PMQ Pizza Magazine: September 2019

PIZZA MAGAZINE T H E W O R L D ' S A U T H O R I T Y O N P I Z Z A | P M Q . C O M | P I Z Z AT V. C O M

SEPTEMBER 2019

SQUARING OFF WITH PETER REINHART

The breadmaking legend takes us back to baking school for a lesson in making perfect pan pizzas.

PAGE 28

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BREAKFAST PIZZA 24

CURED MEATS 38

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SMART REFRIGERATION 58

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PIZZA MAGAZINE T H E W O R L D ' S A U T H O R I T Y O N P I Z Z A | P M Q . C O M | P I Z Z AT V. C O M

SEPTEMBER 2019

SQUARING OFF WITH PETER REINHART

The breadmaking legend takes us back to baking school for a lesson in making perfect pan pizzas.

PAGE 28

BREAKFAST PIZZA 24

CURED MEATS 38

SMART REFRIGERATION 58

THE BEST INGREDIENTS MAKE THE BEST PIZZA. PERIOD. YOU KNOW IT. I KNOW IT. AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE THE CUSTOMER KNOWS IT. What’s your declaration of independence?

Grande is championing operators who have an independent spirit and shared passion for excellence. By providing the finest all natural, authentic Italian cheeses, along with an unwavering commitment to quality, we’ll continue to advocate for independents and their love of the craft.

grandecheese.com 1-800-8-GRANDE © 2019 Grande Cheese Company

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FIND US ONLINE

FEATURED STORY DERRICK TUNG’S 4 TIPS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS As owner of Paulie Gee’s Logan Square in Chicago, Derrick Tung understands the importance of building relationships—with his customers, with the surrounding business community and with the global family of pizza makers and pizza lovers. In this exclusive discussion with PMQ, Tung, who personally handles his restaurant’s social media, talks about crafting your online message in a personal and authentic way to build your brand, communicate your values and stay relevant.

P M Q . C O M /D E R R IC K T U N G S O C IA L M E D IA

ALSO ON PMQ.COM

MAKING THE GRADES: AN INTRODUCTION TO OLIVE OILS

THIS 3-D PRINTER IS DESIGNED TO BUILD AND BAKE PIZZAS

It’s a staple of Italian and ItalianAmerican dishes, but many don’t understand how to best use olive oil. We take a look at the four general grades of olive oil and how each one can bring out the best qualities in your food.

A student at Columbia University has created a 3-D printer that assembles a basic cheese pizza with food cartridges and bakes it with lasers. So what’s the point? It could be used to prepare healthy meals for people on specific diets.

PMQ.COM/OLIVEOILINTRO

PMQ.COM/LASERPIZZA

TWO RESTAURANTS STAND OUT IN SOUTH FLORIDA’S CROWDED PIZZA SCENE PMQ’s Tracy Morin visited a pair of eateries in Florida— Geoffrey Zakarian’s Point Royal in Hollywood and Crust in Miami— to learn how they’re staying ahead of the curve through local sourcing and third-party delivery.

PMQ.COM/SOUTHFLORIDAPIZZA

HOW TO FIND—AND KEEP—GOOD HELP IN A COMPETITIVE LABOR MARKET Competition for top-notch staff is at an all-time high. Michael Androw, the owner of E&D Pizza Company in Avon, Connecticut, offers five tips for retaining your best employees so you don’t have to constantly hire and train new people.

PMQ.COM/RETAININGEMPLOYEES

6 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

NEW LOOK SAME AUTHENTIC TASTE At Bellissimo,® we know what it takes to make a menu – and a business – work.

We’ve got all the ingredients that make Italian, Italian. And all the ingredients you need to make every slice, pasta bowl and red sauce really, really good. It’s why we’re called Bellissimo. It means beautiful. And it is. Because when you get just what you need, how you need it... it’s a beautiful thing.

® Bellissimo Foods Company 2019

Look for our new packaging this fall | Bellissimo.com

IN THIS ISSUE

SEPTEMBER FEATURES

28

ON COVTHE ER

The Flavor Rule

Spilling secrets from his new book, “Perfect Pan Pizza,” baking legend Peter Reinhart talks about capturing the flavor experience of great sandwiches in pizza form.

24

Breakfast of Champions

38

Cured and Savory

44 Breaking the Sound Barrier

50 Digital Dining

58 Cold Comfort

64 Authentic Italian

8 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

IN THIS ISSUE

SEPTEMBER DEPARTMENTS

16

14

In Lehmann’s Terms: Lighter, Tastier ThickCrust Pizza

You don’t have to change your dough formulation, but you can optimize it for a new signature pie.

22

72

Recipe of the Month

Chile’s Best-Kept Secret

IN EVERY ISSUE Online @ PMQ

76

Idea Zone

12

Editor’s Note

82

Product Spotlight

18

Moneymakers

83

The Pizza Exchange

Should you ease into delivery or just take a big, bold leap of faith?

Best in Show: NAFEM 2019

80 Pizza Without Borders:

6

The Think Tank: Getting Started in the Pizza Delivery Business

10 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

98 Pizza Hall of Fame: Mario’s Restaurant Check out our digital and tablet editions for bonus video and multimedia content. Visit PMQ.com/digital to view the digital edition, or download our tablet app at iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Rick Hynum Editor in Chief

FROM FLOWER CHILD TO BAKING LEGEND It’s not easy to picture Peter Reinhart, this month’s cover subject and author of the new book Perfect Pan Pizza, as a hippie, but I like to try anyway. As Reinhart explains in our cover story (“The Flavor Rule,” page 28), he discovered his love for dough, bread and baking as a flower child in the 1960s, and I can envision him, complete with long, flowing hair and groovy tie-dye shirt, digging into a huge, sticky ball of dough and shimmy-shaking around to “Good Vibrations” and “Green Tambourine.”

Reinhart eventually gave up the hippie lifestyle, but he went on to become a baking legend, with multiple James Beard Awards for his books and a popular blog, Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart, that traces his “journey of self-discovery through pizza.” Perfect Pan Pizza is a cookbook, but it’s much more than that. Packed with dozens of recipes, it’s also a treasure trove of advice for newcomers to the pizza kitchen, and industry veterans will find it indispensable for its insights into the science and art of pizza making, not to mention Reinhart’s exquisite descriptions of flavors and textures. He doesn’t just tell you that something tastes good—he tells you, in rapturous terms, what it tastes like and why it tastes that way. (And if you can’t resist “borrowing” some of his language for your menu copy, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.)

Reinhart has been on our dream-cover list for years, so when we learned about this new book, we finally had the perfect excuse to pin him down for a story. Brian Hernandez, our resident test chef, conducted the interview, which ranged far and wide, from the growing popularity of Detroit-style square pizzas to bromated vs. unbromated flours and the secrets of a perfect crumb structure. Space in a print magazine is limited, of course, and we couldn’t include all of the best material in the article, especially the wonkier stuff about baking. Fortunately, Brian also captured the interview on video, so if you’ve got about 90 minutes to spare, check it out at pmq.com/peterreinhart and get ready for an abbreviated but highly informative and engaging master course in baking and pizza making.

Afterwards, you might even find yourself in the kitchen, tinkering with your dough recipe and recalling your own carefree youth. Just be careful attempting those old hippie-style shimmy-shake moves. Trust me when I say that’s a good way to throw your back out.

September 2019

PIZZA MAGAZINE

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | Volume 23, Issue 7

ON THE COVER:

T H E W O R L D ' S A U T H O R I T Y O N P I Z Z A | P M Q . C O M | P I Z Z AT V. C O M

SEPTEMBER 2019

SQUARING OFF WITH PETER REINHART

The breadmaking legend takes us back to baking school for a lesson in making perfect pan pizzas.

PAGE 28

The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly | PMQ.com

Peter Reinhart, a leader of the American bread renaissance, teaches one rule above all others: the flavor rule. (Photo by Tony Ulchar)

BREAKFAST PIZZA 24

A Publication of PMQ, Inc. 662-234-5481 Volume 23, Issue 7 September 2019 ISSN 1937-5263 Publisher Steve Green, sg@pmq.com ext. 123 Co-Publisher Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail com ext. 121 Editor in Chief Rick Hynum, rick@pmq.com ext. 130 Art Director Eric Summers, eric@pmq.com ext. 134 Senior Copy Editor Tracy Morin, tracy@pmq.com

Associate Editor Callie Daniels Bryant, callie@pmq.com Contributing Editor Bill DeJournett, bill@pmq.com Food Photographer David Fischer, david@pmq.com International Correspondent Missy Green, missy@pmq.com Director of Public Relations/Social Media Heather Cray, heather@pmq.com ext. 137 Director of Research Blake Harris, blake@pmq.com ext. 136 Chief Financial Officer Shawn Brown, shawn@pmq.com Test Chef/USPT Coordinator Brian Hernandez, brian@pmq.com ext. 129

CURED MEATS 38

SMART REFRIGERATION 58

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PMQ Pizza Magazine (ISSN #1937-5263) is published 10 times per year.

Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35. Periodical postage pricing paid at Oxford, MS. Additional mailing offices at Bolingbrook, IL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: PMQ Pizza Magazine, PO Box 2015, Langhorne, PA 19047.

Opinions expressed by the editors and contributing writers are strictly their own, and are not necessarily those of the advertisers. All rights reserved. No portion of PMQ may be reproduced in whole or part without written consent.

12 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

MILLING WHEAT INTO FLOUR FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS.

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IN LEHMANN’S TERMS

HOW TO ACHIEVE A LIGHTER, TASTIER THICK-CRUST PIZZA You don’t have to change your dough formulation, but you can optimize it for a new signature pie. BY TOM LEHMANN

Q A

We’ve been experimenting with a thicker crust, but so far I don’t really like the dense texture and tougher eating characteristic we’re getting. What’s the secret to a thicker crust with a lighter texture?

When making thicker crusts, you have to allow the dough to proof/rise sufficiently after fitting it to the pan. Failure to do this will typically result in a denser crumb structure with somewhat poorer bake-out properties, yielding a tougher, more chewy finished crust.

In many cases, you can use the same dough for both thinand thick-crust pizzas, with the only real difference being the amount of dough used to make the crust. Typically, what we would call a “thick” crust is made with 25% more dough than the amount used for a thin crust of the same size, and the dough is allowed to proof/rise for at least 30 minutes prior to dressing and baking. Proofing the dough before dressing

14 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

the skin gives the finished crust that open, porous crumb structure you want while improving the overall bake-out properties, resulting in a lighter texture and more tender eating characteristic.

You really don’t need to make changes to your dough formulation for thick-crust pizzas, but you can optimize it if thick-crust pies will be signature items on your menu. To optimize the dough formulation, increase the yeast level to about 1.5% compressed yeast (or the equivalent of active

Tom Lehmann was the longtime director of bakery assistance for the American Institute of Baking (AIB) and is now a pizza industry consultant.

T H E DOU GH DOCT OR@H OT MAIL .COM

dry yeast or instant dry yeast). Then replace any oil in the dough with some form of plastic fat, such as butter, shortening, margarine or lard. These fats will provide better gas retention in the dough for improved oven spring and a more open crumb structure.

This approach also may lead to different flavors, depending on the plastic fat you choose. The amount of plastic fat to use in a thick-crust dough formulation will depend on the desired finished-crust characteristics. In general, 2% fat is considered the minimum when formulating dough for thick crusts, with 4% to 6% providing excellent flavor and eating properties. Even 8% to 12% is not uncommon, especially with dough being formulated for pan-style pizzas.

Meanwhile, if your pizzas have a lighter crust color, you may also want to consider adding some sugar to the dough formula; you’ll get a darker crust without the need to overbake the pizzas.

Many thick-crust dough formulas are made with 2% to 4% sugar as well as non-diastatic malt powder, which provides for a unique background flavor. Just remember that, since a thickcrust pizza requires more dough, the finished crust has to be flavorful. And you don’t want it come out too dry, either, which can detract from the overall quality of the pizza. This is where the higher fat levels come into play; they will effectively impart a more moist (or less dry) mouthfeel to the finished crust while making the crust more tender, too.

Finally, thick-crust pizza dough formulas also work quite well for calzones. The richer, more tender crust adds a lot of appeal to the overall quality of the calzones, making them stand out from “just another form of pizza.” When making calzones from this type of dough, I like to brush the calzone with melted butter and sprinkle it with shredded Parmesan cheese just before baking. Then I’ll give it a quick spray of garlic-flavored butter oil and a sprinkling of Italian herbs with a powdered Parmesan-Romano cheese blend immediately upon removal from the oven. Serve it with a side dish of marinara sauce or ranch-dill dressing for dipping!

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

15

T H E T H I N K TA N K

GETTING STARTED IN THE PIZZA DELIVERY BUSINESS

Should you ease into delivery or just take a big, bold leap of faith?

Daniel Soares: We have been in business for 17 years and never offered delivery. However, I’m considering implementing it now. How do I find reliable drivers, and what kind of business relationship should I have with them?

In general, it seems like a major challenge is to get enough delivery orders to make it worthwhile. Either you’re getting none for a long time or they all suddenly come in at the same moment, all spread out in opposite directions.

Steve: To find drivers, you can advertise on your pizza box tops

Jason Sparrow: In my opinion, third-party delivery services are

and on social media. As for your business relationship with them, they’re employees—nothing more.

no good. The drivers do not work directly for the restaurant.

But when customers get upset due to late or cold food, they will call you—not the delivery company—to complain. Thirdparty drivers will go from store to store and scoop up deliveries in order to accrue as many tips as possible in a single run— hence, slow, cold food. If I were going to add delivery, I would probably hire just enough drivers at first to cover the required shift hours, possibly even only delivering after noon to make it manageable, and I would keep a tight delivery radius. With that approach, you can figure out whether it’s going to work without hemorrhaging money and go from there. To find good drivers, just post an ad on a job site or in a newspaper—they will come.

Mondo: If you decide to offer delivery, you have to look at it as

an investment. It will be a while before you’re getting enough deliveries to turn a profit. You might want to look into some of the third-party delivery services. That might be an easier transition into delivery.

Pizzoun: We tried to offer delivery through Postmates. We did one test order. We placed the order through Postmates, and one of our employees waited for the delivery about five minutes away from our pizzeria. The Postmates driver took about one hour to deliver the pizza. He stopped in at five other restaurants, collecting their orders before making our delivery.

This was a pretty unacceptable experience.

Get answers to your most perplexing problems and swap tips and ideas with the experts in PMQ’s Think Tank, the pizza industry’s oldest and most popular online forum. Register for free at thinktank.pmq.com. (Member posts have been edited here for clarity.)

T H I N K TAN K.P MQ .C O M

16 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

MONEYMAKERS

FROM PLAGUE TO MIRACLE MEAL Evel Pie in Las Vegas turned a late-July plague of grasshoppers into a miracle meal and caused a media sensation with a specialty pizza topped with the pesky insects. As Sin City coped with a biblical-style insect invasion worthy of Moses himself, Evel Pie’s chefs whipped up the Canyon Hopper, featuring chorizo, goat cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, and lime-and-garlic-roasted grasshoppers. “As I’ve been saying, when life gives you grasshoppers, you make grasshopper pizza,” owner Corey Horan told local reporters who swarmed to cover the promotion. The pizza stunt made the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and was covered by Today.com as well as various local and regional TV stations.

A reporter from the Las Vegas ReviewJournal samples a bowl of grasshoppers while covering Evel Pie’s stunt pizza, the Canyon Hopper.

QUICK TIP 1

TAKIN’ IT TO THE STREETS Ready to add new specialty pies to your menu? Consider naming your latest creations after streets or neighborhoods in your community.

THE SMELL OF SUCCESS Even the menus smell good when the Pizza Boys’ mobile pizzeria rolls into neighborhoods around Bicester, England. That’s because owners Danny Holman and Simon Holder created unique scented menus with a special varnish that gives off the pleasing aromas of Parmesan and oregano. “We try to do anything different to set us apart and are open to ideas,” Holman told the Bicester Advertiser. “It’s a really brand-new idea, and we just thought it was something cool to do.”

In addition to delicioussmelling menus, the Pizza Boys serve 20 types of stonebaked Neapolitan pies from their bright-red food truck in Bicester, England.

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MONEYMAKERS

PIZZERIA PET DETECTIVES When pets go missing in Matawan, New Jersey, Angelo’s Pizza is ready to help. The pizza shop spreads the word by placing flyers with the lost pets’ photos on its delivery and carryout boxes. “We used to post [pictures of] missing persons and missing children on milk cartons,” owner John Sanfratello told Today Food. “Why can’t we put a flyer for missing pets on pizzas?” When Sanfratello posted the offer on Facebook in early July, it went viral and caught the attention of national media, including Newsweek and Fox News. In late July, he was invited to appear on a segment on Good Morning America. “From now on, this is our policy,” Sanfratello told Fox News. “It’s all about reuniting these pets with their families.”

QUICK TIP 2

IT’S GAME TIME! As football season kicks off this month, make a deal with your local high school’s star player (or players) to appear in your social media marketing in exchange for free pizza.

BUILDING HOG HEAVEN Pork lovers may snort, but a vegan pizzeria in the U.K. wants to protect pigs rather than serve them on a pie. Purezza created a specialty pizza called the Laughing Pig, topped with yellow plum tomatoes, asparagus tips, lemon zest, jackfruit salami, and the pizzeria’s own signature vegan cheese, Mozzarella 2.0, with purple basil sprinkled on top. All funds from the pizza’s sales were donated to the Friend Farm Animal Sanctuary, which builds arks out of recycled materials for rescued pigs. Purezza also made headlines in 2018 when its Parmigiana Party pizza—featuring fried aubergines, vegan sausage and smoked vegan mozz—was named the National Pizza of the Year at the National Pizza Awards in London.

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After word spread about his use of pizza boxes to help locate customers’ missing pets, Angelo’s Pizza owner John Sanfratello was invited to appear on Good Morning America in late July.

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RECIPE OF THE MONTH

SEPTEMBER RECIPE

SPONSORED CONTENT

PIZZA QUATTRO STAGIONI INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

12” prebaked pizza crust 3 oz. fiore di latte cream (see below) 3 oz. Nutella ¼ c. grapes, seedless ¼ c. Asian pear ¼ c. strawberry ¼ c. blueberry

To prepare the fiore di latte cream, add ¼ c. cold milk to a small bowl and mix in powdered gelatin. Let sit for 5 minutes. Once mix is spongy, melt in the microwave to turn into a liquid.

Set aside to cool down. Pour 1 c. cold milk into a large bowl. Add the powdered sugar and stir it through. Pour in the melted gelatin mix and whisk together. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove from fridge and whisk with an electric mixer until the mix gets thick and doubles in volume.

FIORE DI LATTE CREAM ¼ c. (2 oz.) milk 3 tsp. unflavored powdered gelatin 1 c. (8 oz.) milk, very cold Powdered sugar

Bake pizza crust in a 350°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from oven and, while the crust is still warm, spread the Nutella base over the crust. Top with dollops of fiore di latte cream and four different fruits. Place each fruit separately in its own quarter of the pizza. Top with powdered sugar if desired.

22 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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24 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Champions Breakfast of

Its origins are fuzzy, but the breakfast pizza is now almost as commonplace as Cap’n Crunch.

BY BILL DEJOURNETT

Cold pizza for breakfast has long satisfied legions of hungover college students with its hearty, comforting, cheesy goodness. But over the past 30-odd years, more traditional breakfast items, both savory and sweet, have found their way onto pizza crusts. In fact, the trend exploded at the beginning of this decade: According to Technomic, breakfast pizza was the fastest-growing breakfast item in the second half of 2010, even outpacing scrambled eggs and bagels.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

25

MIA MIA’S PIZZA

While the origins of breakfast pizza are fuzzy, Marietta John, owner of Bucketcake, a cake-to-go company in Perwick, Pennsylvania, claims to have invented it at some point in the early- to mid-1990s. According to her blog, John hit upon the idea while working at Itza Pizza on the Bloomsburg University campus in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. While pondering unusual ingredients that could be incorporated with a pizza, she scrambled some eggs one day and spooned them onto a crust. “Mmmmm, I invented breakfast pizza!” she wrote in the blog. She added ham and cheese the next time, then sausage, onion and peppers. When her boss saw the pies, he summoned her upstairs to his office. She feared she would lose her job, she said, but, much to her surprise, he praised her for her creativity, saying, “Good job!” Thus, the breakfast pizza (or at least one iteration of it) was born.

PIZZA MADE FOR MORNINGS

Whatever its true origins, breakfast pizza is now almost as commonplace as Cap’n Crunch. If it’s on a breakfast menu, chances are, someone has slapped it on a pie. Little Dom’s, located in Los Feliz, California, offers a bagel-style breakfast pizza with smoked salmon, crescenza cheese, capers and red onions. Wolfgang Puck’s pizzeria in Chicago’s O’Hare airport

serves a breakfast pizza to ease those dreadful early-morning departures. And London’s Yard Sale Pizza even features a haggis pizza, based on the Scottish breakfast staple, with mozzarella, cavolo nero (lacinato kale), and black chili jam thrown in for good measure.

In fact, the internet is chock-full of recipes for any kind of breakfast pizza one can imagine, from a sweet apple streusel pizza to tater tot pies—and everything in between. Frozen pizza manufacturers have also gotten in on the act: Red Baron, Schwan’s, Mama Cozzi’s, Bellatoria and Palermo’s all offer frozen breakfast pies. Tony’s even sells a pie topped with sausage and country gravy.

Mert Sunnetcioglu, proprietor of Mia Mia’s Pizzeria in Providence, Rhode Island, serves a breakfast pizza dubbed Ralf ’s Hangover. Featuring ham, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and scallions, it’s topped off with sunny-side up eggs. Sunnetcioglu slices the pizza in such a way that the eggs are left intact, allowing the customer to perforate each egg with a fork so the gooey goodness of the yolk drips over the slice. Served all day and night, it’s one of Mia Mia’s more popular pies. “On the weekends, we probably sell 20 to 25, or seven or eight pizzas each weekday,” says Sunnetcioglu.

“[Our breakfast pizza] is one of those pizzas that, when people see it in the window, they say, ‘What’s that?’ Then, when they eat it, they sit there with their mouths agape.”

— STEVEN HOFSTAD, DIMO’S PIZZA

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DIMO ’S PIZZA

Dimo’s Pizza in Chicago serves up a Southern-inspired pie that incorporates a breakfast staple—the chicken and waffle pizza. Featuring a white sauce as the base, it’s piled with fried chicken and waffles made with Old Bay seasoning, plus green onions, cheddar cheese, and a drizzle of habanero- and orange-infused honey. Stephen Hofstad, Dimo’s culinary coordinator, says they are constantly tinkering with the pie’s recipe. “This current incarnation of the pizza has been on the menu for two years,” he notes. “We’ve done a couple different variations. We’ve used a bourbon-infused maple syrup, and we’ve even tried a smoked syrup.

“This is one of those pizzas I just can’t take off the menu,” Hofstad adds. “It’s one of our top 10 sellers and definitely one of the most recognizable pizzas we have. It’s one of those pizzas that, when people see it in the window, they say, ‘What’s that?’ Then, when they eat it, they sit there with their mouths agape.”

So put down the cereal spoon. Ditch the biscuit. Forgo the yogurt. Pizza is the real breakfast of champions.

Bill DeJournett is a regular contributor to PMQ.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

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28 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

The

Flavor Rule In this exclusive Q&A, baking legend Peter Reinhart extols the virtues of Detroit-style pizza, defends pineapple as a topping, and shares a tip for reinventing your crust.

BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ

In his new book, Perfect Pan Pizza, master baker, pizzaiolo, educator and author Peter Reinhart says we are living in “a new golden age of pizza expression.”

A leading authority on bread, a three-time James Beard Award winner, and author of American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza, Reinhart has lately developed a special appreciation for pan pies, from focaccia and schiacciata to Sicilian, Roman and Detroit-style pies. Brian Hernandez, PMQ’s test chef, sat down with Reinhart to learn more about what makes pan pizzas so special. In the process, Reinhart shared his technique of embedding cheese in pizza dough, mounted a staunch defense of Hawaiian pizza, and reflected on his TONY ULCHAR

wild journey from Gospel-preaching hippie to a breadbaking legend.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

29

BRIAN HERNANDEZ: TELL US ABOUT PERFECT PAN PIZZA.

Peter Reinhart: This is my second pizza book but my 12th book overall on numerous baking subjects. American Pie, my first pizza book, covered all styles of pizza in the United States. Perfect Pan Pizza is more of a cookbook, featuring my method of doing pan pizzas, anything from Detroit-style to Grandma to Sicilian to focaccias.

HERNANDEZ: WHY FOCUS ON PAN-STYLE PIZZAS?

Reinhart: Sometimes I get asked to judge pizza competitions, and most of them are focused on Neapolitan or New York-style pizzas. But if they offer a nontraditional or anything-goes category, I noticed more and more of the entries coming in were Detroit-style or square or deep-pan pizzas (which is a different category from deep-dish). People are discovering how good they can be when properly executed. This whole category is ready to explode.

HERNANDEZ: WHAT INSPIRED THESE RECIPES?

Reinhart: With my background on the baking side, I always have concepts and ideas about what makes a great crust. A lot of it has to do with long, slow fermentation—slow is better than fast—plus proper heat and the balancing act of time, temperature and ingredients to create the optimum flavor experience. As I was working on this book, I knew I wanted to include some of the classics, like the Detroit Red Stripe pizza, but I also wanted to include my own original ideas. The inspiration for those is sandwiches. I define pizza as dough with something on it. I define a sandwich as dough with something in it. They’re really kissing cousins. I wanted to mine the category of my favorite sandwiches—the Philly cheesesteak is a no-brainer, for example, but I wanted to do my own pizza version. Philly is also famous for its roast pork sandwiches, so I engineered my own version of that. To capture the flavor experience of those great sandwiches—a BLT or a Reuben—and do a pizza version of them, that’s one way to get inspired.

Also, as I mentioned, you always need a great crust. So this book has a dual focus—half cookbook and half baking manual for making a great pan-style pizza.

HERNANDEZ: BUT DETROIT PIZZAS DOMINATE THIS BOOK, RIGHT?

TONY ULCHAR

Reinhart: Detroit-style pizza is the star of the book. What makes it the star is its crackly, buttery undercrust that shatters in your mouth like a piece of toffee and fills your mouth with buttery goodness, followed by all the flavors that come behind it.

“The VPN rules preserve a technique, but some of the best Neapolitan pizzas are not following those rules. They’re following the flavor rule. I think the pizza-police rules are superseded by the flavor rule.”

— PETER REINHART HERNANDEZ: HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BAKING BUSINESS?

Reinhart: I did not ever imagine I would be a baker. I started out as a communications major in college. I wanted to write and direct films. Then I fell in with a group of hippies in the ’60s, and we started an organic vegetarian restaurant, which was a relatively new thing back then. I fell in love with that life and learned to cook in the kitchen, but I didn’t bake the bread then. We got our bread from another hippie bakery around the corner. I would just go pick up the bread, but I would watch those guys in action, using natural leavenings and whole grains, and that got me interested in the baking side.

30 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

JOHNNY A UT RY

Prior to leaving film school, I knew I could make films, but I didn’t know what I had to say in them. I felt I needed to figure out what my mission in life was, what I believed, and kind of find myself. And I found myself through the food world.

Eventually, I joined a Christian community, and I was on track to become a minister. I ended up being the cook in the seminary, because I was the only one that had prior cooking experience. This was in San Francisco, the bread epicenter of the United States, which is where I tapped into the bread culture. I decided to try to make some of my own, and, like a lot of bread bakers, I fell into it so deep I couldn’t get out. Then I met my wife in the church. She was also a good cook, so we started a restaurant/bakery in Sonoma County back in 1986, where we made our own bread. Baking still wasn’t my life’s direction, but I got really good at it, making interesting and unique breads, and then it clicked: “Now I know what I want to write about—telling a story about breads as a metaphor of my own personal journey.”

HERNANDEZ: NOT COUNTING BREAD, WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

Reinhart: The first dish my mom made for me that blew my mind was a Caesar salad. There was something about that flavor combination—the acidity of the lemon and vinegar, the umami aspect of the anchovies, the olive oil, the garlic, the Parmesan. Those flavors came together in a way that totally changed my relationship with food. It was a breakthrough dish for me. Salad dressing, in fact, plays a big role in my book. It’s more than a garnish. It brings out flavor.

HERNANDEZ: WHY DO YOU THINK PIZZA IS THE MOST POPULAR FOOD IN THE WORLD?

Reinhart: It’s all about the flavor rule. Customers want you to deliver one thing: Flavor. Whoever delivers the most flavor wins. What is the most perfect flavor delivery system in the world? As I said earlier, it’s dough with something on it or dough with something in it. Whether executed at the highest level or at an average level, both still deliver. Now pizzeria operators have learned how to deliver not just flavor, but flavor that’s memorable. My definition of a great pizza, as opposed to a good pizza, is one that’s memorable.

HERNANDEZ: I’M GOING TO NAME THREE INGREDIENTS. HOW WOULD YOU INCORPORATE THESE INTO A PIZZA? LET’S START WITH BAKED BEANS.

Reinhart: When I think of baked beans, I think of how well it goes with barbecue. Add a little barbecue sauce to baked beans, and you move them into a more acidic direction. For a pizza, I would do it with shredded pork or beef, acidify the beans a bit, and make a sauce that drizzles over the top of the meat, then bake it. I might sprinkle in some fresh onions or pickles, something with a crunch factor to balance the soft texture of the beans.

HERNANDEZ: PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS?

Reinhart: That’s a good ingredient to treat as a meat replacement. I’d probably marinate it in some nice seasonings, maybe a little Worcestershire, soy sauce, garlic, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar. I’d grill it in hot oil, fast, giving it a little bit of a crust but keeping the center soft and meaty. I’d cut that into strips and scatter them on the pizza crust. Some people don’t like to mix mushrooms and cheese, but I do, so I’d melt some Swiss or Gruyère cheese on the top of it.

HERNANDEZ: PICKLED PINEAPPLES?

Reinhart: Pickled pineapples? Wow! We’ve already got the sweetness and the acid, so let’s get some spice in there— maybe some spicy Italian, Portuguese or Mexican sausage, anything with a nice spicy contrast. Besides texture, flavor contrast is important. With the contrast of spicy and sweet, you get more than the sum of its parts.

Hawaiian style is a very polarizing pizza. There are people who get outraged by the idea of it, but they don’t know the origin. It wasn’t created in Hawaii. It was created in Canada by a man who had worked in Chinese restaurants and was fascinated with the flavor experience of sweet and acidic, sweet and sour, the whole Asian flavor profile, as well as spicy flavors. He was on to something, a valid culinary principle that Wolfgang Puck exploited to the max with the pizzas at Spago. If pizza is dough with something on it, who says it has to be Italian food on top? Why can’t pizza be a global food, as long as it passes the flavor rule? Done well, the Hawaiian pizza meets the flavor rule.

32 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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E RI C S UMME RS

HERNANDEZ: WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT, TELL US ABOUT THE MOTOR CITY HAWAIIAN.

Reinhart: It’s a Detroit pizza done in the Hawaiian style. (See recipe on page 36.)

One of the techniques that differentiates mine from everyone else’s version is the embedded cheese technique that I developed. I’ve never seen this done anywhere else. Once the dough’s in the pan, you take half of your cheese and put it over the surface of the dough. Then you let the dough rise slowly for four to five hours at room temperature, and it embeds the cheese in the crust itself. Finally, you add the rest of the toppings and cheese before baking. This crust has a quality that I’ve never seen in a pizza crust. You get that great toffee-like, caramel bottom plus a creamy, custard-like crumb and, of course, the crispy cheese edge on the outside of the crust.

This is part of the technique I use for any of the Detroit-style pizzas in my book.

One criticism of the Detroit style is that a lot of the crusts are too bready. I wanted to create a crust that’s satisfying in its own right. It might look thick, but it doesn’t taste thick—it tastes creamy and has that crunchy, crackle-like quality on the bottom. The cheese is the secret. You can use a combination of cheeses here.

There are so many that will work.

HERNANDEZ: SO YOU’RE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE PERCEPTION OF AUTHENTICITY IN YOUR DETROIT- OR HAWAIIAN-STYLE PIZZA?

Reinhart: I think authenticity can be an overused term. It should imply a flavor quality and a standard, but a lot of times it just means you followed an authentic recipe but didn’t execute it very well. Who cares if it’s authentic or not, if it’s not well-executed? Authenticity is a way of preserving an origin story and a way of executing that approach that works. The VPN rules preserve a technique, but some of the best Neapolitan pizzas are not following those rules. They’re following the flavor rule. I think the pizza-police rules are superseded by the flavor rule. If Genarro Lombardi had felt bound by the Neapolitan rules, New York-style pizza wouldn’t exist. We should honor and master the rules, but then feel free to take them to the next level.

HERNANDEZ: IF YOU HAD TO OFFER ONE PIECE OF BAKING ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Reinhart: Mise en place. It’s a term in French kitchens that means “everything in its place.” Have your system down pat. Make sure your staff knows what it is and follows it. Consistency is key in any kitchen. This is especially helpful in dough production. Have your flour, salt, yeast, oil and water ready and weighed, and know the order in which to mix them. When making dough, the most common mistake is forgetting either the salt or the yeast. If you have a system laid down, this will eliminate that issue. Sure, it’s a simple mistake, but I guarantee you every pizzaiolo has forgotten one or the other at least once in their career.

Check out a video of Brian’s full interview with Peter Reinhart at pmq.com/ peterreinhart or listen to the podcast on iTunes @pizzaradio.

Brian Hernandez is PMQ’s test chef.

34 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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THE MOTOR CITY HAWAIIAN

JOHNNY AUTRY

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

PIZZA INGREDIENTS:

9” square pan 41/3 c. unbleached flour 1¾ tsp. kosher salt 1¼ tsp. instant yeast 2 c. water (60˚F) 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus 1 tbsp. additional oil for stretching and folding

1 lb. brick, Muenster, mozzarella, Fontina, cheddar or provolone cheese (or a combination), cut into ¼” cubes 4 oz. Canadian bacon, capicola ham or cooked bacon ½ c. yellow or white onion, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional) 1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks or sliced pineapple; or ½ fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into ½” chunks or slices ½ c. crushed tomato pizza sauce ¼ c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped

DOUGH DIRECTIONS:

Mix all of your ingredients. Stretch and fold the dough briefly, then cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Uncover and fold the dough again, lightly oiling the surface as needed. Repeat this step four times, then cover and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours.

PIZZA DIRECTIONS:

Five hours before baking the pizza, begin panning the dough, pressing lightly outward with your fingers at 20-minute intervals until it covers the whole pan.

Top the dough with half of the cheese cubes and press them into the dough.

Allow 4 hours for the final rise. The dough will bubble up around the cheese and rise significantly in the pan.

Cover the dough with an even layer of Canadian bacon, capicola or bacon pieces and sprinkle with the onions. Top with the remaining half of the cheese cubes, making sure to put plenty around the edges, where the dough meets the pan. Spread the pineapple and onions evenly over the cheese. Bake at 500˚F for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan 180˚ and continue to bake for 7 to 9 minutes longer or until the cheese caramelizes to a golden-brown and the pineapple bubbles or chars slightly.

Remove from the oven. Carefully slide an offset spatula or bench blade around the edge, between the crust and the side of the pan, then lift the pizza out of the pan and slide it onto a cutting board. Use a spoon to drizzle the pizza with the pizza sauce after baking. Garnish with the parsley. Let cool for 1 minute, then cut into 3” or 4” squares and serve.

36 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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38 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Cured Savory

AND

Learn how operators are adding Italian cured meats to lend an upscale, authentic touch to their menus.

BY TRACY MORIN

Whether purchasing premade or curing in-house, operators have found that Italian cured meats are a natural fit for their pizzerias.

From prosciutto, pancetta and capicola to speck, lardo and ’nduja, these meats pair well with a variety of ingredients and can jazz up salads, pizzas, appetizers and more. Here, operators share how they’re utilizing, pairing— and cashing in on—these go-to ingredients.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

39

BUONA FORCHETTA FAMILY

ACROSS THE MENU

FRESH BROTHERS PIZZA

PURCHASING PRE-MADE

Fresh Brothers Pizza | Los Angeles, CA “We use a thin-cut prosciutto from La Quercia on one of our new pizzas that’s part of our Summer Specialty Pies line. This award-winning meat, paired with our fresh mozzarella and Asiago cheeses, creates a rich and savory taste that takes our pizza to a whole new level. The addition of the cured meat has been so wellreceived on our pizza that we’re exploring adding it to our salad menu as well.

“We prioritize quality and sustainability above everything else, and La Quercia’s Americano Prosciutto comes from pasture-raised pigs out of a family farm called Heritage Foods Farms in Osage County, Missouri. These vegetarian-fed pigs roam freely and live active and happy lives. La Quercia’s passion and rigorous process create a silky, rich prosciutto with a deeply savory and subtly sweet flavor profile. This meat is the star of our Pure Prosciutto pizza. We prepare it with Porto virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, Stanislaus tomatoes, aged Asiago, and fresh Grande mozzarella cheese. Chianti and Lambrusco are wines that pair well with this pizza, given their sweeter profiles. Lagers and dry hard ciders complement the richness of the prosciutto as well, but Goose Island IPA is what hits the spot for me!”

—Scott Goldberg, executive chef

Buona Forchetta Family | San Diego, CA “We’re no strangers to cured meats and use them often in the dishes on our menu. They’re primarily used as toppings on our pizzas and incorporated into appetizers and salads as well. Some of our most popular items include our Daniela Pizza, with mozzarella di bufala, Brie and speck; the Sergio Pizza, with mozzarella di bufala, prosciutto, baby arugula and shaved Parmesan; and our Aldo Pizza, with Provala di Agerola cheese, pancetta, egg and truffle oil. Additionally, our Affettati Misti appetizer features several different cured meats (Salame Nostrano, prosciutto di Parma, prosciutto cotto and speck), and we also incorporate prosciutto into our Rustica salad.”

—Matteo Cattaneo, owner

40 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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CURING IN-HOUSE

LOUIE BOSSI’S

Louie Bossi’s | Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, FL “We bring in Berkshire pork for our cured meats and try to cure as much as we can in-house. The profitability margin is better, as is the flavor profile, when we cure in-house. We educate our cooks and staff on how to make artisan salami and sausage. These go very well in pasta, pizza and salads. We use a scientific approach to making salami—it’s important to understand how the molds and nitrates work together; it’s not just grinding pork and putting it in a casing.

“We flavor all the salamis differently. We have a spicy one, in which we add Calabrian chili peppers. Another one has summer black truffles; for another, we add fennel. The piccante, with the Calabrian chili peppers, pairs well with a lot of ingredients, and it’s one of our biggest sellers.”

—Louie Bossi, co-owner and executive chef Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

DIY CURING

Matteo Cattaneo, owner of Buona Forchetta Family in San Diego, breaks down some of the most popular cured meats for pizzerias—and details how they’re created for optimal flavor: Prosciutto is made using a pig’s hind leg or thigh, from which we take the external part of the thick skin (called cotenna) and begin the salting process. The prosciutto is laid in a horizontal position and rubbed in salt for a number of days, depending on the weight. It is then left to rest for a couple of days, lightly covered in cognac liquor. Afterward, it’s seasoned with pepper and massaged thoroughly to get the flavors to fully saturate all the way to the femur bone. Finally, the prosciutto is washed and hung to dry for about eight months in climate-controlled rooms.

At Buona Forchetta, we use the “rolled” pancetta (or pork belly), which is different from the regular “flat” pancetta. With an intense and sweet flavor, pancetta is a dialogue between the different tones of the lard and combinations of spices in the lean meat. This is obtained through preparations that give more flavor to the meat than the regular style of pancetta, because all of the aromas remain intact. Every rolled pancetta we use is the center part of the pig’s stomach. We remove the cotenna and excess fat before starting the salting process and add spices like rosemary, crushed red peppers, black pepper and garlic, which are massaged slowly and vigorously into the meat.

Once done, the pancetta is then rolled and tied by hand with a cord and cured for three months.

Speck is made from very lean pig thighs. It differs from prosciutto, because it uses the traditional methods from Northern Italy to trim the meat. It’s salted and flavored with a mixture of aromatic ingredients, like salt, pepper, juniper, rosemary and bay, then left to rest for three weeks. Once this is done, there is a light smoking process, which is done over low-resin wood so as not to give the speck too strong a flavor. The smoke temperature should never exceed 20ºC/70ºF. The meat is hung up to dry and age for around 22 weeks. During this time, a natural layer of aromatic mold forms on the speck and is removed at the end of the aging process, finishing off the characteristic taste of the speck and preventing the meat from becoming too dry.

42 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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44 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

BREAKING THE

SOUND BARRIER Owned, operated and staffed entirely by the Deaf, San Francisco-based Mozzeria is leading a quiet revolution in the artisanal pizza segment.

BY CALLIE DANIELS BRYANT

There’s a lot going on during a typical day at Mozzeria in San Francisco, but no matter how crazy things get, staff members go about their business in total silence. As customers eagerly await their pizzaiolo-fashioned Neapolitan pies scooped fresh out of a sleek Stefano Ferrara oven, servers greet them with a smile and a simple, salute-like gesture before handing over a notebook and pen. When they speak, they use their fingers and facial expressions. A few customers—those who already know American Sign Language (ASL)—respond enthusiastically in kind. Others who aren’t familiar with it are eager to learn a few key phrases, such as “Thank you,” “Water, please” and, of course, “Can I have more wine?”

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

45

Like the pizza at Mozzeria, the staffers are world-class, and they are all completely deaf. Mozzeria is the first Deaf-owned-and-operated pizzeria in the United States—and a dream come true for co-owner Melody Stein.

Born in Hong Kong to a family of successful restaurateurs who later moved to San Francisco, Melody dreamed of having her own restaurant. She met Russ Stein, who is also deaf, at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. She recalled that their first date began with dinner at an Italian restaurant and ended with breakfast at a Greek diner at 2 a.m. It would be several years and a grave health scare later before Melody, at 37 years old, recognized that life was too short to not follow her dream.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

With friendly employees who speak in sign language and a menu packed with artisanal pizzas, Mozzeria creates a unique customer experience.

“If restaurant operators or managers get any applications from deaf people wanting to work at their establishment, [they should] consider giving deaf people a chance to work and provide training for them to grow into their skills.”

— MELODY STEIN, MOZZERIA CO-OWNER

What took her so long? After graduating from high school, Melody applied to the California Culinary Academy, which she describes as “soundly” rejecting her, seeing her as a liability in the kitchen because she is deaf. This didn’t deter her from earning a degree in hospitality from San Francisco State University. She later traveled to Italy to study with pizza masters; there, she proved she was not a liability in the kitchen—in fact, she was quite an impressive asset. But, above all, she wanted to run a pizzeria herself, day in and day out. “We wanted to become hands-on owner-operators,” Melody says.

Her mother traveled with her to interpret for her at two private training courses in Sorrento and Positano. In their free time, they dined at local pizzerias, where Melody took notes on the quality of the dough, the taste of the sauce, and the melt of the cheese.

While Melody was overseas, Russ, a lifelong pizza lover, stayed home and built their first pizza oven in the backyard. They practiced with it for two years before they raised enough money and support to open Mozzeria in 2011. They chose to open it in San Francisco, where Melody’s childhood dream began.

The hideaway location seats 50 people around its main attraction, the 5,000-pound Stefano Ferrara oven. They spent $15,000 to bring home this “Rolls Royce of pizza ovens,” and Melody considers it the best investment they made. The Steins’ deaf employees bake the pizzas in the wood-fired oven at more than 12,000° for 90 seconds.

But the oven wasn’t the Steins’ only smart investment. “We are most proud of our team,” Melody says. “Our decision to employ an all-Deaf team was one of the best decisions we ever made. Most of them came to Mozzeria with no working experience, and now many have held their positions at Mozzeria for more than three to five years.

Some of them have been promoted to management or supervisor positions. When you come to our San Francisco location, you will see that nearly everything is built by deaf people—the electricity, plumbing, flooring, painting, furniture and artwork.”

Accordingly, nearly all of the items on Mozzeria’s menu are made in-house by deaf employees. “We consider Mozzeria a teaching restaurant, and our team members gain more skills in crafting pizza, cheese and sausage,” Melody notes. “We want our workers to take

46 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Hiring only deaf employees has helped distinguish Mozzeria, owned by Melody (holding wine bottle) and Russ Stein (holding fruit), in a highly competitive San Francisco restaurant market.

DYAN SUE PHOTOGRAPHY

pride in creating and serving high-quality and delicious food.”

The pizzeria now serves only pizzas—after the Steins discovered in their second year of operation that most of their customers came for the pies, not pasta or anything else. This led to more creativity in developing their pizza recipes. “San Francisco has a fabulous food scene, and we knew we would have to work harder and get customers with more sophisticated palates to dine at Mozzeria,” Melody says. “We decided to blend together our Asian influence with the traditional Neapolitan, and we wanted our food to stand out.”

Her favorite pizza on the menu is the Peking Duck, topped with hoisin sauce, spring onion, sesame seeds and cucumber.

Another favorite is the Hosui Pear, made with pancetta, Brie, roasted garlic, spinach and balsamic. The pizzeria also offers two “secret pizzas” that go unmentioned on the menu: a Farm Egg Pizza and a Radicchio Pizza.

“We consider Mozzeria a teaching restaurant, and our team members gain more skills in crafting pizza, cheese and sausage. We want our workers to take pride in creating and serving high-quality and delicious food.”

— MELODY STEIN, MOZZERIA CO-OWNER

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

In eight years, Mozzeria has grown from a tucked-away restaurant with a high-end wood-fired Italian oven to a thriving establishment with two food trucks. “We notice our customers find meaning [here] for different reasons,” Melody says. “Many of our deaf customers are happy they can order in their own language, ASL. Many hearing customers gain a new experience in a visual medium at our restaurant. But, at the end of the day, it’s all about good food. We have a good number of repeat customers, and some of them even learn sign language.”

Mozzeria’s success in combating prejudice with pizza has even earned a multimillion-dollar investment from the Austin, Texasbased Communication Service for the Deaf Social Venture Fund (CSD SVF). As the first-named recipient of the investment, Mozzeria will expand to two new locations—one in Washington, D.C., near Gallaudet University, where the Steins met—and another one in Austin. The D.C. location will be significantly different from their original. Opening next year, it will seat 100 customers and require over 50 deaf waiters, chefs and hosts.

Mozzeria aims to become a national chain that employs deaf people only. “We are excited that Mozzeria, Inc.—with significant backing from the CSD SVF, the nation’s first venture fund for Deaf-owned-and-operated businesses—is looking to open eight to 12 Mozzeria locations in the next few years,” Melody says. This expansion will create more job opportunities for the Deaf community, 70% of which is either unemployed or underemployed.

“Partnering with Mozzeria was an easy choice,” says Dominic Lacy, chief innovation officer at CSD and head of the Social

48 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Venture Fund. “Mozzeria’s commitment to an all-Deaf workforce in all aspects of the business, including in managerial and administrative positions, aligns perfectly with our goal of increasing employment in the Deaf community in two ways—one, by investing directly in Deafowned businesses, and two, by showcasing their success to the greater public in the name of changing perceptions.

“Melody and Russ already understood the value of hiring deaf employees,” Lacy adds. “It was easy to align their vision with our vision of creating social impact through supporting a Deaf-owned business that, in turn, would create employment opportunities for the Deaf community.”

Mozzeria is more than a pizza shop for the Steins. It’s their life, their community, and something they want to share with the world. “If restaurant operators or managers get any applications from deaf people wanting to work at their establishment, [they should] consider giving deaf people a chance to work and provide training for them to grow into their skills,” Melody concludes. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to discover that deaf people are talented in many different ways, and there are many of us out there!”

Aside from a selection of small plates, Mozzeria’s menu is all about pizza made in a classic Stefano Ferrara oven.

Callie Daniels Bryant is PMQ’s associate editor.

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Digital Dining New digital marketing technologies can elevate your customer experience while adding to your bottom line.

BY RICK HYNUM AND TRACY MORIN

From loyalty programs to email marketing, the beauty of digital marketing technology is that it’s almost guaranteed to improve your operation’s efficiency, save money and increase your sales, especially if your pizzeria has a strong delivery component. Digital menus can reduce your printing costs, while staff training can be offered through digital apps, and livechat interactions can turn dissatisfied guests into regulars.

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Anita and Klime Kovaceski, owners of Crust in Miami, have found ways to smoothly incorporate third-party delivery into their operation.

owhere is the impact of digital technology more keenly felt than in the food delivery sector. A 2018 study by Valassis Local Solutions, headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, found that online ordering increases average order value, improves efficiency and enhances a restaurant’s visibility. In fact, 42% of customers said the ability to place an order online would make them choose one restaurant over another. Even those restaurants that would not traditionally offer delivery can now get their food in customers’ living rooms thanks to third-party platforms like DoorDash and UberEats.

Third-party delivery has created significant growth for Crust, the hot Miami pizza concept owned by Klime and Anita Kovaceski.

Yes, they’ve faced the usual challenges, like rude drivers and 30% fees, from third-party outlets, but the option has also grown Crust’s business to a 20-percent-delivery operation. Some of Klime’s secrets to success: He shuffles pickups from these drivers to the side door, leaving the front door unblocked for in-house diners and allowing for traffic to flow uninterrupted inside the restaurant.

On all of the platforms he uses (including UberEats, DoorDash and Postmates), he doesn’t allow any modifications or special requests on any order and deletes the “build-yourown” option.

Meanwhile, to combat the hefty fees that accompany third-party delivery, Klime’s response was simple: Raise prices for his online menu by 30% over dine-in—and alert customers about it up-front. Thankfully, his extra-large portions and reasonable prices make at-home diners feel like they’re still getting a good deal.

Finally, each third-party provider has its own tablet at a docking station in Crust, sending orders straight to the POS and the kitchen. And if business heats up on a busy night, Klime is ready to pull the plug on online orders for an hour or two or lengthen estimated delivery times. “We are, first and foremost, a restaurant, and the dining room has priority,” he says. “But now, as a $2-million operation, we do $600,000 to $700,000 in takeout and delivery— and that number is still growing.”

“We are, first and foremost, a restaurant, and the dining room has priority. But now, as a $2-million operation, we do $600,000 to $700,000 in takeout and delivery—and that number is still growing.”

— KLIME KOVACESKI, CRUST

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Michael LaMarca developed the Master Pizza app to ensure customers can order pizza in any way they feel comfortable.

“Once a customer orders online just one time, they start using it exclusively, and it’s the same when they use our app.”

— MICHAEL LAMARCA, MASTER PIZZA GIVING CUSTOMERS TOTAL CONTROL

According to “Meals On Wheels: The Digital Ordering and Delivery Restaurant Revolution,” a February 2019 report by global management consulting firm L.E.K. Consulting, more than half of delivery consumers now order food directly from the restaurant’s app or website.

The report projects restaurant delivery to grow at more than three times the rate of on-premise sales through 2023, with the majority of those orders being placed online. “Online ordering has captivated a diner demographic increasingly pressed for time and harboring expectations shaped by the sophisticated world of consumer

e-commerce,” L.E.K. notes on its website. “A key segment is high-income households. Another is millennials: By 2020, those 21 to 36 years old will take up 70% of at-home delivery services.”

At Cleveland, Ohio-based Master Pizza, owner Michael LaMarca decided to develop an online ordering app “to keep up with technology and give our customers total control over their Master Pizza ordering experience.

“Online ordering has evolved from just an office with a fax machine placing their lunch order at your shop every other week to anyone who has a smartphone, a data plan and a taste for pizza—that is pretty much everyone!”

LaMarca adds. “We needed to make sure we had the ability to let every customer place an order the way they feel works best for them. We felt that an app was the next tool in the evolution of ordering pizza and would be worth the investment.”

LaMarca says online ordering has produced “amazing results” for Master Pizza. “Once a customer orders online just one time, they start using it exclusively, and it’s the same when they use our app,” he says. Offering the app also allows Master Pizza to throw in some additional digital-marketing perks that bring customers back for more orders. “When customers order through our website or our app, they are opted into our customer loyalty program, Pizza Points,” he says. And when it comes to making good use of the rewards program, the difference is “like night and day between our online and app users and our call-in or walk-in customers.”

Online orders now account for an average of between 25% and 35% of all orders companywide at Master Pizza. “It’s still growing in our older establishments, but as we open new stores, we see it immediately surpass 35% to 45%,” LaMarca notes.

“Our statistics show that online and app customers are more likely to order an appetizer, drinks and/or a dessert, which give us a 10% to 15% higher ticket average,” he adds. “We also see that customers are more likely to try something new and or different because they can immediately visually see an item as compared to being told about it over the phone. The overall customer experience has the ability to be better online or through the app. Customers feel that their order was placed and taken correctly and can order at their own pace. They’re never put on hold or rushed through placing their order

• Artificial intelligence and chatbots. Chatbots can quickly answer customers’ questions on websites, apps or social media platforms. And the more questions the bots have to answer, the more they learn about customers’ needs and preferences. According to SocialMediaExplorer.com, nearly 80% of business communications with customers will be through bot messengers in the next five years.

• Paperless menus. Tablet menus can deliver better results than traditional printed menus in terms of engaging customers with mouthwatering visuals and descriptive copy. New items and photos can quickly be added to digital menus, along with daily specials and other offers, without having to constantly revisit the tiresome and expensive design and printing process. because there are five other lines ringing, raising the level of their experience and convenience.”

As the pace of marketing technology development quickens, pizzeria owners can choose from a plethora of additional options beyond online ordering and loyalty programs, including:

• Staff training apps. Restaurant owners can now use mobile apps to engage and train their front-line staff on everything from recommended beer-and-pizza pairings to useful info on new menu items and daily specials.

Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor-in-chief. Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

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ONLINE ORDERING IN PMQ.COM/PIZZAMARKETING

Now that consumers are ordering more pizza online than by phone, PMQ has been scouring the restaurant industry for both innovative and experienced vendor partners to help readers get wired up for technology so they can get fired up for selling more pizza. View the links and explore the videos at PMQ.com/PizzaMarketing.

TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS POINT OF SALE SYSTEMS Adora POS Aldelo Altametrics Plum POS Arrow BPA Business Software Brygid CBS Northstar Clover DashNow Digital Dining Dinnerware ehungry

Elo Encounter AI Factory Service Co. Foodli FoodTec Solutions Future POS RDS Harbortouch Restaurant Pro iMenuToGo Infinite Peripherals InTouch POS Lavu MicroWorks Prism

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KIOSKS & PAY-AT-TABLE Apptizer Bear Robotics DashNow Flash Order

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PAYMENT PROCESSORS First Data Heartland

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3RD PARTY ORDERING Beyond Menu Caviar ChowNow Delivery.com Door Dash EatStreet

Selby Soft ShopKeep POS Speedline Solutions Square Thrive Granbury Solutions Tillster Toast TouchBistro Tray Upserve WorldPay

Ooma Postmates Seamless Single Platform Skipthedishes Slice

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PizzaCloud

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WEB/APP DEVELOPMENT Clover Como eDining Express ehungry FoodTec Solutions iMenuToGo InTouch POS MicroWorks Prism

Mobilesoft Munch Ado Open Dining Network Orders2Me Patron Path PDQ POS Posera Maitre D’ Upserve

NFORMATION CENTER PMQ.COM/PIZZAMARKETING

MARKETING PARTNERS MARKETING RESEARCH

ONLINE DIRECTORIES FourSquare Groupon Locl Sirved Single Platform

Altametrics Plum POS Chatter Research Kickback Rewards Systems LISNR Mastercard

The Infatuation TripAdvisor Yelp Zagat Zomato

Nuvi Ovation PreciTaste Upserve Zenreach

PIZZA REWARDS Arrow Brygid Cheetah Digital Clover Como Digital Dining Heartland Dinnerware Heartland Encounter AI FoodTec Solutions Harri

Posera Maitre D’ Punchh Repeat Returns Revention Salesforce SessionM ShopKeep POS Slice Speedline Solutions Square Thrive

Hyperdrive Interactive iMenuToGo InTouch POS Kickback Rewards Systems Lavu Menu Drive MicroWorks Prism Mobivity Paytronix PDQ POS

iMenuToGo Munchado OrderMark

IN-STORE MARKETING Apex Supply Chain Technologies Autonetics Bear Robotics Breeze Creative Control Play DashNow

Datavalet Embed Digital Encounter AI EyeSucceed Foodli Menuvative Wireless Waiting

360 Training Datavalet Jetson Swipesum Locl DashNow Octothorpe Plus EyeSucceed Foodsby Tipzyy Upserve

SOCIAL MEDIA

WEBSITE DEVELOPERS BentoBox GoDaddy I’m Hungry Now!

Tillster Toast Total Loyalty Solutions TouchBistro WorldPay OpenCity OneSystem Foodli Harri Chowly Autonetics

Slice StingRay

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• Credit Card Processing Selector • Drive-Thru AI-assisted ordering • Google Maps Optimization • Pay at the Table System • Restaurant Review Management • Smart Glass Solution • Catering Delivery Service Model • Employee Sales Contest

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COLD COMFORT New innovations in smart refrigerators and freezers offer a slew of high-tech benefits for pizzeria operators.

BY TRACY MORIN

As with all appliances, technology is quickly moving refrigerators and freezers into the Jetsons era with added features, from cloudbased monitoring to WiFi capabilities. “The latest innovations in smart fridges and freezers include touchscreens, and we’re seeing a strong emphasis on built-in cameras as well,” says Beverly Friedmann, content manager for MyFoodSubscriptions in New York City. “With these latest technologies and advancements, pizzeria operators are experiencing great benefits. Instead of requiring manual labor, everything is becoming streamlined and automated— and the increase in automation is expediting efficiency, which in turn leads to increased revenue.”

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TECHIE TOUCHES

Jeff Rieger, director of foodservice solutions at Bostonbased SmartSense by Digi, notes that recent improvements in refrigeration center around the increasing accessibility of technology. “The prominent theme now is Internet of Things (IoT), which is a general idea that things not previously connected are now able to reach the cloud, the internet or the smartphone, making that information easily accessible from anywhere in the world,” Rieger explains. “Previously, you’d have to physically be on-site, but in the last decade, it’s more affordable to integrate technology into items like refrigerators.”

Though newer models may have features like built-in WiFi connection and touchscreens, retrofitting an older model is also possible: A battery-operated sensor placed in an existing fridge relates the info online through a web dashboard, allowing operators to easily see and analyze pertinent info. “There is now also the NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things), a low-powered cellular network that significantly reduces the cost and complexity of setting up one of these systems,” Rieger adds. “Sensors can be connected inexpensively and reliably; while still in its infancy, it would significantly ease the burden of setting up a system like this. You can even have cameras to monitor what’s on the shelves, though that’s still in its early days, too.”

“Instead of requiring manual labor, everything is becoming streamlined and automated—and the increase in automation is expediting efficiency, which in turn leads to increased revenue.”

— BEVERLY FRIEDMANN, MYFOODSUBSCRIPTIONS

VEN-U

Similarly, VEN-U, a brand of Long Range Systems, headquartered in Richardson, Texas, recently launched a wireless sensor platform that can work with and monitor existing refrigerators and freezers as well as ovens, prep tables and heated display boxes. “Small, wireless sensors are connected via WiFi to a bridge that constantly uploads monitoring information to the cloud,” explains David M. Burrows, VEN-U head of marketing.

“Any changes in temperature, outside of preselected thresholds, instantly sends an SMS text to staff for immediate attention and response.” Sensor thresholds can also be set for multiple times, and the system can store recorded data for up to two weeks—even if not connected to the cloud via WiFi. Even better, this type of high-tech monitoring can go beyond temperature alone. For example, sensors can report on humidity, water presence, vibration, a change in lighting, sensing specific gases, weight, change in voltage, and any type of motion. “The sensors operate 24/7 and can tie into different dashboards for realtime monitoring and analyzing trends over time,” Burrows explains.

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OPERATOR BENEFITS

So what do these high-tech touches mean for operators?

Jason Martinez, an employee at Howard’s Appliance TV & Mattress, with 12 locations in California, points to a slew of productivity-boosting features. “You can post important memos or notes for others to see, and you can leverage the power of voice assistants like Bixby,” Martinez explains. “The latest tech-savvy upgrades can be especially helpful for small pizzeria operators, from communicating with employees to having voice assistants help with minor or tedious tasks.”

Meanwhile, built-in cameras can help monitor food inventory and minimize theft, while streaming music service and customizable screen savers can be used to motivate or inform back-of-house staff.

Rieger adds that remote temperature monitoring helps pizzerias ensure food quality, prevent spoilage and ensure inspection compliance. “Restaurant managers report that constant remote monitoring gives them the peace of mind knowing ‘someone’ is watching the store during peak service times, or when it’s after-hours and no one is present,” Rieger says. “Refrigeration and freezer temperature monitoring also provides users analytics and insights, which allow you to learn from previous data.”

Burrows agrees that wireless, remote and automated temperature monitoring saves staff time on checking fridges manually, can reduce costs by saving perishable inventory, increases food safety, and affords operators the ability to compare data over time to optimize operations and lower costs.

“The prominent theme now is Internet of Things (IoT), which is a general idea that things not previously connected are now able to reach the cloud, the internet or the smartphone, making that information easily accessible from anywhere in the world.”

— JEFF RIEGER, SMARTSENSE BY DIGI

KEEPING YOUR COOL

To help pizzeria owners save money over the long term, Energy Upgrade California shares some simple, cost-effective solutions to maximize the capability of any refrigerator, including the smart and not-so-smart options: •

•

•

•

Location, location, location. Locating refrigerators away from heat-generating units considerably lowers the amount of energy required to cool off and ensures they aren’t working harder than they need to be. Also consider installing or moving walk-in refrigerators and freezers so they aren’t wedged in tight spots, allowing for better air circulation and consuming less energy.

Manage temperatures. Maintain appropriate temperature settings in freezers (-14°F to -8°F) and refrigerators (35°F to 38°F) to save energy and ensure an effective chill.

Beware worn gaskets. Replace worn seals and gaskets on refrigerator and freezer doors to eliminate cold air from sneaking out and lowering energy efficiency.

Get charged up. Make sure to check your refrigerant charge. Using the wrong refrigerant can lead to unwanted effects, such as high power consumption when walk-ins have too little refrigerant.

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S MA RT S E NS E BY DI GI

“The latest tech-savvy upgrades can be especially helpful for small pizzeria operators, from communicating with employees to having voice assistants help with minor or tedious tasks.”

— JASON MARTINEZ, HOWARD’S APPLIANCE, TV & MATTRESS

“For the near future, we see additional technology features being added for customizable dashboards to monitor any item, via the IoT, in the front or back of the house,” Burrows predicts.

“That offers the ability to set multiple thresholds of changes for different staff to respond to at different times.”

Finally, Reiger, whose company’s clients include Pizza Ranch and other big-name pizza brands, advises working with a company that handles the heavy lifting and followthrough: retrofitting your current equipment via installation, providing data reports, and ensuring proper functioning of the equipment. “They can even provide operators advice on what equipment to buy,” Reiger says. “For example, we

have a few customers with thousands of units but different varieties of refrigeration, so we can score each piece of equipment and project longevity and stability of operation for each model. A data science team can work on predictive modeling for refrigeration equipment—and the more data, the better models for predicting.” For example, using this data, a company can predict, based on the past six months, how the equipment will perform over the next six months—or if it will fail altogether, thus recommending predictive maintenance or looking for a new (possibly tech-savvy) model.

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

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Italian Authentic

The “Made in Italy” claim has its own cachet, but fraud abounds. Here’s what you need to know to keep it real— without losing your shirt.

BY MISSY GREEN

Authentic Italian pizza ingredients and other food products are often perceived as synonymous with quality in the American market. Italy’s rolling landscapes, respect for tradition and exaltation of beauty make it an excellent locale to grow, craft and process superb meats, vegetables and cheeses. Italy is also home to an ever-growing number of food consortiums that ensure the quality and tradition of artisanal products. While the “Made in Italy” claim has its own cachet, products labeled I.G.P. (Indicazione Geografica Protetta or, in English, Indication of Geographical Protection) or D.O.P. (Denominazione di Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin) are supposed to deliver an authentic product.

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Needless to say, products made in Italy have become big business in the United States. Several Italian brands appeal to the world with marketing shamelessly focused on their Italianness. One Italian beer brand uses the catchphrase “More Italian” in its global marketing campaign. Meanwhile, a water brand describes itself as “Tastefully Italian” to American consumers.

Italians are quite good, above all, at marketing themselves.

YOU SAY TOMATOES

So how important are authentic Italian products in American pizzerias? It mostly depends on your brand. If you offer a regional style of American pizza—like Old Forge or St. Louis styles—importing ingredients from Italy might not make sense. Some members of PMQ’s Think Tank note their customers are more interested in knowing whether ingredients are locally grown rather than imported from Italy, although these operators don’t have Italian-focused restaurants.

For American pizzeria chefs intent on recreating Italian fare, using products like D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes adds a touch of authenticity. Italian products come with Old-World history and stories that provide marketing opportunities.

These products will be more expensive to acquire, but you can also charge more when you educate the customer on why these tomatoes make your pizza special: San Marzano tomatoes carry a hefty price tag because they are limited to a singular geographical area, grown only in the rich volcanic soil around historic Mt. Vesuvius. These are expensive tomatoes, and if you’re not shelling out a lot of money for them, you are certainly buying something else entirely.

In fact, like so many high-demand niches, the Italian food market is riddled with fraud. Italian import company Gustiamo estimates some 95% of San Marzano tomatoes sold in the States are impostors. To protect yourself, remember that real San Marzano tomatoes are always peeled, canned, and sold only in whole or fillet form. And legit San Marzanos will bear the D.O.P. seal and a Consorzio San Marzano certification number on the bottom of the can. Even so, keep in mind there have been allegations of fraud even with these “official” designations.

MAKING THE GRADE

There are essentially three grades of olive oil, depending on how the oil is extracted from the olives. Here’s a basic guide to help you better understand them: Extra-virgin olive oil—This high-quality and flavorful oil is made with cold-pressed olives and is free from imperfections. No chemicals or extreme heat can be used during the extraction process.

Virgin olive oil—This oil, also extracted from cold-pressed olives, has some irregularities and a slightly higher level of oleic acid. It’s rarely sold in grocery stores, unlike regular or “pure” olive oils (typically a blend of virgin and refined olive oils) and light olive oils (refined oils with a neutral taste and higher smoking point).

Pomace olive oil—Heat and solvents are used to extract this lower-grade oil from the olives’ pulp and pits after the virgin or extravirgin oil has been removed.

DRILLING FOR OIL

The olive oil industry, in which lax regulations allow labels to mislead consumers, suffers a similar crisis in authenticity. According to the California Olive Oil Council, anyone can label their olive oil as “extravirgin,” regardless of what’s in the bottle. Although European laws are stricter, they are not applied to products leaving the European Union.

Numbers provided by the International Olive Council show that Italy consistently exports more olive oil than it produces, leaving one to wonder: What is filling in the gaps?

“Olive oil is one of the dirtiest markets in the whole world,” says Leonardo Giordano, an olive oil importer and owner of Mona Lisa Pizzeria in Staten Island, New York. “Everyone mixes oils, even in Italy. I get so aggravated when I see Italian extra-virgin olive oil selling for $6.99 at the store. There is no olive oil for that price made in Italy. It’s like buying Parmigiano-Reggiano for $2.99. You know that’s not right. A bottle of [Italian] olive oil is at least $11 or $12. If that’s too expensive, don’t buy it at all. There is nothing worse than seeing a beautiful margherita pizza topped with basil and then a cheap oil. It’s like getting punched in the eyes.”

But how do you pick out the good stuff? Remember that primary ingredients such as olive oil or tomatoes can be found throughout the world, while authentic Italian products that require elaboration— think cured meats and aged cheeses—can’t be easily replaced by substitutes. Tomatoes are native to the Americas, and any region with a Mediterranean-like climate (like California, Tunisia, Spain and Argentina) can produce great olive oil. Depending on the type of olives and the climate in which they’re grown, there will be differences in taste and color (as with grapes). But, unlike wine, olive oil is best when it’s fresh.

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“Olive oil is one of the dirtiest markets in the whole world…I get so aggravated when I see Italian extra-virgin olive oil selling for $6.99 at the store. There is no olive oil for that price made in Italy.”

— LEONARDO GIORDANO, MONA LISA PIZZERIA FLOUR: BIGA AND BETTER

One exception to the above-mentioned primary vs. elaboration rule is flour. Although flour can be considered a primary ingredient, the processing of the grain is highly developed at a technical level in Italy. The average competitive Italian mill offers an extensive variety of flour lines. Each brand creates its own blend to accommodate different pizza styles, balancing protein and gluten content to achieve a desired outcome. A few of these mills house their own biga, or mother dough, which has carried on continuously for generations. Advanced technology allows the mills to dehydrate the biga and mix it in with the flour, giving any pizza maker—including those in America—the opportunity to create a product with Old-World maturation.

ITALIAN CHEESE: A BRAND ALL ITS OWN

While great cheeses are produced in Wisconsin, California, Vermont and other American states, it’s hard to beat aged Italian cheeses. Italy’s consortium model for protecting artisan cheesemaking distinguishes it from the American approach.

Cheeses that are classified as D.O.P. or I.G.P.—that is, those made according to strict cultural traditions—are first and foremost labeled as traditional products. The name of the company or brand that made the cheese appears practically as an afterthought on the labeling. Italian cheese heritage is a brand all its own.

As for soft and fresh cheeses, however, the faster you can get them from farm to table, the better. Freshness is extremely important in the mozzarella and burrata making tradition.

In America, several companies create fresh cheeses rooted in Italian tradition. A couple of farms have even gone to excruciating lengths to import and raise water buffaloes. The milk from a water buffalo contains almost twice as much fat as cow’s milk, replicating the delicious mozzarella di bufala found around Naples.

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WELCOME TO AMERICA

Of course, nothing says “authentic Italian” better than a pizzeria operated by Italians. Stefano Callegari, Gabriele Bonci and Gino Sorbillo are just a few of the top pizza chefs who have moved Stateside to open ventures and earn a lucrative living from American pizza diehards.

Massimiliano Stamerra, a familiar face in the pizza world, came to America to follow his pizza dreams. The award-winning proprietor of Capri New Style in Lecce now owns Capri New Style Miami Beach. “I tried for three years to get papers to open a pizzeria in Australia, but it was too difficult,” Stamerra says. “Then I got an unexpected proposition from a man who was on vacation having pizza at my store. He worked for the business journal Il Sole 24 Ore, out of Milan, and was trying to bring business to Florida. Through that collaboration, I bought my own place in July 2018 in Miami. I opened four months later. We make fresh mozzarella and burrata every morning in the store. Everything else comes from Italy, even the bottled water. People love it.”

It was a big leap for Stamerra to leave Italy, but he says he’s happy that he took off on this new adventure. “The restaurant is just about 80 seats, but it works very well,” he says. “In the first month alone, we made $90,000 in sales.” He says most of his clientele hail from Italy, but “many also come from Cuba, Puerto Rico—the entire world.” Which may be further proof that Americans aren’t the only ones enamored with Italy.

But is using authentic Italian products important for your business? Your branding focus and marketing strategy will determine the answer to that question. Some products that require a high level of craftsmanship are well worth the journey overseas, whereas high-quality raw ingredients can be found in abundance right here at home. If you decide to use authentic Italian-made products, don’t miss out on the marketing opportunity to educate the customer and tell the stories behind them. Italian culture is irresistible to many. Following Italian pizza makers through social media and traveling to pizza competitions abroad are some of the ways you can keep up-todate on Italy’s evolving pizza trends—in addition to reading PMQ! Missy Green is PMQ’s international correspondent.

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Best of Show

NAFEM LINDA’S PICKS —Linda Green, Co-Publisher

PMQ checks out hot new products and leading vendors at NAFEM. EARTH STONE OVENS

Earth Stone’s beautifully designed ovens caught our attention. Jean-Paul Yotnegparian told us they have a new smaller oven that can bake 12 to 15 pizzas at a time. The main heat source can be wood or gas, with an added underfloor heating element. You can also bake one pizza after another without any recovery time for the deck to heat back up. And this oven fits in a smaller space. If you are looking to make a pizza in the age-old tradition of wood-burning ovens, this is a great oven to consider! 800-840-4915, EARTHSTONEOVENS.COM

LLOYDPANS

In my search for pizza innovations, I had a chance to speak with Robert Johnson, a pizza pan expert. I found out LloydPans is well-known for their PSTK-coated pans that don’t need any pre-seasoning. The finish is a non-toxic and permanent-release coating that is integrated into the anodized surface. It’s a great product for pizza operators who need pans that last a long time and are easy to maintain. 800-748-6251, LLOYDPANS.COM

XLT OVENS

I stopped in my tracks when I spotted Cheyenne Raida standing next to the big red XLT double-stack conveyor ovens at the show. She told me about the exhaust hood feature that XLT offers along with their 10-year warranty. This conveyor oven comes in different sizes and is a great find for operators who need a reliable pizza oven that will last a long time. XLT’s ovens also give us a reason to be proud of what we make here in the U.S.—in Wichita, Kansas, specifically! 888-443-2751, XLTOVENS.COM 72 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

CHRIS’S PICKS

—Chris Green, PizzaTV Reporter BERG LIQUOR CONTROLS

I was immediately intrigued by Berg’s displayed liquor bottles because they were outfitted with some sleek, futuristic hardware on the spout of each bottle! With Berg you know where your alcohol is going, and you can expect to cut your cost of goods by 40% on average! Punch in a few buttons, and the Berg system allows you to pour consistent signature cocktails too. They integrate seamlessly with POS systems and other software and devices like magic! 608-221-4281, BERGLIQUORCONTROLS.COM

CHOICE EQUIPMENT COMPANY

At Choice Equipment Company’s booth, it was clear that they are in the business of making pizza people’s lives easier. While they’ve got a large selection of pan and oven racks, keg racks, shelving systems, carts, and dollies, it was their “first in, first out” pan rack and wheeled dough racks that really signified smart convenience and practicality for me. 706-693-2484, CHOICEEQUIPMENTCOMPANY.COM

REMCOSPC

Remco’s ovens make a statement. This is a masterful oven that looks like it’s baking a pizza even when it’s not! I couldn’t help but stop and stare at that beautiful Daytona v4’s round, stainless-steel design that’s customizable to any color. When you start throwing words around like “turbocharged” and “infrared,” you get in the mood to make some pizzas! You can do five 10” pies and, with 90-second baking times, that’s 170 to 200 pies an hour! 800-987-3626, REMCOUSA.COM

DAYMARK SAFETY SYSTEMS

Filling out labels for back-of-house hasn’t always been this easy, but that’s what DayMark does! To try and replicate nutritionals and recipe cards over multiple stores could seem a little bit daunting, but with DayMark’s web-based label printing systems, date coding, managing your menu and everything in between becomes a breeze. I was very impressed with their sleek open-based system that’s essential for managing the back of house! 800-847-0101, DAYMARKSAFETY.COM

BOTTOMS UP

At first glance it’s borderline mesmerizing to think that a beer could be poured through the bottom! When I viewed the Bottoms Up process, it just promoted a sense of fun, and it’s incredibly efficient as well. Typically, every 10 kegs of beer you sell means you have a person standing there for 2 1/2 hours. With the Bottoms Up system, you get those hours back—and that’s time you could be using to deliver a pizza to a table!

888-618-0486, BOTTOMSUPBEER.COM

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

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FOOD WARMING EQUIPMENT COMPANY

FWE is so good at food warming equipment that it’s their name! I was very impressed by their humidified pizza-holding cabinets—they’re practical and smart, adding just enough humidity so the natural moisture in the pizza doesn’t off-gas or dry out. FWE has stayed a step ahead of the mobile ordering platforms as well, developing a customizable heated holding shelf for mobile orders, thus keeping your food at top quality while your driver runs late! 800-222-4393,

FWE.COM/PIZZA

FRICOSMOS

Fricosmos is a Spanish company that’s been developing products that, although we knew they were great ideas, didn’t seem to be available in the U.S. I was not only taken by the elegant design of Fricosmos’ hand sinks, but from a sanitary standpoint they’re genius! Fricosmos offers a wide range of NSF-certified hand sinks that operate via foot pedals and a line of trash bins that open from foot access as well! FRICOSMOS.COM

SPRAY MASTER TECHNOLOGIES

Most employees don’t line up to mop the kitchen, but they’ll likely change their tune with SMT’s power washing system, featuring what they refer to as a hummer jet and a hummer jet junior! In a discussion with SMT’s reps, it was interesting to find out that most restaurants think their grout should be grey—that’s soap build-up, which can cause slip-falls, and it vanishes when you rain down 800 to 1100 PSI—inside or outside! 800548-3373, SPRAYMASTERTECH.COM

PIZZAMASTER

I love the quality and variety PizzaMaster provides to the pizza industry.

Their products are made in Sweden, with 85 oven sizes available! It truly was a beautiful sight to watch through their large window display as a pizza baked lightning-fast at up to 9,328 degrees! Originally designed to cook flatbread in 20 seconds at very hot temperatures, PizzaMaster has always been tailormade for pizza since 1992. Available in 147 countries, it’s known around the world! PIZZAMASTER.COM

74 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Manage your delivery orders better with the right system y Get orders out faster y Increase customer loyalty y Drive delivery revenue

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IDEA ZONE

SPONSORED CONTENT

Deliver More Pies While Driving Down Costs Opportunities can be sneaky. Not just because they are rare, but also because they have a habit of showing up disguised as problems. Take, for instance, the rise of third-party delivery services. While many independent pizzeria owners would welcome them less than enthusiastically, they can be a boon to your business—if you know how to leverage them.

At one time, if you wanted to lounge around in your sweatpants playing video games, you ordered pizza. There weren’t a ton of choices.

That changed with the rise of third-party delivery services. Now the food choices are almost endless. Instead of fighting this new trend, you can now leverage third-party delivery services such as DoorDash Drive to virtually eliminate one of your biggest pain points—by simply changing the way you deliver. You still control the customer experience and still reap bountiful profits. Coupling up with the perceived competition may sound scary, but it can alleviate issues that come with managing an in-house fleet such as: • Driver hiring and scheduling • Vehicle maintenance costs (gas, insurance, etc.)

• Idle time/overflow volume • Driver sick days/PTO

WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIPS How? Simple. Some third-party food delivery services, such as DoorDash, offer delivery partnerships. The process is painless. Your customer orders directly from your website, mobile app, or over the phone. The only difference, unbeknownst to your customer during ordering, is the delivery method. Once the customer orders their favorite pizza, the order is passed to DoorDash Drive either through direct API integration, integration with a middleware provider, or by manually entering orders into the DoorDash Drive portal. The no-hassle billing system makes handling cash-pay orders and driver tips a breeze. Cash payments, collected on your behalf, are credited to your account, while tips collected for DoorDash drivers are deducted from your monthly billing statement.

Thrive understands the value of a flexible point-of-sale system that provides seamless integration of services with third-party vendors.

Thrive now offers direct API integration software that allows for easy delivery assignment with DoorDash Drive right from the dispatch screen with estimated delivery times and cost, followed by real-time automatic delivery updates.

As Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” For more information about Thrive’s new partnership with DoorDash Drive, call 800-750-3947 today.

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SEE THE NEW DOORDASH DRIVE FEATURE ON THRIVE POS AT BOOTH #803 September 25-26 Atlantic City

76 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

IDEA ZONE

SPONSORED CONTENT

No Matter How You Cut It, There’s A Portion PadL For That When Greg Getzinger first owned his pizza business, he also took on his first school lunch account. He had no idea the weekly 55-pizza order would change the direction of his future. Early on with the lunch account, he experienced a problem. “We weren’t cutting pizzas equally,” he says.

“Students were buying the bigger slices and passing on the smaller slices.”

He was told to fix the problem or lose the account. He tried different equalslice cutting tools, but they weren’t very easy for his employees to use and not very efficient for a busy kitchen. He came up with an idea. He already used a cutting board to cut his pizzas. Why pay extra for a portioning tool?

He immediately started working on the equal-slice pizza-portioning cutting board that would save his school lunch account.

Greg thought, “Maybe my staff and I aren’t the only people who can’t cut pizzas into equal slices for pizza-by-the-slice applications?” He decided to introduce his idea, the Portion PadL, to the pizza industry, and the industry embraced it. The Portion PadL can be made for round, square and rectangle pizzas. “No matter how you cut the pizza, there’s a Portion PadL for it,” Greg says.

Greg expanded his portioning product line to include wood pizza peels.

“My Portion PadL customers were telling me they knew their employees were overstretching the dough on their wood peels,” he recalls. “They used a magic marker to put circles on their wood peels. Their local health department was confiscating the peels. They didn’t know if the ink on the wood peel was toxic.” Greg’s idea: the Portion PeeL, a wood pizza peel with custom-made laser-etched measuring circles made to each customer’s pizza-size application. Now dough can be consistently stretched to the desired size—no more loss of profits from adding extra sauce, cheese and toppings from overstretched dough.

In September, Greg will launch a new Portion PadL for portioning pans of lasagna into equal portions at his exhibit at the Pizza and Pasta Exposition.

“This new portioning product should be very exciting for the restaurant industry,” he says. “The Lasagna Portion PadL is as easy to use as the pizza Portion PadL—no more food waste from poorly cutting pans of lasagna!”

More information about all the Portion PadL products can be found at www.portionpadl.com, or call Greg directly at 330-608-5928.

78 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

WARM UP YOUR RESTAURANT PATIO WITH PREMIUM QUALITY

PIZZA WITHOUT BORDERS

Julio Cuevas looks on at the Latin American Pizza Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Take a look inside his pizzeria at pmq.com/chile.

APPYCE

THIS SANTIAGO PIZZERIA IS CHILE’S BEST KEPT SECRET Ex-attorney-turned-pizzaiolo Julio Cuevas is a pioneer in Chilean pizza.

The night before Julio Cuevas opened his pizzeria, Omertá, in the swanky downtown district of Bella Vista in Santiago, Chile, he was exhausted. The entire week had been devoted to settling a long-standing court case, his final one as a family law attorney. “I was at the hearings in the morning, at the pizzeria in the evenings to cook and experiment, and at night I was studying for the next morning to do it all over again,” Cuevas says. He won the court case on the morning of his pizzeria’s opening day, and his client invited him out to celebrate. “I told him, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t go to dinner. I’m opening a pizzeria tonight.’ He was shocked.”

Cuevas also had to break the news to other clients—and to his parents. He figured the reactions would be negative, so he had made a pact with his business partners to keep their pizza plans quiet for as long as possible. Their silent agreement became the tongue-in-cheek name of the pizzeria.

“The meaning of ‘omertá’ is very deep in Italy,” Cuevas says.

“It means ‘I don’t talk, I don’t see, I don’t hear.’ It’s not OK for professionals to suddenly go into something where you use

BY MISSY GREEN

your hands. But my job as a lawyer was so stressful that my family broke apart.”

In other words, in his quest for a career with less stress, Cuevas turned to his beloved hobby—making pizza—for a living.

NEAPOLITAN MEETS CHILEAN PIZZA

At Omertá, a chic fusion of pizza and fine dining, diners can experience gourmet fare that’s unique in the Chilean market.

Cuevas’ crown-jewel pizza, the Luxury of the Sea, features black dough made with squid ink and comes topped with caviar and tender octopus. The octopus alone takes a week to prepare, and it’s just one of several meticulously artisanal pizzas Cuevas has developed.

“I learned how to make pizza from my ex-mother-in-law,” he says. “She is from Argentina and is used to making pizza at home. Over time, I got good at it and invited friends over. My friends would say, ‘You have to open a shop. You have a very unique approach here in Chile!’”

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APPYCE

Left: Cuevas, owner of Omertá, displays his Luxury of the Sea pizza with a glass of Chilean wine. Above: Cuevas represented Chile in the Argentine competition’s semifinals with this pizza featuring ground pork, crystal chili and local oregano.

Other regional pizzas focus on seafood. “We have 4,000 miles of coastline, so we need to take all the stuff from the sea and put it in my pizza!” Cuevas says, smiling.

MORE STRESSED THAN EVER

But Cuevas didn’t want to open just any pizzeria—it would have to be amazing. He conducted a series of experiments in dough making and researched ingredients to find the best of what Chile has to offer. “In the middle of this process, I discovered Neapolitan pizza,” he recounts. “Neapolitan pizza blew my mind.”

Most Chilean pizza parlors are strictly fast-food affairs, usually showcasing Argentinian pan pizza or a cracker-base style that’s made for the masses. “The national dish here is the hot dog, not pizza,” Cuevas notes. He’s not kidding. In downtown Santiago, quick-service restaurants display a “pizza completa,” a thick-based pizza topped with all the ingredients you’d find on a hot dog: processed meat, mayonnaise, ketchup or tomatoes, and avocado. Italian pizzerias exist in Argentina, but Neapolitan-style pizza is virtually unknown.

Omertá offers a luxurious culinary experience using as many regional products from Chile as possible. “I want to change the idea of pizza here in Chile,” Cuevas says. “A lot of people think you have to use all Italian ingredients to have a gourmet pizza, but we have a very good product here, and we use Chilean flour.” The mozzarella fior de latte comes from Los Ángeles, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) to the south. The organic oregano is grown in the country’s northern highlands. “That’s the difference between a typical pizzeria and my pizzeria—I love to use Chilean products,” Cuevas says.

Cuevas’ specialty pies pay tribute to the cuisines of all regions of Chile. One example is the Araucana pizza, inspired by an indigenous culture from Patagonia. It’s topped with cinnamon-smoked pork ribs, longaniza sausage and merkén peppers that have been dry-smoked with coriander seeds.

After competing in the Latin American Pizza Championship in Buenos Aires in June, Cuevas is still feeling inspired. “It was an amazing experience, something different. I met so many pizza makers who still keep in touch on WhatsApp and Instagram.”

Cuevas made it to the semifinals, which ranked him among the top 12 pizza makers from Latin America.

Competitors in the event were asked to make a pizza representing their country, which Cuevas found to be particularly difficult. “Chilean cuisine is being born right now,” he says. “The Peruvian guys just developed their cuisine 20 years ago. If you go to Peru, you’re going to find all the same things in all the same restaurants. In Chile, not yet. You see creative food. All restaurants are trying to discover new flavors or make something different with Chilean products in mind. That’s why I love to use local organic oregano and local octopus or make my own jerky. It’s very exciting.”

For his competition entry, finally settled on a pizza topped with spicy pork and pearls created with crystal chili pepper juice and an oregano infusion.

Although Cuevas went into the pizza business to reduce his stress, it didn’t work out that way. He now owns three stores and is working on his fourth. He also wants to travel to Italy and earn his certification as an authentic Neapolitan pizzaiolo.

“Now I am even more stressed than I was as a lawyer,” he says.

“I get very tired, but I go to sleep happy because I’m following my passion.”

Missy Green is a pizza spinning gold medalist and PMQ’s international correspondent. She currently resides in the Netherlands.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

81

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

EYESUCCEED

EyeSucceed combines Google smartglass technology with innovative software to transform how work is done in the food industry. EyeSucceed lets new employees be trained hands-free at the workstation, allows for worldwide communication using remote assistance, and uses augmented reality to identify deviations and issue corrective actions in real time.

734-827-5672, EYESUCCEED.COM

STINGRAY

Stingray brings your customer experience to life with custom, brand-focused music and immersive digital experiences. Its team of sensory marketing experts create solutions that appeal to all senses and forge a connection with your brand at the emotional level. It’s one of the smartest ways for brands to trigger emotion and maintain engagement.

888-956-4562, BUSINESS.STINGRAY.COM

EHUNGRY

eHungry can custom-brand an online ordering system for your pizza restaurant. It’s big on features and low on cost—only 1.9% per order. Just sign up online, send over your menu and the eHungry team will take care of the rest. Run it under your brand, website and merchant account to have full control of your customers, orders and payment data.

EHUNGRY.COM, INFO@EHUNGRY.COM

HOT ROCKS

If you cook with a deck oven and need to increase your output, the Hot Rocks Oven could be the solution. This granite stone conveyor lets you ramp up production capacity without ever burning a single pie. You can cook more than 100 pies per hour and stack three ovens on top of each other. Imagine how many more pizzas you can sell!

855-278-3385, HOTROCKSOVENS.COM

REVENTION

Revention delivers a comprehensive pizza point-of-sale solution that’s easy to use and manage while providing exceptional user experience. With integrated online and mobile ordering and a loyalty program, it can also support your company’s growth and scale from one location to multiple pizzerias.

REVENTION.COM/PIZZAPOS

GRANBURY/THRIVE POS

With new monthly plans starting as low as $149, managing your pizza delivery business with Thrive tools has never been more affordable. Tired of getting nickel-and-dimed by third parties?

Go all in with the Preferred Processor Ultimate Plan for a flat rate of $349, which includes unlimited licenses and third-party integrations—and the complete suit of Thrive tools.

BIT.LY/THRIVE-PMQ

82 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

ACCOUNTING

CHEESE SHAKER LIDS

BAKING STONES

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE

CHEESE

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Choosing a POS: right the first time speedlinesolutions.com/PizzaPOS

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A POS DESIGNED & BUILT FOR PIZZERIAS

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POS Integration with: Dinerware

Custom App $99 Monthly + 0% Commission imenutogo.com Online Mobile Ordering Solution (718) 554-0524 86 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE

DESSERTS

Be Inspired. Be Creative. Be Original.

Red, White, and Blue Pizza with Nutella速

Fried Pizza Dough with Nutella速

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For more exciting recipes and tips about Nutella速, visit www.ferrerofoodservice.com or call (800) 408-1505 for more information.

DOUGH

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To locate a distributor near you, call 734-946-7878.

CUTTING BOARDS - EQUAL SLICE

DOUGH DIVIDERS/ROUNDERS, PRESSES/ROLLERS

DESSERTS

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

DOUGH TRAYS/PROOFING TRAYS

FOOD DISTRIBUTORS

The Original Dough Box

MANY IMITATE. NONE CAN DUPLICATE • Fiberglass strength & durability outlast plastic trays • Secure stacking, won't bend or sag • 3 standard sizes with snap-on lids • Optional lids and dollies available

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CHICKEN WINGS

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With AutoFry and MultiChef ventless technology you can serve hot delicious appetizers without the need for costly renovations.

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For more information call 800-348-2976 or visit us online at MTIproducts.com • AutoFry.com • MultiChef.com Your Source for Ventless Kitchen Solutions for over 25 Years

Tel: 310-366-7612 E-mail: sales@authenticfoods.com Web: www.authenticfoods.com

FLOUR

FURNITURE/FIXTURES

Exceptional pizza starts with exceptional flour.

Heat your Restaurant with SUNPAK®

Traditional Pizza Flours, Whole Grain Flours, Pizza Crust Mixes, Private Label Packaging, Proprietary Blending, Custom Development

Outdoor Patio Heaters

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88 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

pmq.com/Recipe-Bank/

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

MAGNETS

GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS Scan for Demo

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MANAGEMENT

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INSURANCE

PIZZAPRO INSURANCE PROGRAM Insurance Designed for Pizza Delivery Operations HAVE YOUR AGENT CONTACT US TODAY!

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ALWAYS WITH YOU.

Come follow us, like us, and engage with us on these social media platforms!

www.pizzatv.com

SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

MARKETING IDEAS

MEAT TOPPINGS

MIXERS

Precision HD-60 Pizza Mixer 7-Year Unconditional Parts Warranty on all gears and shafts in the planetary and transmission!

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MEAT TOPPINGS

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90 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

MOISTURE-ABSORBENT TOPPINGS CONDITIONER/SUPPLIES

ONLINE ORDERING

POS Integration with: Dinerware

ON HOLD MARKETING/PHONE SERVICES

Custom App $99 Monthly + 0% Commission imenutogo.com Online Mobile Ordering Solution (718) 554-0524

Grow Your Business with the power of online ordering More Orders. Starting Now.

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GET GOOGLE REVIEWS EASY AS A SLICE OF PIZZA

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ONLINE DATA REPORTS

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA OVENS

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www.univexcorp.com Tel. 800-258-6358 Fax. 603-893-1249 92 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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2019-04-12 14:39

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

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WOOD STONE CORPORATION.........Stone Hearth & Specialty Commercial Cooking Equipment.................1801 W. Bakerview Rd......................Bellingham, WA 98226 TOLL Free 800-988-8103.Fax: 360-650-1166.....................woodstone-corp.com

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Know a pizzeria that’s over 50 years old and a pillar of the community?

Nominate them for inclusion into the Pizza Hall of Fame!

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pmq.com/Recipe-Bank/ SEPTEMBER 2019 | PMQ.COM

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Since 1915, The Neil Jones Food Company has been producing premium quality tomato and custom blend sauces. A family owned and operated corporation, we only pack from the freshest and finest vine-ripened California tomatoes. So whether you prefer classic #10 cans or new shelf-stable pouches, you will always get the very best in fresh packed tomato products from Neil Jones Food.

SCALES Commercial weighing scales for restaurants, catering, delis, and other retail markets.

Pizza@YamatoCorp.com 262-236-0000 94 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

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96 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

PMQ Pizza Magazine presents:

Solving the Pizza Equation A L I V E I N T E R V I E W F E AT U R I N G Y O U R Q U E S T I O N S

2pm CST, Wednesday, Oct. 16 at www.pmq.com/live

From delivery boy to corporate franchisee to leading independent operator, Nick Bogacz wrote the book on building a successful pizza business—literally! Join us for a live discussion with Bogacz, the owner of Caliente Pizza & Draft House and author of “The Pizza Equation: Slicing Up How to Run a Successful Pizza Enterprise.”

Topics: • Building a brand • Motivating employees • The craft beer phenomenon

• Marketing and promotions • Community engagement

Here’s your chance to learn from one of the pizza industry’s great entrepreneurs!

Register for free TODAY at pmq.com/nickbogaczlive

PIZZA HALL OF FAME

(Clockwise from top left) Giuseppe, called Mario in the local neighborhood, changed his sign by the ’30s to reflect his nickname; Mario’s Restaurant, shown here in the ’40s, began as a pizzeria; cast members of The Sopranos stop by to film a scene in 2002; Mario’s stretched only 12.5’ wide in its early days.

Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 years or longer? If so, contact us at tracy@pmq.com.

MARIO’S RESTAURANT This Little Italy institution in The Bronx, now run by 4th- and 5th-generation family members, celebrates its centennial anniversary this year. By Tracy Morin Mario’s Restaurant has its 100-year-old roots planted firmly in pizza. After Scolastica Migliucci and her son, Giuseppe, moved from Italy to New York City, they opened up a pizzeria in lower Manhattan. But when the pair walked past a vacant storefront on Arthur Avenue, in the heart of The Bronx’s Little Italy, they decided to relocate there, opening G. Migliucci Vera Pizzeria in 1919. “They started with six tables and sawdust on the floor,” recounts Joseph Migliucci, grandson of Giuseppe and current co-owner of Mario’s with son Michael and daughter Regina. “My great-grandmother was outside, selling pizza for 5 cents a slice on the sidewalk; my grandpa was in the kitchen, making pizza; and my grandmother made homemade dishes for the six tables inside. It was really a pizzeria at that point.”

Through the ensuing decades of success, expansions were inevitable: In the 1940s, Giuseppe’s son (Joseph’s father) took over, buying the store next door to expand then-named Vera Mario’s Restaurant and Pizzeria.

In 1980 (despite initial warnings from his parents about the hard life ahead), Joseph purchased the business from his father and added a second floor for private parties, then bought the building, which added two stores next door to its real estate—later becoming more dining room space (today, seating 120) and another private-party room for 50.

Despite its evolution, the restaurant’s focus on family has remained unchanged over five generations. Celebs like Elizabeth Taylor have dined here, but Joseph asserts that he considers all of his customers celebrities.

They can always spot members of the Migliucci family in-house, among familiar staff members who have logged in years and decades at the restaurant. “We’re very accommodating to all customers, and when you treat people like family, they keep coming back,” Joseph says.

Today, this sprawling operation is more a restaurant than pizzeria, boasting a menu crammed with Old World recipes beloved by longtimers and tourists alike, while weekly specials and twice-a-month live music shows inject excitement for regulars. In fact, the thin-crust pizza, which Regina calls the restaurant’s “best-kept secret,” now graces the lunch menu and is available only as an appetizer for dinner. Yet it still routinely makes nationwide “best of” lists with a secret recipe Joseph learned from his grandfather (and shares with only Michael and Regina). “We use San Marzano tomatoes, the best olive oil—all the best ingredients go in all of our foods, and that’s what makes the difference,” Joseph explains. “Our pizza, and our success, is not about one thing; it’s a combination of many things.”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

98 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

the skill To reach an intended outcome, the journey there has to be flawless.

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