The Hot Slice

Send us Fan Mail Don’t miss this back-and-forth conversation with a mentor and mentee in the pizza business. This week we chat with Pete Raskovic, owner of Bentley’s Log Cabin Pub and Grill in Hollandale, Wisconsin and his mentor, the pizza icon and visionary John Arena, who owns Metro Pizza in Las Vegas.  Pete reached out to us wanting to share just how much John Arena helped him as he developed...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Denise and Josh sit down with Joe Argento, co-owner of Mama’s Meatballs & Pizzeria in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Joe grew up in the pizza business and began working at his grandmother’s shop at age 8.   Joe went on to own his own pizzeria, but was ready to switch directions. His wife, Katherine, wanted to be in the food truck business, but Joe still wanted a storefront...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we chat with Chef Daniel Holzman, who owns Danny Boy’s Famous Original, a two-location operation in Los Angeles, California.  We spoke with Daniel a few days before the catastrophic wildfires broke out in LA. So, our conversation with Daniel focused on his career, the growth of Danny Boy’s and what he has learned in the restaurant business.  Danny Boy’s locations are cu...

Send us Fan Mail Old Scratch Pizza in Dayton, Ohio, had a huge year in 2024. The Dayton pizza company opened its fourth location in a revitalized fire station. And in November, the pizzeria took home three Pizza Today PIE Awards : Pizzeria of the Year – Midwest Region, Most Interesting Menu and Most Unique Pizzeria Location.  We sat down with owner and founder Eric Soller and Executive Chef Josh S...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year, pizza fam! The Pizza Today Team of Jeremy White, Denise Greer and Josh Keown kick the year off with conversation.  We talk 2025 goals, dream podcast guests, reminisce a little, share restaurant stories and changes the industry has experienced.  We want to know who your dream guest would be? Tell us on social or reach out to Denise at dgreer@pizzatoday.com . If you...

Send us Fan Mail As we wrap up 2024, The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today has featured some incredible guests from top pizza makers and pizzeria owners as well as the pizza industry’s thought leaders. The most popular episode of 2024 features Audrey Kelly. She co-owns of Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado. She is a World Pizza Champion, frequent speaker at International Pizza Expo a...

Send us Fan Mail The International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo 2025 is set to be the biggest and best pizza competition. Executive Editor Denise Greer went one-on-one with Jeremy Galvin, who along with Michael LaMarca oversee the competitions.  Jeremy shares how the competition is changing in 2025 and steps the Master Pizza team is taking to improve the competitions and enhance the experience fo...

Send us Fan Mail During PizzaCon 2024 in Philadelphia, Executive Editor Denise Greer took the opportunity to sit down with various pizzeria operators in person to talk pizza shop. Conversations in this episode include:   Corey DiGiovanni, Pie Society Pizza in Virginia Beach, Virginia – His mobile pizza company has a military base clientele. We talk about that unique market. We also talk Pie Societ...

Send us Fan Mail We caught up with this year’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Weather Preston with her mom and business partner, Donna Grainger, at PizzaCon in Philadelphia. They, along with Jim Grainger, own the quirky and fun family-run pizzeria, Cross Eyed Cow Pizza  sits on the iconic Route 66 in Oro, Grande, California.  Weather has taken the reins to lead the pizzeria into the future. She wa...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk with co-executive chefs and partners Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow at San Francisco-based Flour + Water to get the skinny on the direction their taking their highly successful pizza concept. Check out more details provided by Flour + Water: Thomas McNaughton, Co-Executive Chef & Founding Partner, Flour + Water Hospitality Group (Flour + Water, Flour +Wa...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we share our conversation with Nicole Bean, co-owner of Houston-based Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana . During PizzaCon 2024 in Philly, Executive Editor Denise Greer had a lively conversation with Nicole about top-of-mind pizza business issues, taking on a leadership role in the pizza industry, multiple pizza style and using AI in the business and an in-depth talk about diali...

Send us Fan Mail Two years ago, Chris and Angela Woodbeck received the call that many operators have feared. Their beloved pizzeria, Mangia Macrina’s in New Hartford, New York was on fire. Worse, when they arrived, they found out it was arson.   It has been a long road back as the couple are about to reopen the pizzeria in a new location in Utica, New York. They share their story of bringing their...

Send us Fan Mail Katie Lee owns Katie’s Pizza & Pasta with three locations in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Recently, the pizza company scored a huge client for its frozen pizza line to be sold in Walmart grocery stores starting in mid-to-late 2025.  We get into what went into such a lucrative retail deal. There is so much more to Katie Lee’s story. She shares her background, how she started h...

Send us Fan Mail Today is one of the busiest days for pizzerias so the crew at Pizza Today bring you a lighthearted episode where Josh, Jeremy and Denise talk Halloween in pizzerias, favorite Halloween pizzas, interesting Halloween finds. Here is the infamous Halloween Pizza featuring candy corn: https://pizzatoday.com/recipes/pizzas/halloween-cookie-pizza/ We also talk PizzaCon, happening next we...

Send us Fan Mail Miriam Weiskind has already amassed a huge following in the pizza industry with The Za Report. Now, she is set to open her first brick-and-mortar pizzeria, Yums of PDX in Portland, Oregon.  If you are looking for an inspiring episode. This is it. Miriam brings so much energy and enthusiasm about her journey and the pizza community.  Miriam’s background is in design and branding. B...

Send us Fan Mail Denise goes one-on-one with Louise Joseph on life in her pizza truck business, Dough Girls in Greenwich, Connecticut.  Dough Girls specializes in wood-fired pizza on the go.   Dough Girls rolls to local events, fairs, festivals, farmers markets and private and corporate catering locations. Louise talks about what events and locations work for her business. We learn what makes for...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Denise and Josh chat with Robert Garvey, co-founder of Robert’s Pizza & Dough Co. in Chicago, Illinois. Robert had just returned from Italy, where his pizzerias was honored as a Top 50 of “The Best 100 Pizzerias in the World” by 50 Top Pizza. Robert's additionally received the special award for "Performance of the Year 2024 - Robo Award".  We also tal...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Josh and Denise sit down with Jay Hansji, owner of Pizza Buzz in Watauga, Texas. He shares how one pizza catapulted his business into a huge 6,000-squre-foot building. He even tried to discontinue the pizza and the people revolted. Pizza Buzz is known for unique pizzas, from the famous pickle pizza and birria pizza to tandoori pizza and even customer creations as pizza...

Send us Fan Mail The Pizza Today crew is back together again. Jeremy, Denise and Josh hop on the podcast together for a special episode on the big 4th quarter for pizzerias and us. We’re here to help you get ready.  We kick things off highlighting Pizza Expo’s newest event. PizzaCon, November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon. O...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Denise goes one-on-one with Rick Herman, CEO of Log Home Wood Fired Pizza in McGregor, Minnesota, with a population of 350 people. So how has this business thrived for 10 years? Rick dives into the pivotal anniversary, focus of the business and how he’s been able to engage the community. We also talk about the shifts the business has been required to make to operate in...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, Josh and Denise chat with Ryan Ososky, owner of DTown Pizzeria in Hollywood, California. He caught our attention on Instagram for marrying two great pizza styles into one: Detroit and Tavern. We get into how and why, as well as what the response has been. We dive into the challenges of the fickle Los Angeles market and how DTown grabs attention....

Send us Fan Mail It’s National Cheese Pizza Day, September 5. We celebrate the quintessential holy trinity of pizza, the cheese pizza. It is the classic combination of cheese, red pizza sauce and crust. Check out more on Cheese Pizza Day. Our guest today is thriving in one of the most competitive pizza markets in the world, New York City. Frank Kabatas has amazing story of building the American Dr...

Send us Fan Mail This week we’re exploring tech in pizzerias with George Panagopoulos, owner of Dedham House of Pizza, in Dedham, Massachusetts. This tech-savvy operator has taken over an over 50-year-old pizzeria. He is driving the business into future by developing a custom AI chatbot. As he has stepped into the owner role, George has implemented self-ordering kiosks, mobile app, rewards program...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, Denise and Josh chat with Jessica Hellaine and Nick MacDonald, owners of Black Dog Pizzeria in Dublin, Ohio.   First, we learn what Columbus-style pizza is. Black Dog also serves New York-style pizza. Nick is the mad scientist of the business always experimenting with the dough and menu. Explore the evolution of its New York-style pizza. We talk...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Jeremy and Denise chat with Jeff Cincotta, Chef Owner of Molinari's Italian Eatery & Pizzeria and Ravello Italian Kitchen in Watertown, Massachusetts. Prior to opening Molinari nine years ago, Jeff spent his career as an executive chef at private clubs.  He was ready for a change and opened Molinari. We dive into his background and transitioning to ownership an...