What's Good Dough?

In this episode, I reflect on the realization I had while working on catering events and tracking my time. I initially calculated my hourly pay after receiving the final payment but realized it might be the wrong approach. Read more here: https://www.whatsgooddough.com/blog/navigating-business-success-beyond-the-hourly-rate-in-catering-events/ Thank you to our show sponsors: Ooni Pizza Ovens Affil...

James and Grace are the dynamic duo behind Gracey’s Pizza. In this episode, they unfold their journey and how they got started. Highlights: Grace and James share the unexpected challenges during Gracey's Pizza opening week, highlighting the memorable Friday fiasco of running out of pizza boxes. James and Grace share excitedly share their journey of leaving stable jobs to pursue their passion. Jame...

At the Las Vegas 2024 Pizza Expo, Ooni will be holding a pizzamaking competition. More details on this podcast.   https://pizzaexpo.pizzatoday.com/ooni-pizza-throwdown/   Podcast Survey- Please fill it out to help the show! https://forms.gle/Vz6t9ztFgno4ZkMBA   Thank you to our show sponsors: Ooni Pizza Ovens Affiliate⁠ https://ooni.com/?sscid=51k7_g9gpn&utm_medium=shareasale&utm_source=28...

Podcast Survey- Please fill it out to help the show! https://forms.gle/Vz6t9ztFgno4ZkMBA   Thank you to our show sponsors: Ooni Pizza Ovens Affiliate⁠ https://ooni.com/?sscid=51k7_g9gpn&utm_medium=shareasale&utm_source=2800064&utm_campaign=1232202 ⁠Corto Olive Affiliate⁠ https://corto-olive.com/?sscid=51k7_g9fhj& Bacio Cheese https://www.baciocheese.com/?utm_source=Influencer&u...

Challenge yourself. Embrace failure and get wisdom from it. Explore and stretch your utmost capabilities. You might be surprised by the unexpected capabilities within yourself as you pursue your life’s goals.    Drew Butler, a pizzeria owner, has encountered numerous challenges when it comes to hiring staff. Join us in this episode as Drew and I discuss overcoming challenges, dealing with staff or...

By extending your projected time horizon, you have room to win. If after 3 years, you've had enough of your business, then we have a problem. Some people get lucky on their first days. Most do not. Shortsightedness is a problem. Keep on chugging along, iterate and win.

Never give up. Keep pushing, because you never know when your sh!t is going to pop off!   Alim Nayil was in his pizzeria one night and having only sold 3 pizzas, he said eff it. At that moment he started changing up how he used his time. Rather than wishing people came to the shop or relying on other influencers to bring him business, he took his luck into his own hands.    Patio. Pizza is one of...

Are you starting a new venture? Expanding your current business? Don't let perfectionism or overanalyzing get in your way. Make the product. Get feedback. Improve it. Keep going. Don't let your business dreams stay as dreams.

Armen Kovalenko immigrated to the US as a dentist, but chose not to renew his license to avoid going into hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Instead, he created one of the sickest catering operations LA has ever seen and has his eyes set on growing his business nationwide!  Highlights: Armen shares the beginning of his journey— the unexpected transition from dentistry to the food business. ...

In today's episode, we have John from Speederia Pizzeria- an owner/operator who bought his pizzeria 7 years ago. We discover that John purchased this business from someone who treated it as a side business. We uncover what John did after taking over including the improvements he made, and overcoming  the challenges hat he has faced in running a brick-and-mortar pizzeria in the Bay Area. John talks...

This isn't some pyramid scheme- this is something any pizzamaker can do. I taught my first pizza class. The cost per person was $112 and there were 12 people that signed up. I think this is a super viable option for businesses to make extra side income or even become a full time venture.   https://www.marcoexperiences.com/experiences/sourdough-cali-korean-pizza-making https://docs.google.com/docum...

Today I talk about operating illegally, how I felt about it, and how I currently feel about it.   I also talk about the next chapter in my pizza making journey!    Sign Up For Our Mailing List  https://mailchi.mp/83cc1e422fb0/podcast-blog Thanks for supporting this show Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whatsgooddough Ooni Pizza Ovens Affiliate⁠ https://ooni.com/?sscid=51k7_g9gpn&utm_medium=sha...

What are some of the things you wish to know when opening a pizzeria? Will it be difficult? Likely. What are those difficult things to look out for and be aware of?   Well on this episode, we talk to a gang of chef's from he LV Pizza Fest. They tell us some of the hardest and most rewarding things about opening a restaurant.   (1:06) Ricky Lewis and Ryan Perras of Rebellion PIzza (6:40) Alex and D...

This is a fun one. We have a wide array of operators in the Vegas pizza scene talking about their dough, their process, their experience, and more. Most importantly- they remind us to do what we love to do, and have fun doing it.   (1:09) Adriana Davis of Double Zero Pie and Pub (7:09) Johncarlo Ferraiuolo of Landini’s Pizzeria (11:38) Chef Bryan Forgione of Pizza Cake (19:23) Joey Gonzalez of Bro...

In this episode, I speak with James Trees of Esther's Kitchen and Izzy's Pizza Bus at the LV Pizza Festival. While we talk about pizza, business, and life, I paired these two together because we talk about getting established. How do you get people to trust you is the title because James and I talk about how he, a pizza maker, is now opening up a french concept in Vegas. How the heck do you get pe...

The finale of our 2-part series— if you missed the first, take a listen before diving into this one!   For this show, we solve the question: How do you run a successful frozen pizza business? Fear not! Michael Rolland and I tackle this query in today's episode. So, relax and enjoy as we delve into branding and the importance of seeking help.    Highlights: Michael shares the journey of building th...

This is part 1 of a 2-part episode. We've got Michael Rolland in the spotlight, one of the founders of Yough! We're diving deep into the main ingredient of their dough— spoiler alert, it involves Greek yogurt. Trust me, you won't want to miss the chance to soak in all the wisdom he's dropping. Tune in and level up your pizza game with us! Highlights:  Who says you can't savor a heavenly slice whil...

Ryan started catering 10 years ago as an employee. Today he owns Sanctuary Pizza and runs a sick operation. In this episode I join Ryan at one of his catering events and we break down how to optimize your mobile catering operation. We talk about systems, processes, and more with Ryan of Sanctuary Pizza.   Multiple Ooni's vs a big WFO- when does it make sense to do one over the other? Taking care o...

Brett is back on the show talking about third wave NY style pizza, opening up a second location, and lifestyle design.   Main points -Defining third wave NY style pizza is elevated/artisan NY style pizza. Think Fini, L'industrie, or Mama's Too. We talk about how Zazas is bringing that style over to Chicago and how the locals are reacting to it. Hint- this is not reminiscent of pizza they grew up w...

Having only done 2 events together, and this time for 3 times as many people and one pizzamakers short, I wasn't sure how this would go...   This is a part 2 convo talking about my catering event. In part one, we went through the planning the setup the execution, and the cleanup.   Here we talk about improving from our first event and what we could do better for next time.   Grab My Catering Check...

It won't be. I laid out my plan on how I executed my catering event and prepared myself mentally for worst-case scenarios.   Grab My Catering Checklists! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1w3X2hMfjt5ZBDBIcqRRSDvs1eWwRBzOGxR5tBzREhGs/edit?usp=sharing Sign Up For Our Mailing List  https://mailchi.mp/83cc1e422fb0/podcast-blog Thanks for supporting this showOoni Pizza Ovens Affiliate⁠ Patreon: ht...

What's up pizza pals- On this episode, I jumped on Dave from Faturday Omaha's podcast. We of course talk about pizza, business and life. Check it out on my stream and if you like Dave's work, please subscribe to his podcast linked below.   https://faturdayomaha.podbean.com/   My guest today is Eidref Laxa of the wonderful What's Good Dough? @whatsgooddough Podcast! He hails from San Jose, Californ...

David Garci-Aguirre, Master Miller and Vice President of Operations at Corto Olive Oil, recounts his journey in the olive oil industry. He identifies what pizzamakers should look for in an olive oil and emphasizes how investing in high quality olive oil can elevate dishes to the next level. David goes into detail about the business side of the olive oil industry and how Corto maintains the quality...

This is the final epsiode with Patrick McColley of Squared Up Pizza Tucson and on this episode, we talk about the most underrated ingredient- water. Back in the day, I would ask pizzamakers, "What kind of flour, tomatoes, cheese, and oven do you use?" But this is the first time on the show where we do a deep dive on water.   Highlights: Eidref and Patrick discuss the pros and cons of using the NY...

This is part 2 of a 3-part episode— Patrick shares how his business was sinking- He was past due on rent, he had early challenges with training and the mall demand was just not there. But he persisted. And if you stay in the game long enough, you can't lose. Heck, you might even get lucky! Highlights: Pizza Pat talks about his epic One Bite Pizza Review at his mall pizzeria. From creating his own...