The Glendale Star
April 1, 2021
17
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Special delivery: Lou Malnati’s celebrates 50 years BY AYANNA MUHAMMAD Glendale Star Staff Writer
Lou Malnati’s is celebrating 50 years of business with its patrons throughout April. The pizzeria is offering 50% off select items during this time, hosting trivia contests and giveaways on social media, and will be asking foodies to make the best deep-dish pizza to celebrate its anniversary. Lou Malnati’s was founded in Chicago in 1971, and its opening night was marked by a car crashing into its dining area. But disaster hasn’t stopped the Malnati family from expanding its business or its pizzas. Since its creation, Lou Malnati’s has opened more than 50 locations, including 7507 W. Rose Garden Lane, Suite 105, in Glendale. “The last 10 or 12 years we’ve really ramped up our growth,” said Marc Malnati, the current owner and one of Lou’s sons. “When you have enough people that have been with you for 20, 30, 40 years, it makes growing quicker. When
you have enough talent, you can grow.” Vendors play a key role in the pizzas’ quality. The company has used the same cheese vendor for more than 40 years and the same sausage vendor for 25 years. Although some of its vendors have gone out of business, the pizzeria has stuck with its recipe and directed vendors on how it wants its products to be produced. The company sends a team to California annually to get tomatoes when they’re the ripest, then cans them and uses that for its pizzas. “It locks in the freshness so we’re able to use the highest-grade of tomatoes all year round. It makes the best pizzas,” Marc said. Malnati’s expanded to Arizona first because more than 30% of Phoenix
and Scottsdale residents had Chicago roots, Marc said. It felt like a “natural progression.” The pizza chain is part of Tastes of Chicago, which was created by Marc’s brother, Rick, and ships products like the Malnati’s pizzas or food from other Windy City popular chains. Pizzas that are shipped are flash frozen, which is done in minutes, to help contain the pizza’s quality. They also
unruly hairs along the hairline without messing up your ’do. • Brow them up versus bowing them out. Using the same method above, an old toothbrush can easily become an effective eyebrow brush. • Transform it into a lip loofa. The next time you apply lip balm, use a dry toothbrush as an exfoliator to gently scrub off dead skin before washing away or wiping with a towel. • Use multiple brushes to let out your inner Picasso. Grab paint and give
them new life as art instruments. • Make the brush do your dirty work. Using a toothbrush as a cleaning tool can help tidy up most nooks or crannies with ease. They are especially adept at cleaning appliances, windowsills, keyboards, grout, shoe soles and even hairdryers. Beyond reimaging your old toothbrushes, you might also consider using a more sustainable option from the onset. Recently, researchers at Trinity College Dublin studied the carbon footprint of the four most common types of toothbrushes — electric, standard plastic brushes, plastic brushes
keep a small inventory to help ensure pizzas are shipped out as closely as possible to the day they were made. Through its prosperity, the chain has not forgotten its roots. The company funds the Lou Malnati Cancer Research Foundation and hosts a yearly charity event in honor of Lou, who lost his battle against cancer. The charity event has silent and live auctions and is usually held in the fall. The foundation has raised over $4 million for cancer research institutions, according to the Lou Malnati’s website. “Building Malnati’s has been an incredible team effort, and our goal has always been to bring people in who are willing to do the relational work necessary to create more than just another company but to actually create a community,” Marc said.
Help save the planet while protecting oral health BY TIFFANY DI GIACINTO Delta Dental of Arizona
As Earth Day approaches on April 22, it’s worth looking at a few easy ways to add a little green to the dental routine. Let’s start with the toothbrush. Believe it or not, the average person goes through three to four toothbrushes every year. For those seeking a more environmentally conscious route for toothbrushes that have become long in the tooth, consider these hacks: • Use it to fight flyaways. By spraying the bristles with hairspray, you can use a toothbrush to gently push back
with replaceable heads, and bamboo brushes — and the results might surprise you. The electric toothbrush? Not the winner. The study found that due to the process of making an electric toothbrush, it is far less environmentally friendly than a plastic brush. It also found that the bamboo brush, which seems the most sustainable by the nature of its appearance, wasn’t the best option either. In the end, a traditional toothbrush made using recycled plastic came out victorious. Once you have the right brush, you SEE HEALTH PAGE 19