The Hot Slice

Send us Fan Mail This week, we chat with Candy Yiu, who owns The Turning Peel in Portland, Oregon. She meticulously selected all the design elements that went into the pizzeria that resides in a house turned commercial space. The result is an enchanting and magical space with sourdough Neapolitan pizza at its core. We talk about how the business has developed and how the starter and pizza dough ha...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Executive Editor Denise Greer interviews Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler, Owners & Chefs at Miller Butler in San Pedro, CA, They have quickly gained a reputation for amazing pizza in the LA pizza scene.  What started out as a pandemic pasta-selling business as evolved into a mobile pizzeria in high demand for its popups and catering. While Jillana has had a long car...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White goes one-on-one with Thomas Ardito, co-owner of Brooklyn DOP in Brooklyn, New York.    A fitness enthusiast and gym owner, Ardito grew up tinkering with pizza at home and first got involved in the industry by delivering pies on Long Island. But it wasn’t until the COVID pandemic — when many gyms across the nation were forced to close — that...

Send us Fan Mail Over the next few episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast, we’re excited to let you get to know pizza makers and owners who we named Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry. We’re so impressed by Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola, Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi. Leña was recently named a top pizza spot in the U.S in the feature: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/di... . It’...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Executive Editor Denise Greer goes one-on-one with Hillary Lake, who co-owns Hillary’s Chicago Pizza, in St. Augustine, Florida.  She’s no stranger to restaurant business ownership, but she never thought she would enter the pizza industry. It was during the pandemic that she missed her hometown Chicago pizza and sought to make the perfect Deep Dish. That catapulted into...

Send us Fan Mail Happy 4th of July, everyone! On this holiday, we’re replaying a favorite episode for your enjoyment. Jeremy sat down for a one-on-one interview with pizza legend John Arena, co-founder of  Metro Pizza  in Las Vegas, just before he gave one of the most memorable opening day  keynote addresses  at the 40th Pizza Expo in March.  During the discussion, John touches on his feelings abo...

Send us Fan Mail Giovanni Cesarano is part of the new generation behind the legendary King Umberto on Long Island, New York. We last caught up with Giovanni in 2021 on the podcast when we shared with him that he had been named a Rising Star in the Pizza Industry.   A lot has happened with Giovanni and the business. We talk about how he’s able to keep King Umberto’s top of mind in a changing New Yo...

Send us Fan Mail It’s been a whirlwind kind of few months for Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company , in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania. After capturing the first-place finish in the Pan Division, Tony went on to win the Finals to be named World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo (March 19-21) in Las Vegas. We caught up with Tony to see...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast is Chip Myles. His passion for the pizza business and his customers radiates through this episode. Chip Myles opened Myles’ Pizza Pub in 1978 in Bowling Green, Ohio. The pizza pub's family business hospitality, unique style of pizza, and late-night hours earned a loyal fanbase among the Bowling Green community and beyond in Ohio, leaving a l...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk with Corey Watson, founder of Pizza for Ukraine. Pizza for Ukraine's mission is to Make Pizza, Not War. We make Neapolitan pizza is made for Ukrainians affected by the trauma of war. Whether they are displaced, orphaned, wounded, responding to emergencies, or fighting for freedom, hope is served one pizza at a time.  Corey joined us via Zoom from Kyiv, Ukra...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Josh and Denise chat with Hengam Stanfield, co-owner of Mattenga’s Pizzeria in San Antonio, Texas. What started out as taking over a failing pizzeria in 2013 has grown into eight locations and expanding.   Hengam and husband Matt met in college, both aspiring engineers but soon realized they wanted to be in business for themselves. They entered the restaurant world with...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, Denise and Jeremy chat with Patrick Elston, who with his wife Mandy operates Gus Franco’s Pizza in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania.   Originally started as a food truck, Gus Franco’s opened in 2017. He talks about the steady rise of the pizzeria. Family dynamics and raising kids in the family atmosphere pizzerias. The pizzeria named after their youn...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we hear Shelby Hall’s story. She owns Fox’s Pizza Den Cheat Lake in Morgantown, West Virginia and starting working at Fox’s Pizza Den as a teenager. While in college, she leaped into management. After graduation, she was presented with a franchise opportunity that she passed on. She waited for the right opportunity where the finances and locatio...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we continue our Pizza Expo Interview Series from the show floor at Pizza Expo . Denise interviews four pizzeria operators who are defining their pizza businesses in their own ways.   Jason Dascoli , Rock City Pies and Ice, Bloomfield, Colorado, checks back in to give us an update on his pizzeria. He talks about his personal and business growth, being guided by mentors,...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we continue our Pizza Expo Interview Series from the show floor at Pizza Expo. Denise interviews three operators with pizzerias doing business in California. Check out these Golden State pizza pros:   Zak Fishman from Prime Pizza. The pizza company has seven locations in Los Angeles, California. Zak shares how much the LA pizza scene has grown, details Prime’s authentic...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we continue our Pizza Expo Interview Series from the show floor at Pizza Expo . Denise interviews operators who are building their businesses and expanding their reach in the pizza industry. They are: Sofia Arango founded of Atlanta Pizza Truck a catering company in May 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. She has also created a thriving pizza industry community, Latinos En Pizza....

Send us Fan Mail This week, we continue our Pizza Expo Interview Series from the show floor at Pizza Expo . Denise interviews experience multi-unit pizzeria operators: Zach Toth and Chris Brown of Blacksburg, Virginia-based Benny’s Pizza with 32 locations and Jonathan Schroeter from Il Primo Pizza & Wings with seven locations in Southwest Floriday Benny’s is home of the 28” Virginia Slice. Sin...

Send us Fan Mail The Hot Slice with Pizza Today marks its 200 th episode with a special episode. Listen as we look back some of our favorite episodes, talk about how the podcast has evolved and what to expect moving forward. Who is your wish list guest that you would like for us to have on the show? Let us know.  If you would like to be a guest on The Hot Slice Podcast, reach out to Executive Edit...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we continue our Pizza Expo Interview Series from the show floor at Pizza Expo. Denise spends some time with women who are in the mobile pizzeria business to get their perspective on business, mobile clientele, the pizza industry and Pizza Expo. Gina and Betsy Wolfe own the upstart Wolfe It Down Pizza in Princeton, Iowa. Gina is retiring this month, so the couple’s new p...

Send us Fan Mail Belfast, Ireland Pizza Scene began with John Arena We’re back from Pizza Expo in Las Vegas with story after story from pizzeria operators. For the next several episodes of The Hot Slice, we will take you back to the Pizza Today booth to listen to interviews with pizzeria operators from around the country and the world. We kick off the first episode with a unique tie-in to Pizza Ex...

Send us Fan Mail Happy Pizza Expo Week — the best week of the year!!! We hope you are having an amazing show experience and if you’re not at Pizza Expo, you can stay connected with show updates at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/pizza-expo-2024-all-news-from-the-worlds-largest-pizza-show/ . While we’re in Las Vegas together, we’re sharing a favorite episode. Enjoy this Replay of Dough...

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 +W...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast Jeremy sits down for a one-on-one interview with pizza legend John Arena. The co-founder of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas will deliver the opening day keynote address at the 40th Pizza Expo later this month. During the discussion, John touches on his feelings about tinkering with dough formulas and pushing the industry forward through trial and error....

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Hot Slice Podcast we are going behind the judges’ curtain at this year’s International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Jeremy and Denise get the inside scoop on IPC judging from longtime judges Hassi Sadri, Scott Wiener and Scott Anthony.   The International Pizza Challenge has long been the premier pizza competition and it’s getting even better. IPC h...

Send us Fan Mail The 40 th Pizza Expo is less than one month away. Jeremy, Josh and Denise dedicate this episode to all things Pizza Expo. From the show floor, competitions and demos to seminars and special events, there’s so much to look forward to this year. Pizza Expo 2024, commencing at the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 19-21, is expected to be biggest and best Pizza Expo yet. Attendees a...