The Hot Slice

Send us Fan Mail Davide Lubrano and Vinny Gallagher opened Pizzata Pizzeria in Philly with their own version of New York style during the height of the pandemic. A few short years later, they are rolling out a Roman style slice shop in Naples, Florida. Learn more about their styles, sourdough starters, employee management style and startup story. Show Notes: Don’t forget to check out the National...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we’re answering Pizza Today readers' burning questions. We talk National Pizza Month, busiest pizza sales days, oven choices for a first-time pizzeria owners, future growth and the next big pizza style trend to break. We also learn Editor In Chief Jeremy White’s true feeling towards St. Louis-style pizza. If you have a question for the Pizza Today team, e-mail jwhi...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk growth and Detroit pizza with Danny Stoller at Square Pie Guys. Danny and partner Marc Schechter recently opened their third location in San Francisco. Danny shares some of the lessons he’s learned through expansion and what’s next for the Detroit style pizzeria. Check out Square Pie Guys’ killer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepieguys/ Show Notes: La...

Send us Fan Mail Brandon Nixon worked in pizzerias for 15 years. He took the leap to ownership after a curious Craigslist ad of a pizzeria for sale in the small Virginia town of Strasburg. He kept the name, Alforno’s Italian Cuisine but overhauled the pizza and sales have soared since then. Listen to his story now. Don’t forget to BE COUNTED! If you are a Pizzeria Owner or Operation, do these two...

Send us Fan Mail Tony’s Pizza Napoletana has been named Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year. We talk to pizza legend and owner Tony Gemignani about the honor and some of his best moments at the pizzeria. Stick around until the end when Tony reveals what he thinks will be the next hot pizza style. Read the Pizzeria of the Year feature at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/2022-pizzeria-of-the-year-tonys-...

Send us Fan Mail Andrew Gregory is meticulous about his pizza. Daily improvement to keep his New York-style pizza consistent is a top priority at the small shop he owns with his wife Ruel. In the business’s four years, a lot has happened from COVID-19 to seemingly never-ending construction that has altered the customer base. This and more with this Rising Star of the Pizza Industry on this episode...

Send us Fan Mail Janet Duran is a breakout pizzeria operator in the July issue of Pizza Today. Find out how she’s taking her pizzeria, 550 Pizzeria in Laredo, Tx, to the next level after celebrating its second anniversary. We also talk beating the scorching heat at the restaurant, inflation and pricing, lessons learned and favorite pizza. Show Notes: You can register for Pizza & Pasta Northeas...

Send us Fan Mail We at Pizza Today are diving deep into Pizza Industry stats for you. But we need your help by completing a vital industry survey. The team hits on what’s in the Pizzeria Industry survey. We outline the comprehensive look at the industry and what it means for the individual operator. We also highlight our new 30 Pizzerias to Watch List and how you can make the list. Listen now. If...

Send us Fan Mail Rob Cervoni is a breakout pizza operator. He’s deviated from the NY norm to feature Roman-style pizza at his pizzeria, Taglio in Long Island, New York. Listen as he shares more on this red hot pizza style, growing his concept, meeting staffing challenges and up-and-coming trends in the pizza industry. Check out a quick Q&A with all of our Rising Stars at https://pizzatoday.com...

Send us Fan Mail Pizza master Chris Decker now has his own recipe column in Pizza Today. Chris is managing partner at Metro Pizza in Las Vegas. He’s one of the brightest minds in the business and we all drool over his @Everythingbutanchovies Instagram. We talk recipe column, pizza creativity, anchovies (of course), pizza pairing tips and what’s next for Chris.

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk to the operator on the cover of our July issue of Pizza Today, Tara Hattan. She’s among a select group of pizzeria professionals that we’ve named “Rising Stars in the Pizzeria Industry”. Tara owns Zasa’s Pizza and Wings in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is World Pizza Games Champion. Hear all about her transition from maker to owner, opening a second location, pizza toppin...

Send us Fan Mail Today is National Detroit-Style Pizza Day. What better way to commemorate the occasion that to revisit our conversation with the original Detroit pizza, Buddy’s Pizza. Listen to Chief Branding Officer Wes Pikula talk about the development of the Detroit pizza and how the legendary pizza company is in full growth mode.

Send us Fan Mail This we talk to Steve and Patricia Bangos about moving their pizzeria, Eureka Pizza Company, from Seward, Alaska to Yorba Linda, California. Learn how the concept has translated and thrived with a very different customer base. Also discover their cornerstones to customer service.

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk to Stuart Cameron, chef at The Crown Tavern in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was an Ivy League science student who fell in love with restaurants and never looked back. See how he developed his dough formula and perfected the neo-Neapolitan pizza the tavern is known for.

Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk to Brett and Chadd Nemec, who opened Zaza’s Pizzeria in Chicago, a mere five months ago. We talk opening strategies, New York-style pizza in the Chicago market and what’s next for the brothers.

Send us Fan Mail Going strong 15 years in the pizzeria business is a feat. The Pizza Place on Noriega has done just that in San Francisco. We talk succeeding in the Bay Area market and best business practices with owners Cindy and Kevin Hayward-Baryza.

Send us Fan Mail Jeremy White and Josh Keown sit down with Lars Smith from State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria in Los Altos, CA. Lars dishes on the big win he recently pulled off at a major pizza competition in Italy, the thought process that went into his award-winning creation and a host of other topics in the lively discussion.

Send us Fan Mail To commemorate our 100th episode, everyone’s favorite pizzeria ambassador Pete Lachapelle joins us on The Hot Slice Podcast. Pete has been the fixture at Pizza Expo and Pizza Today for over 20 years. Pete has so many stories to share. You won’t want to miss this special episode.

Send us Fan Mail Detroit-style pizza is trending across the country. This week, we talk to Chief Branding Officer Wes Pikula of Buddy’s Pizza, the original Detroit style. Discover more about Buddy’s, the development of the Detroit pizza and how the legendary pizza company is in full growth mode. 

Send us Fan Mail We continue our mini sessions from above the Pizza Expo exhibit hall. Hear from Brian Hall, owner of Crafters Pizza & Drafthouse in Carmel, Indiana. We talk rebranding the concept, staffing, new products on the show floor and International Pizza Challenge. We chat with Linda Ortega, owner of Fired Up Fresh mobile catering company in Watsonville, California. Linda shares her st...

Send us Fan Mail We continue our Pizza Expo Mini Series from above the show floor talking to pizzeria folks from two pizza companies killing it in their markets. First up, we chat with Christian Buck and Calvin Freatman, co-owners of Cascadia Pizza Company with two locations and food trucks in the Seattle area. We also talk to Jennifer Howell, director of marketing with Catch-a-Fire Pizza with two...

Send us Fan Mail We continue our Mini Sessions from Pizza Expo 2022 with Nicole Bean, co-owner at Pizaro’s Pizzeria in Houston, Texas and Rocky and Courtney Shanower, owners of Park Street Pizza in Sugar Creek, Ohio and Bahler Street Pizza mobile kitchen in Austin Texas. We talk shop and Pizza Expo with these leading pizzeria operators.

Send us Fan Mail Mini Sessions from Pizza Expo are back with a brand new setup. We kick off Pizza Expo 2022 sessions with two of the leading women pizzeria owners Leah Scurto, PizzaLeah in Windsor, California and Brittany Saxton, 600 Downtown, Bellefontaine, Ohio. Hear about their Expo experiences and what’s happening at their pizzerias. 

Send us Fan Mail From above the exhibit hall, Jeremy White and Denise Greer share their takeaways from the highly successful Pizza Expo 2022, including pizzeria industry trends from the show floor. Thank you to everyone for making this year a great show.

Send us Fan Mail It’s Pizza Expo Week! We’re revisiting one of our favorite chats with Ken Forkish, the man behind Ken’s Artisan Bakery and Ken’s Artisan Pizza in Portland, Oregon and a keynote speaker at Pizza Expo. We learn more about the James Beard Award winner and a big January announcement. He also dishes on his first two books: Flour Water Salt Yeast and The Elements of Pizza, as well as an...