Pizza Quest

Well before Ed Levine and Pete Wells, in the New York Times , declared Razza in Jersey City as “the best pizza in New York,” Razza’s owner, Dan Richer , appeared on Pizza Quest to discuss how it all happened. Is it the naturally leavened sourdough crust, or the best locally sourced ingredients, or something about the technique, imagination, and passion that drives Dan’s vision? You’ll find out as...

When Philip Korshak last appeared on Pizza Quest he was the general manager of pizza operations at Home Slice Pizza in Austin Texas. Fast forward five years and Phil, after an interim stopover in Minneapolis, is now in the Italian Market section of South Philadelphia, out of the pizza game altogether, and the proprietor of the recently unveiled Korshak’s Bagels , the hottest opening in food crazy...

We like to say that we celebrate artisanship wherever we find it, because artisans are our real community of kindred spirits, of which pizza is but one spoke (albeit, a very large spoke!). But another big spoke is, of course, the bread baking community and, in that branch of our family there is one name that towers above them all, Poilane! Many of you already know that 18 years ago the most famous...

Today on Pizza Talk, we welcome Nina Mae Levin, the founder of Stoney Hill Pizza on Martha’s Vineyard. Our discovery of Nina was due to two previous interviews that we did last year, with Ed Levine and Glenn Roberts, who both live on the Vineyard and who, essentially, told us we had to meet this talented rising star and hear about her life-changing corn and shiitake pizza that had blown both of th...

Will Grant burst on the culinary scene about five years ago when he started winning competitions with pizzas made on his 100% sourdough crust. Will’s starter was cultivated at his pizzeria, That's A Some Pizza , on Bainbridge Island, Washington and is a family multi-generational legacy. Will is one of several pizza influencers, such as Anthony Mangieri, Dan Richer, Anthony Falco, and others whom w...

Welcome back for another fascinating segment of Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart. This time around we tracked down one of the most unique operations in the country, not because it is a mobile pizzeria, but because of how the owner, Luis Perez, makes it happen using 4 single unit RoccBox ovens mounted into a 3-wheeled Piaggio Ape van in Rochester, NY. It basically looks like a rocket ship -- you’ve...

After the international success of Modernist Cuisine , followed a few years later by the equally impressive Modernist Bread , author/publisher Nathan Myhrvold and his talented team of food geniuses are back with the eye-popping, four-volume boxed set, Modernist Pizza . It has everything you could possibly want to know about pizza and more, accompanied by the always spectacular in-your-face photogr...

Two Brits walk into a pizzeria… and the rest is history. Brother James and Thom Elliot decided to buy a three-wheeled Piaggio-Ape scooter and travel the world on a quest for the best pizza they could find. They not only wrote a book about their journey but opened three Pizza Pilgrims restaurants in London, where they put everything they learned into practice. Thom Elliot is the spokesman in this e...

Mark Todd lives hidden in the woods along the Russian River in western Sonoma County, where he ferments everything he can get his hands on. But, more importantly, he is also a consultant to many cheese companies and marketing boards because, quite simply, when it comes to cheese, he is The Dude. In this episode he tells us how he became The Dude, and also gives us a master class in the category of...

The best olive oil no longer comes from old trees in romantic olive groves. There is a new art and science emerging, and it promises to revolutionize the olive oil industry across the world. Master miller David (pronounced Daveed) Garci-Aguirre and educator Lisa Pollack, explain how Corto , and other olive oil producers around the world, are applying new knowledge to the most ancient of crafts to...

We begin Season Two with a very special bittersweet tribute episode to Shawn Randazzo. Shawn, founder of the Detroit-Style Pizza Company , passed away last year at the far too young age of 44. Together with Jeff Smokevich of Brown Dog and Blue Pan Pizza in Colorado , these two Detroit-born natives were the next generation guys most responsible for inspiring the now ubiquitous Detroit-Style pizza r...

Most pizza operators know that “Best Of” lists are a lot of hype and very subjective (but no one ever turns down being listed, right?). When we interviewed Sarah Minnick , of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty in Portland, Oregon, it was months before the author’s of Modernist Pizza cited Lovely’s as the best pizza in America, but it already seemed like special was going on there. In this episode, Sarah makes u...

Professor Athena Aktipis 's mission at Arizona State University is to prepare us all for the "zombie apocalypse," which is more than a metaphor to her, and involves lots of dough making and fermentation. This episode will blow your mind! Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest .  If you count on HRN content, become a monthly sustaining donor at heritageradionetwork.org/donate . Pizza Ques...

One of the pizza world's best-kept secrets, Leo Spizzirri is a dynamic force of nature. Even though he doesn't have a pizzeria of his own, Leo has trained hundreds of professional and amateur pizza makers, raising their games to greatness. Meet the "greatest guy you never knew." Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest .  If you count on HRN content, become a monthly sustaining donor at he...

Whether you call it Parlor Pizza, Tavern Pizza, or Bar Pizza, the Yodis are on fire with it and are joined by the guy driving the return to these American pizza classics. They each have their own take on how to make it and share their tips and tricks. Right here. Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest .  If you count on HRN content, become a monthly sustaining donor at heritageradionetwo...

When Paul Giannone decided that he no longer loved his long corporate life, he decided to follow his bliss and start a pizzeria. Fast forward 10 years and Paulie Gee is now the "Legendary Paulie Gee," and is mentoring the next generation of pizza legends. He shares his vision in this illuminating conversation with Peter. Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest .  If you count on HRN conte...

Ever since his best-selling, James Beard Award-winning book, The Art of Fermentation , Sandor Katz has been the go-to guy when it comes to all things fermentation. Here, he joins us from his home in the Tennessee mountains to share his passion, as well as some very practical how-to tips for fermenting, well, practically anything. Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest .  If you count on...

Most listeners now know who Chris Bianco is but fewer know of Rob DiNapoli, who runs one of the finest tomato products companies out of California's Central Valley. In this episode, they share the story of how they met and conceived the Bianco DiNapoli line of organic tomatoes, and what it takes to grow, pack, and bring a premium product like this to market -- and what happens when you can't keep...

How does one follow a success story like LaBrea Bread and Pizzeria Mozza? If you are Nancy Silverton , who generates successful new ideas at the speed of light, you keep opening new restaurant concepts and continually test the limits of deliciousness. Join Peter and Nancy for a glimpse into the fertile mind of a creative genius. Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest .  Heritage Radio Ne...

Another Paulie Gee success spinoff, Mike Kurtz was making pizzas for Paulie in Greenpoint when he showed off the hot honey he'd been developing at home and, before you could blink, Paulie started using it on some of the pizzas, and Mike ramped up production. Now, a few years later, Mike's Hot Honey is everywhere. Hear the whole success story straight from Mike. Click here for the video versions of...

Ed 's classic love letter, " Pizza: A Slice of Heaven ," was a prelude to his launch of the most successful food website on the internet, Serious Eats . Ed tells the whole story and brings us up to date on his current life on Martha's Vineyard, where he still seeks out, and may have found, the perfect pizza. Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest .  Heritage Radio Network is a listener s...

Paulie Gee not only has his own legendary pizzerias in Brooklyn but also licenses other kindred spirits to do their own thing under his banner, such as Derrick Tung's Chicago branch, Paulie Gee's Logan Square . Derrick not only makes the classics from the Brooklyn menu, but has added his own creativity, including a square pie (aka Detroit-Style) that won the Unites States pizza championship. Of co...

Tony Gemignani is the reigning rock star of the pizza universe, having won every major competition award, helmed a number of hot-ticket pizza restaurants, and mentored and coached dozens of the rising pizza stars at his pizza school in San Francisco, and on his World Pizza Champions team. Tony is a master of every style of pizza in much the way that Mozart was a master of every form of music. In t...

Chris is rightfully acclaimed as the poster boy of the artisan pizza movement. Not only is he an important and unfiltered thought leader in the realm of sustainability and right action, but his pizzas represent the benchmark to which all others aspire. Today we take a deep dive into the mind and heart of Chris Bianco of Pizzeria and Pane Bianco . Click here for the video versions of Pizza Quest . ...

When the 2020 International Pizza Expo was cancelled due to Covid, pizza consultant and entertainment events producer Noel Brohner, called upon his many talents and created an instant “Zoom pizza party” featuring many of those pizza stars who were set to appear in Vegas. It drew hundreds of viewers. In this episode, Noel shares his own pizza journey that led him to become an international consulta...