Pizza Quest

Welcome Back to Pizza Quest! This conversation is bound to tick off some folks, and everyone's entitled to his or her own opinion, but our music Yoda, Peter Scott Ruben, is definitely not shy about his Mt. Rushmore of top rock band singers. During his last visit we did the same for solo singers, from Frank Sinatra and down, but this time the criteria is for those who earned acclaim fronting rock bands (and I mean serious rock bands), not as soloists (even though some were superstars as soloists too). Some of Peter's list may surprise you (I was), and some of his omissions may make you even more upset, but hey, this is rock and roll so getting riled up is part of the game. Tune in for a fun-filled hour as we dive back into the past, especially the golden era of the 1960's and '70's, as we compile a top ten, and then a Mt. Rushmore, of the best of the best. Remember, it's more about the quest than it is about the pizza, and today's quest is rock and roll greatness (with a little pizza thrown in too), so jump on the magic bus and hang on for a wild ride! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! The cottage bakery movement is a global phenomenon and we have here, in my hometown of Charlotte, NC, a shining example of a rising star of this movement. Doug and Kaitlin Rose, along with their "team" of four kids (ages 9-16), are cranking out amazing 100% sourdough breads and bagels (and other inventive sourdough products made with heirloom and ancient grain flours), from a small bakeshop constructed inside their carport. Every loaf is pre-sold via subscription before it ever hits the shelves and, after a relentless six year commitment to learning the craft and growing the business, the Roses are ready to make the huge leap to a brick and mortar bakery located about a mile from their home (and, I might hope, to reclaiming full use of their home for, well, home stuff). This is an inspirational story about single-mindedness and grit, and a great case study for how to grow a business for anyone who has ever had an entrepreneurial vision of their own. One obvious takeaway: stay patient and be resilient. Hear all about it in this delightful and insightful conversation with my favorite local bakers, Doug and Kaitlin Rose, founders of Team Rose Bread. You can follow their ongoing journey via https://teamrosebread.com/ and @teamrosebread on Instagram. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! This episode is a case study on how to create and bring a new product to market. The product is called Pizza Freak, and the team members behind it are Brad Daniels, Brad Kilgore, and Matt McKenney or, as I like to call them, two chefs and a marketing guru. What you will learn in this episode is how a Detroit-inspired frozen square pizza went through the journey from idea, to product, to getting it on the shelves. I've tasted it and it is pretty special -- a frozen pizza with chef-inspired aspirations that really delivers on its promise. It's a product that required innovation at every level of the process and, hey, they have pulled it off, so far— but the story is still unfolding! The two chefs, Brad Kilgore and Brad Daniels (Brad and Brad) are the real deal, with resume's and restaurant successes that firmly establish their bona fides (you'll hear all about their various restaurant projects during the conversation), and Matt McKenney is the marketing and branding partner who represents a number of advanced-level cooking tools and products. What started out as a "what if" passion project turned into Pizza Freak, as they all realized, "We've got something special here." For anyone who has ever dreamed of taking their signature food products (you know, the ones that all your friends and family members tell you should be turned into a business or a restaurant, not realizing the challenges of such a task) this episode is for you, as the Pizza Freak team shares the many lessons learned during their five year quest, which is patiently finding its way onto a shelf (or click) near you. When Pizza Freak finally tips over and goes big, remember that you heard about it here first. Enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! Somehow, New York City never has too many great pizzerias, and they all seem to push their competitors to keep raising the bar. In the midst of one of the most competitive marketplaces on earth, a new player better have some game if he or she wants to thrive, especially in the intense pizza playground known as the West Village. So, what did the successful Italian restaurateur Enrico Proietta (of Bella Blu fame) do? He turns loose one of his former proteges, Agostino Cangiano, as well as his own dynamic daughter, Tatiana Revox. to open Slicehaus, featuring Agostino's original Neapolitan/NY hybrid pizza using a little known imported flour that you will hear about in this interview. Tatiana takes care of the fun and games and customers, and Agostino handles the food side (including his personal meatball recipe -- hey, are we in a meatball renaissance? I think yes), and I'm guessing Enrico is kicking back and enjoying the show. Hear all about NYC's new kid on the block and how they have staked their claim against all the OG pizzerias that surround them, in this delightful conversation with Agostino Cangiano and Tatiana Revox, proprietors of Slicehaus. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ten years ago, Sarah Owens decided to parlay her success as a successful cottage baker and curator of roses at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and write a book, "Sourdough: Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads, Sweets, Savories, and More." The book went on to win a coveted James Beard Award and Sarah was off and running into the next stage of her career: teaching classes around the world, writing more books, such as "Toast & Jam," and even helping open a bakery in Lebanon for Syrian refugees. Those ten years flew by and now she has just released an updated tenth anniversary edition of the book that helped make her famous. She tells us all about those book updates, including a new resource section listing of small, artisan mills around the country where bakers can source locally produced flour, and also shares many of the adventures that her journey in natural fermentation and jam making has opened up for her. Pizza Quest welcomes the lovely and talented, Sarah Owens! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mark Todd, aka "The Cheese Dude" returns to take us on the ultimate cheese tasting to die for -- or, more accurately, a "Before You Die" tour. Mark has previously guided us through the pasta filata category (aka, mozzarella-like "pulled" cheeses), the cheddar category, the world of hard aged cheeses, and Alpine and smelly cheeses -- he has been my cheese Yoda for the past few years here on Pizza Quest and this time we go all the way to the summit. I asked him to guide me through four or five cheeses that he considers his Mt. Rushmore and, sure enough, this episode has, for me, fulfilled the "loyalty test" (that is, I tasted them when we recorded this episode but I am still enjoying the taste memories weeks later). Join us as we climb to the top of the Mt. Rushmore of cheeses you will want to run out and track down so that you can taste along with us. For the record, here are the five cheeses we tasted and enjoyed with what I call our Meg Ryan cheese moments together. You'll know what I mean when you tune in: Emmi Gruyere Kaltbach; Akaas 36 month Aged Gouda; HRVMNS Epoisses; Mitica Sottocenere; and Delin Brillat Savarin Your local cheese monger will know what these are, or may have ones as close as possible to them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! The artist known as Meathead is back, hard on the heels of his newest book, The Meathead Method: A BBQ Hall of Famer's Secrets and Science on BBQ, Grilling, and Outdoor Cooking with 114 Recipes. His website and newsletter, AmazingRibs.com, is followed by millions of people worldwide, where we all can get everything we need to know, free of charge, about cooking meat -- with and without fire -- and this includes both the science and the craft, which is why I referred to him above as an artist. His new book has been described by Alton Brown as, "The only book on outdoor cookery you'll ever need." In addition, thousands of his followers are dues paying members of his exclusive Pitmaster's Club, which entitles them to all sorts of other benefits and perks, all discussed in this episode. I guarantee that you will learn more than you ever imagined about food science and cookery in this dynamic conversation with the one and only Meathead. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest. You may remember Blaine Parker from an earlier episode, awhile back, in which we discussed his book and website, Free the Pizza, which is a humorous, step by step manual for how to make restaurant quality pizzas in a home oven. Well, Blaine is back, along with his talented wife and writing/producing partner, Honey Parker, to tell us all about a new documentary film they are making. The full is titled, "Little Miss Margherita: A Misundertood Pizza in a Misunderstood Place." The place they are referring to is the state of Mississippi, along the Gulfport Coast. There's a lot more to the story, and it's much more fun to hear Blaine and Honey tell us about it in their own words. Also, Honey talks a bit about her series of rom-com novels, "The V-Life," about Sugar Bernstein, a New York ad-woman who also happens to be a vampire (yes, you heard it right). We even discuss who Honey hopes will be cast to play Sugar when the books become a movie. Tune in to find out who is on the wish list.... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest, Rye bread, the way we remember it -- at least those of who grew up near Jewish bakeries and delis -- has never really gone away but it does, at times, seem like an endangered species. Steven Katz, a Washington DC attorney and policy consultant, who also happens to be a published food writer and recipe developer, along with his longtime friend, library archivist and guardian of cultural taste memories Donna Webber, worked together over the past few years to develop a Jewish rye bread that checks off all the boxes connecting past with present. Steven, as the baker, calls his loaf, "Katz Rye Has Soul." His food roots go deep in the American culinary industry, having been raised in Chicago's meat packing world in a family business selling some of the finest steaks and other meat products known to mankind, and his collaboration with Donna resulted in a synergy that tapped into both of their passions for quality and authenticity. If you too are part of the rye renaissance, you will not want to miss this stimulating conversation. As we often say, it's more about the quest than it is about the pizza, and Steve and Donna's journey is a perfect example. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! Charlotte, NC is starting to generate more and more national buzz as a culinary destination city. Top Chef is in pre-production here in preparation for its next season, with Charlotte as the host city, and some of the local chefs and restaurants are getting recognition by The James Beard and other prestigious organizations. And, on the pizza front, a couple new pizzerias are getting a lot of national recognition and, in the case of our guests on this episode, international acclaim. Bird Pizzeria a tough reservation to get these days, with a 60 day wait list and a location that is slightly off the beaten path, but the pizzas are uniquely their own -- a combination of East Coast as well as Chicago and Cleveland influence. In addition, due to the magic of TikTok and Instagram, the Kale Caesar Salad has gone viral and now people from as far away as New Zealand are filming themselves doing knock-off versions. Who knew? As a Caesar Salad junkie myself (I sometimes flirt with the idea of doing a companion website called Caesar Salad Quest), I had to get over there to find out what all the hoopla was about. My wife, Susan, and met up with Blaine and Honey Parker (who you will meet in a future episode here if you aren't already a subscriber to Blaine's newsletter, Free the Pizza), who had driven 600 miles just to experience Bird Pizzeria as part of their own pizza quest (like I said, the buzz has extended beyond the city walls), and we all shared the (yes) amazing Kale Caesar as well as two signature pizzas, The Plain (their take on a Margherita) and also the White, with half pepperoni and half sausage and a few other embellishments. You'll hear more about the salad and the pizzas during this podcast. In this episode, Nkem and Kerrel share their journey with us, and tell us how they ended up landing in Charlotte and developing their menu. Their story, like many others we've showcased here, is unconventional, loaded with unexpected moments of struggle and grace that somehow have serendipitous, happy endings. Sometimes you throw out the playbook and just follow your gut. Those are the places that often end up becoming legends in the making. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! Every now and then we are fortunate to welcome back the legendary John Arena, who I refer to as the Yoda of Pizza. Often, Brian Spangler of Portland's Apizza Scholl's, also joins us and we refer to the two of them as The Pizza Yodi's. It's one of our most popular series and always a lot of fun for me. Well, Brian couldn't make it this time but we are fortunate to have a new member of the Pizza Yodi pantheon, Leo Spizzirri, the Director of Education at Pizza University, and a certified master teacher extraordinaire (aka Maestro) who is recognized throughout the world. In this episode, John tells us about his upcoming trip to Naples for a ceremony in recognition of the top 50 global pizzerias (including 10 from the USA), and shares his own thoughts on some who did and didn't make the list, as well as those who he values as the national treasures of the American pizza universe. Leo adds his own views on the mentors in his life and pays tribute to John's legacy of mentoring the next generation of pizza luminaries. Listen to two of the great ones, right here in this week's episode of Pizza Quest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest for another new season of conversations with very interesting people. Ellen King, whose bakery in Evanston, Illinois, Hewn, has become legendary for its beautifully crafted breads and pastries using regionally specific flour and local grains. Ellen explains the vision behind the bakery's name and she shares the story of her long and winding journey to fulfill that vision, which emerged over time, to marry her love of art with her love for bread. This episode is for those of us bread geeks who never tire of drilling down deep in our quest for beauty, especially as found in a loaf of bread. Look for her book, “Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Made With Artisan Flour From Hewn Bakery” at your favorite book seller. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Garrett McPerry fell down the sourdough rabbit hole about eight years ago, started selling loaves at his local farmers market and, fueled by the public's enthusiastic response, just kept drilling deeper until, two years ago, when he and his wife Lauren opened a brick and mortar bakery cafe called Tommy & Atticus, where the lines are often around the block, the sandwiches sell out by 1:30, and then the pizzas fly out of the oven and are gone by 3 PM. To hear how they got that name, how he finally gave up his day job as an accountant and went all in, and everything else about their phenomenal success story, join me in this lively conversation with Garrett McPerry of Tommy & Atticus. Also, to see the entire menu, go to their website at https://www.tommyandatticus.com/ Their journey has been a wild and crazy ride and one that will inspire you all. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the past 65 years I have been in an ongoing dialogue with my childhood friend, Howard (aka Howie) Brownstein. Howie used to work as a delivery driver for Mama's Pizzeria, which many of you know as the place I revere as cheesesteak heaven. When he couldn't work his shifts he would ask me to fill in for him and the inter-weaving aromas of Mama's super-cheesy pizzas and juicy cheesesteaks (both of which relying on Mama's secret 3-cheese blend) embedded a powerful taste and olfactory memory, associated specifically with Mama's, that has forever driven my never-ending quest for the perfect pizza. In the meantime, Howard became an internationally successful expert in something called "turnaround and crisis management." For the past forty years, he has regaled me with stories of his adventures interceding for companies (and their families) for whom he is often their last hope before they lose everything. His "turnaround" journey is not unlike my own adventures with pizza (except that turnaround intervention pays much better) and it also serves as another ideal metaphor for the journey of self-discovery, resilience, and the overcoming of adversity, as you will hear in this engaging conversation with the best "fixer" I know. Enjoy.... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! When I first met Randy Clemens he was a seventeen-year old guy looking for a purpose in life, something to sink his teeth into, and volunteering to be my assistant for a bread class I was teaching at Sur la Table in Los Angeles. Fast forward 23 years and join me as I catch up with Randy who, after writing three books (including the famous "The Sriracha Cookbook") and working in many aspects of the culinary world, seems to have found what he's been looking for in, of all places, Uruguay, by founding the Las Bandurrias Food Forest and Homestead. What, you may ask, is that? Well, as you'll hear during our conversation, think back fifty years ago when the so-called "back to the earth movement" was happening and all sorts of folks, often called hippies (and way ahead of their time), were engaged in what we now call sustainability and regenerative agriculture. And now, even newer terms like bioconstruction, syntropic agriculture, food sovereignty, and agroecology are the fleshed-out current incarnations of that earlier movement. Bottom line, as Randy says, is "I just wanted to be able to make things from scratch." He is on his own version of a pizza quest, his quest for meaning and purpose, and is bringing along a lot of folks with him and teaching anyone who wants to learn how to do it. It's all here in this episode of Pizza Quest. Note: As promised during our conversation, here are some links for any of you who want to connect with Randy and Las Bandurrias. You'll love these videos and postings, which beautifully show what's going on way down there in South America: Patreon Youtube Instagram TikTok Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! One of the most beloved couples in all of pizzadom have just released their first book, Pizza From the Heart, and it's a beauty, loaded with wonderful recipes, anecdotes, banter, and the whole backstory on the creation of the legendary Paulie Gee's Pizza. Paul and Mary Ann Giannone, aka Paulie Gee and Mrs. Gee, are manifesting their dream and legacy on a daily basis. One of my most important takeaways from this enjoyable conversation the the Gee's is that it is never too late to go after that dream (after all, they were in their fifties when they decided to step aways from their conventional but unfulfilling lives go all in on the risky but heart-felt vision of turning a fun hobby into a path of serving others through their pizzas. Obviously there's a whole lot more to this story, so join us to hear all about their amazing journey, here on this episode of Pizza Quest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! Kyle Ahlgren returns with some great news regarding the online baking courses he has created for Central Milling's Artisan Baking Center. He's also offering a special discount code for any Pizza Quest viewers and listeners (and your friends). In our conversation, Kyle takes us behind the scenes regarding what it involves to create these terrific baking courses with a number of the best teachers/bakers in the world, including Tony Gemignani, Craig Ponsford, and others. And, hey, Kyle even let it slip that our Pizza Quest course, which we filmed about two years ago, is one of his best sellers so, of course, the discount code can be used for that one too. Enjoy -- and thanks to Kyle for your generous offer!! Here's the deal: You can view and purchase the classes at artisanbakingcenter.com where you will get 40% off your initial class purchase by using the coupon code: PQ40 (As the saying goes, use it or lose it, though I believe this offer will be good for a couple of months) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Six-Time James Beard Finalist, Cathy Whims, of Portland's Nostrana, on her new book. Welcome back to Pizza Quest! This week we welcome six-time James Beard Award finalist, Chef Cathy Whims, owner of Portland's beloved restaurant, Nostrana. which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. I first met Cathy when she was the chef and co-owner of Portland's celebrated fine dining Italian restaurant Genoa, where I enjoyed a memorable six-course tasting menu along with the famous bread book author, Carol Field (The Italian Baker). That was over 25 years ago. Genoa closed a few years later, and Nostrana emerged, but it’s quite different from Genoa, serving wonderful rustic Italian food and Neapolitan pizzas to its large and loyal following. This month also marks the publication of Cathy's first book,The Italian Summer Kitchen, full of wonderful, easy-to-make recipes as well as the stories behind them. I felt like we were all so young when we first met (and Cathy is still far younger than I), but now it feels like we're like the surviving old timers. I remember reading the sobering news when Carol Field passed away eight years ago -- she was an esteemed mentor to many of us, and now we've inherited that same mentorship mantle for the next generation, which is why Cathy's new book is so important. We'll hear all about her long journey from Chapel Hill, NC on her way to becoming hailed, as one writer called her, the unofficial Doyenne of Italian cooking for the Pacific Northwest. It's all here in this week's edition of Pizza Quest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! NYC is a treacherous place to open a new pizzeria. The competition is fierce and public is vocal and not always diplomatic. But the lure of reaching for holy grail of pizza is hard to resist, and now Chef Ian Coogan, formerly of Eleven Madison Park and the Jean George lineage of great chefs (among other top-tier mentors), and currently the culinary director at the popular Motel Morris in Chelsea, has taken the plunge a few blocks away with the opening of KID. To assure success, Ian brought in Roberta's and Tartine alumnus, Max Blachman-Gentile to nail down the dough and the fermentation game plan. In this episode we are graced by having them both here to share with us the rest of the story, including their creative process that resulted in a highly inventive yet relatable menu and whimsical ambience. They also share the how-to of training their team to deliver the KID experience on the highest level on a daily basis. It's all here on this week's episode of Pizza Quest! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

My long-time friend, Peter Scott Ruben, is the best guitar player I know, having personally watched him jam with some of the great rock and blues musicians of the seventies (Joe Perry in his pre-Aerosmith days and Kim Simmonds of The Savoy Brown Blues Band are two who immediately come to mind -- I read that Simmonds died two years ago in England and the band had to break up after an amazing fifty-five year run). Since then, Peter has fronted his own bands, and has also carried on his father's legacy as leader of the premier special events orchestra/band in Philadelphia, through which he met "the great one," Frank Sinatra, at a White House gig the orchestra was playing during the Reagan administration back in the 1980's. He also donned a wig a few years ago and played as Eric Clapton in a Cream tribute concert (and I seem to recall he even played a set as Jimmi Hendrix). In addition to his amazing playing, he knows way more about music than anyone in my social orbit so, now that he has embarked on an Act 3 career performing a Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin one-man tribute show (having bought performing rights to the original Nelson Riddle and other Sinatra/Darin charts), I thought it would be fun to pick his brain here on Pizza Quest regarding why he thinks Sinatra is the greatest performer of all time as well as to see if together we could create a top ten list as well as a Mt. Rushmore top four list of the greatest of the greats. It was so much fun recording this episode -- as you will see and hear -- that I plan on inviting him back to do a similar retrospective on the greatest guitar players and also another on the best bands and performing groups of our time. Peter and I used to stay up all night during our college days talking about stuff like this, so I know he's game for it, as you will hear in this conversation in which we explore not only Sinatra's greatness but also dive deeply into the why and how of what made him the GOAT (and why Bobby Darin was the prince in waiting until he died way too young). So, as we like to say, it's more about the quest than it is about the pizza, and this time around we jump into Peter Ruben's quest for what distinguishes the good from the great when it comes to musical artists. The topic may have changed, but the game remains the same -- and the quest never ends.... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.