ago. They watched together as Joe Beddia rocketed to superstardom in the pizza world (not because of us, but our timing was pretty good). So, when Harry called Peter a few weeks ago, excited to have found "the next Pizzeria Beddia," he was taken very seriously. Harry then introduced Peter to Dave Ravanes...

Welcome back to Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart. Our guest this week is Domenico Tolomeo , World Pizza Champions team member, owner of Taglio Pizza in Minneola, NY, and corporate chef for Orlando Foods (importers of Caputo Flour and many other made-in-Italy food products). Domenico, affectionately known in the industry as Mimmo, shares with us his journey from paying his dues during his years as a...

In this episode we welcome Paul Tiffany , director of product engineering at Lloyd Pans , to update us on the latest new pan pizza products and to explain the unique manufacturing process that allows Lloyd Pans to respond and customize pans so quickly for the pizza and other food service industries. He also shows us a very cool new product for making handheld Detroit-style pizzas, about the size o...

Welcome back to a new episode of Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart. A recurrent theme in our shows during these past few months has been the emergence and growth of the Women in Pizza movement, and this week's guest is one of the key driving forces in all of this. Ironically, Anna Crucitt didn't start out as a pizzaiola, but as a gelato queen. At Mercurio's Creamery and Pizzeria , she and her brothe...

Our guest in this episode is long-time world pizza champion, Joe Carlucci . So, you might ask, how did a nice New York area kid end up running an iconic, destination pizzeria, Valentina's Pizzeria and Wine Bar , in Madison, Alabama? It's a long story, and one best told by Joe himself, including the many life lessons that allowed him to crash and burn (and rise from the ashes) many times. On his jo...

This week, Peter is joined by the legendary Antimo Caputo, along with his nephew and head of milling, Mauro Caputo. Caputo Flour has carved out a beloved place in the hearts of Neapolitan pizza lovers everywhere. But the company, under Antimo's leadership, produces a lot more than just their signature "Italian 00" pizza flour. In fact, a number of American-style pizzerias are now using new flour b...

This week's episode features two of the founders and leaders of the Women in Pizza movement, Giorgia Caporuscio and Azie Mortati . What started out as a informal fellowship and way to acknowledge the growing role that women are playing in the pizza world, has grown into a dynamic education and philanthropic network that is helping to shape the future of pizza both in the United States and abroad....

Peter's guests this week are Noel Brohner of Slow Rise Pizza , who has appeared on the show in the past, along with his colleague, molecular biologist James Gaffney . They have been working, along with a few other microbe geniuses, to create a powdered wild yeast sourdough starter that can be used just like instant yeast to make sourdough breads and pizza doughs without the need of keeping a start...

We often focus on independent pizza makers here on Pizza Quest. But, only 50% of the pizzas sold in this country are made by the thousands of independent operators; the other 50% are sold by the many pizza franchise chains, and most of those are from the top five brands. Marco's Pizza has recently climbed into that top tier (along with Domino's, Pizza Hut, Papa John, and Little Caesar's) , as it n...

Chef Michael Friedman grew up in a New York area Jewish American household (in Westfield, NJ, to be specific) and, like me, was nourished by lots of Chinese and Italian food. Also like me, he attended Boston University's School of Communications, so we share a kindred spirit connectivity. After paying his dues in fine dining restaurants around the world (including stints with Rich Melman's Lettuce...

Peter just spent a few days at the 2024 International Pizza Expo, where he sat down with the "Energizer Bunny of Pizza," and frequent guest, Scott Wiener , who seems to know everyone in the pizza mega-verse. Together, they cover everything from emerging trends (based on this year's pizza competition at the Expo, where Scott was a lead judge), the growing impact of Slice Out Hunger , the non-profit...

Our guest this week is Inja Radman , co-founder of New Culture Food , a company with a mission to provide the world with animal-free cheese, beginning with mozzarella, that actually tastes and performs like the milk-based originals. Even those with lactose or dairy sensitivities have a love-hate relationship with the current options of faux cheese, usually made with nut and seed milks. New Culture...

This week's episode features Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler who, together, are the dynamic team known as MillerButler , a sizzling-hot mobile pizza and catering company, based in San Pedro, California. Ahmad competed against Peter and 10 other finalists at the Real California Pizza Contest in Napa back in August, where they first became friends. That's when Peter learned how MillerButler took on...

Lloyd Pans has emerged as the leading supplier of pans for every style of pan pizza, and Paul Lackey is their Director of Operations. On this week's podcast, which was recorded at the Northeast Pizza and Pasta Expo in Atlantic City, Paul describes the manufacturing process that enables Lloyd Pans to respond to the ever-changing needs and trends in the pizza industry with durable but lightweight an...

Sometimes it just takes moxie. Shannon Mangini  is living proof of that. In just a few short years since graduating from U Penn's Wharton School with a degree in economics, entrepreneurship, and finance, Shannon has brought DiFara Pizza to the North Fork of Long Island. In addition, she has been serving as Senior Director of Brands and Partnerships for the OTG Management Group , which owns and ope...

Who would have thought that Glenmont, NY, near Albany, would be home to one of the reigning international pizza champions, but that's where Anthony Berghela , of Romo's Pizza , makes it happen. Hear all about how he honed his craft while working his way to the World Pizza Cup Championships in Naples, Italy, where he won first place last year in the American Pizza Division. This is not an overnight...

Anthony Mangieri is one of our favorite guests. Now that his NYC restaurant Una Pizza Napoletana was recently anointed by one poll as the "best pizzeria in the world," this is a timely return visit to the show. On this episode, Anthony tells us all about his new line of frozen pizzas under the name Genio Della Pizza , and how he managed to create and package a frozen wood-fired pizza, made in Ital...

Roman-style pizza is in a steady ascent across the country, due in no small part to the success of this week's guest, Rob Cervoni . Rob is a disciple of the acclaimed Massimiliano Saieva pizza tree, but is now forging his own glittering path. Many of you have seen him kick everyone's butt and become champion on Chopped in 2023, or saw him compete and showcase his work at various Pizza Expo's. Pizz...

Peter hasn't seen Ronnie Costello in 53 years, since they played together on their high school baseball team. It has also been 60 years since they attended Belmont Hills Elementary School together. They lived on different sides of Mary Waters Ford Road, the street that, like the Maginot Line, separated the mostly Irish and Italian kids of "The Hill" from the mostly Jewish kids of Penn Valley. Ther...

Welcome back to Pizza Quest. On this episode, Peter talks with one of the fastest rising stars in the pizza firmament, Michael Vakneen , co-founder of Truly Pizza in Dana Point, CA (near Laguna Beach), partnering with pizza legends Chris Decker and John Arena. Michael is also making some of the best pizza in Las Vegas at his Double Zero Pie & Pub . He consults and he competes, winning many of...

On this episode we welcome Bill Crawford , former Air Force jet fighter test pilot and, now, the owner of Righteous Slice in Rexburg, Idaho. Bill shows us all about his Grand Prize winning El Pollo Barracho Pizza (aka "Drunken Chicken" pizza, with tequila marinated chicken) from the 2024 Real California Pizza Contest, sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board. Peter competed in this contest...