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Katie Lee owns Katie’s Pizza & Pasta with three locations in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Recently, the pizza company scored a huge client for its frozen pizza line to be sold in Walmart grocery stores starting in mid-to-late 2025.
We get into what went into such a lucrative retail deal. There is so much more to Katie Lee’s story. She shares her background, how she started her business and what led her into the frozen market.
For more details on the Walmart deal, see the following release: Owner Katie Lee and Culinary Director Chef Jake Sanderson received the news onsite at Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, immediately following their pitch, which focused on Lee’s unrelenting drive to grow the brand and keep doing more to share their award-winning offerings with a wider audience. Only a fraction of the hundreds of businesses who pitch thousands of products during Walmart’s Open Call receive the prestigious Golden Ticket offer.
“We did it! We got a Golden Ticket,” said Lee. “It’s the American dream come true, and we’re so proud to expand into Walmart. We’re so grateful to our St. Louis fans who have supported us as we started offering frozen pizzas through our restaurant business during the pandemic. We dreamed big and expanded into local grocery outlets, nationwide shipping, then moved into wider retail distribution, and now Walmart.”
Katie’s is outperforming the strong frozen pizza category with over 100% growth year over year for the past three years, which is 10 times the growth of the entire category. What sets the Katie’s frozen pizza line apart is the team’s commitment to hand-crafting the premium artisan pizzas daily with scratch ingredients. Katie’s is the only restaurant of its size that makes pizzas and pastas by hand for retail, raising the bar on packaged frozen food. Going the extra mile ensures freshness and quality in every hand-stretched wood-fired pizza.
Following the 2021 renovation of its frozen production facility, Katie’s frozen pizzas and pasta bakes became available at local St. Louis grocers Dierbergs Markets and Straubs. Growth continued with additional expansions into retailers including Fresh Market, Fresh Thyme, Kings-Balduccis, Mothers, Whole Foods Markets and more.
About Katie’s Pizza & Pasta
Katie’s Pizza & Pasta’s promise is to create moments of enjoyment between friends and family through passion-filled food and warm hospitality. Katie Lee’s dream to bring hand-made, in-house artisan and Neapolitan pizza to St. Louis began through one location under the ownership of her father, Tom Lee, in 2008. Today, KPP includes three locations. KPP Rock Hill opened in 2013 followed by the Town & Country location in 2017. The largest location opened in 2023 in downtown St. Louis’ Ballpark Village featuring a pasta-making station, wood-fired grill, expansive patio, private events space and in-house market selling to-go items. Katie’s portfolio of fresh and frozen pizzas, pastas and sauces are available at many grocery retailers and shipped nationwide. Since 2014, KPP’s “Giveback Tuesday” program has donated over $470,000 to St. Louis-based charities. To learn more and sign up for our newsletter visit KatiesPizzaAndPasta.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X to see the latest. -
Today is one of the busiest days for pizzerias so the crew at Pizza Today bring you a lighthearted episode where Josh, Jeremy and Denise talk Halloween in pizzerias, favorite Halloween pizzas, interesting Halloween finds.
Here is the infamous Halloween Pizza featuring candy corn: https://pizzatoday.com/recipes/pizzas/halloween-cookie-pizza/
We also talk PizzaCon, happening next week in Philadelphia and the newly announce Pizza Expo Columbus.
More on PizzaCon at https://pizzacon.com.
Learn more about Pizza Expo Columbus at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/pizza-today-international-pizza-expo-bring-national-pizza-show-to-columbus-in-2025/
Have a great Halloween!
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Miriam Weiskind has already amassed a huge following in the pizza industry with The Za Report. Now, she is set to open her first brick-and-mortar pizzeria, Yums of PDX in Portland, Oregon.
If you are looking for an inspiring episode. This is it. Miriam brings so much energy and enthusiasm about her journey and the pizza community.
Miriam’s background is in design and branding. But after capturing the NYC Pizza Run title, her pizza journey took off with Scott’s Pizza Tours where she spent 8 years leading pizza fans on pizza tours throughout New York City. In 2019, she began she began perfecting her pizza-making skills and at passion quickly sent her to into professional pizza-making when she found her first apprenticeship at Paul Gee’s in Brooklyn. As the COVID-19 Pandemic left many New Yorkers isolated, Miriam started making pizzas and giving them to first responders and people impacted by the shutdown.
The Za Report pop-ups and pizza giving continued as Miriam gained national attention for her efforts. She was even featured on the Food Network series Chopped on a pizza showdown episode “Wanna Pizza Me” in 2023.
All of that has led her to find the right opportunity in Portland, Oregon.
Miriam goes in depth about her journey to a brick-and-mortar pizzeria and how integral her pizza mentors and apprenticeships were. Sit back and enjoy this extended The Hot Slice Podcast
Learn more about The Za Report at https://www.thezareport.com/ and Yum’s of PDX at https://www.yumsofpdx.com/. Follow Yum’s of PDX on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yumsofpdx/. Also follow The Za Report at https://www.instagram.com/thezareport/ .
Show Notes:
Are you a Pizzeria to Watch in 2025?
Pizzerias to Watch feature looks at the total operation, from sales and employee programs to community outreach and marketing. We invite you to submit your pizzeria for our Annual Pizzerias to Watch feature.
https://pizzatoday.com/pizzerias-to-watch-questionnaire/
Register for PizzaCon, the fun new event is November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon. -
Denise goes one-on-one with Louise Joseph on life in her pizza truck business, Dough Girls in Greenwich, Connecticut. Dough Girls specializes in wood-fired pizza on the go.
Dough Girls rolls to local events, fairs, festivals, farmers markets and private and corporate catering locations. Louise talks about what events and locations work for her business. We learn what makes for good consistency.
What does it take to keep the pizza truck rolling? Louise shares the maintenance she focuses on to make sure her truck stays operational. We talk winter in a food truck in the Northeast, more weather and other challenges.
Dough Girls has been going strong for nine years and Louise shares why she plans to continue her business in the truck and not a brick-and-mortar.
Learn more about Dough Girls at https://www.doughgirlsonthego.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/doughgirlspizza/
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This week, Denise and Josh chat with Robert Garvey, co-founder of Robert’s Pizza & Dough Co. in Chicago, Illinois. Robert had just returned from Italy, where his pizzerias was honored as a Top 50 of “The Best 100 Pizzerias in the World” by 50 Top Pizza. Robert's additionally received the special award for "Performance of the Year 2024 - Robo Award".
We also talk about Robert’s picturesque location on the Ogden Slip on Lake Michigan, with an amazing patio.
Robert is a New York native, entrepreneur, marine engineer, business owner, journalist, playwright, teacher and certified Pizzaioli from the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli. He also shares how his love of dropping into a New York slice shop planted a seed to open Robert’s. We get into Robert’s Pizza & Dough Company’s origin start and the 25-year-old wild yeast starter.
More on Robert’s Pizza & Dough Company:
Founded by Robert Garvey and Dana Hokin Robert’s Pizza & Dough Company serves handcrafted thin-crust, artisan pies with fresh and unique ingredients. The secret is in the crust: a Garvey family recipe affectionately dubbed ‘Za Dough’ that took 20 years to perfect. Located on the Ogden Slip in Streeterville, Robert’s Pizza is a cul-de-sac on the river tucked away from the bustle of the city with an expansive patio featuring beautiful views of the Chicago River & Skyline. Robert’s Pizza is recognized as one of the Top 50 Pizzas in the USA by TOP50Italy and is regularly hailed as one of the top Pizzas in Chicago by revered critics like Steve Dolinsky and respected food publications including Eater Chicago and USA Today’s 10Best. Robert’s Pizza & Dough Company is located at 465 N. McClurg or 411 E Illinois Street in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. For more information, visit: www.robertspizzacompany.com or find us on Facebook & Instagram @robertspizzaco.
Show Notes:
Friday, October 11 is National Sausage Pizza Day. Celebrate accordingly.
It’s NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! Start planning now! We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit.
Register for PizzaCon, the fun new event is November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon.
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This week, Josh and Denise sit down with Jay Hansji, owner of Pizza Buzz in Watauga, Texas. He shares how one pizza catapulted his business into a huge 6,000-squre-foot building. He even tried to discontinue the pizza and the people revolted.
Pizza Buzz is known for unique pizzas, from the famous pickle pizza and birria pizza to tandoori pizza and even customer creations as pizza of the month like the chicken parm pizza. We also talk about introducing Detroit-style pizza.
We talk about what happened when Pizza Buzz moved from a small DELCO shop to a large sit-down eatery.
Jay also shares the pizza he made for International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo. We talk competition pizzas.
We talk about Jay’s background and how he was able to grow the business from using frozen dough to award-winning pizzas. Jay shares how the pizza community helped him progress.
We close on advice Jay has for blossoming pizza makers.
Learn more about Pizza Buzz at https://www.pizzabuzz.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pizzabuzzfortworth/.
Show Notes:
It’s NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! Start planning now! We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit.
Register for PizzaCon, the fun new event is November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon.
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The Pizza Today crew is back together again. Jeremy, Denise and Josh hop on the podcast together for a special episode on the big 4th quarter for pizzerias and us. We’re here to help you get ready.
We kick things off highlighting Pizza Expo’s newest event. PizzaCon, November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon.
October is NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! We go into some tips and ways for you to capitalize on pizza month. We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit.
The year’s homestretch is filled with additional revenue generating opportunities from pizza’s biggest sales days, catering, holiday parties and gift cards. You won’t want to miss out on these sales avenues. We’re also talking about staying fully staffed and avoiding burnout. Read Time to Gear Up for the Holiday Season at Your Pizzeria.
As you can see, the 4th Quarter is a biggie. Let’s kick it off on the right foot with planning.
We’re not all business. We have some fun with Halloween.
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This week, Denise goes one-on-one with Rick Herman, CEO of Log Home Wood Fired Pizza in McGregor, Minnesota, with a population of 350 people. So how has this business thrived for 10 years? Rick dives into the pivotal anniversary, focus of the business and how he’s been able to engage the community.
We also talk about the shifts the business has been required to make to operate in a hamlet dependent on tourism of northern Minnesota. Find out how he’s able to maximize winters.
He also shares a fun pizza special tied to a scholarship that he created, along with other marketing tactics.
We talk about the unique needs and operational considerations (like supply chain, delivery, growth) present in small town pizzerias. He offers advice on what to consider if you want to start a pizzeria in a small community.
Learn more about Log Home Wood Fired Pizza at https://northwoodspizza.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/loghomepizza/
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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, Josh and Denise chat with Ryan Ososky, owner of DTown Pizzeria in Hollywood, California. He caught our attention on Instagram for marrying two great pizza styles into one: Detroit and Tavern. We get into how and why, as well as what the response has been.
We dive into the challenges of the fickle Los Angeles market and how DTown grabs attention. Ryan is always floating new ideas out, including creating a dog-friendly pizza.
Ryan has competed well at the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Find out what has worked well for him and how he’s capitalized on the wins in his shop.
Ryan details how he plans to grow DTown
Show Notes:
October is NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! Start planning now! We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit.
Register for PizzaCon, the fun new event is November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon.
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It’s National Cheese Pizza Day, September 5. We celebrate the quintessential holy trinity of pizza, the cheese pizza. It is the classic combination of cheese, red pizza sauce and crust. Check out more on Cheese Pizza Day. Our guest today is thriving in one of the most competitive pizza markets in the world, New York City. Frank Kabatas has amazing story of building the American Dream. He actually tried his first pizza at the pizzeria where he would land his first job when he came to America in 1997. That first job was at the pizzeria he owns today, East Village Pizza.
Listen to Frank share how he advanced in the pizza business. He details how much education and learning has played a significant role in his life.
He also shares his passion for being in the kitchen and working with pizza. He loves to experiment, which has resulted in viral dishes. We talk cheese pizza.
The pizzeria has amassed 1.7 million followers on Instagram. Learn more about his livestreaming approach.
Learn more about East Village Pizza at https://www.eastvillagepizza.net/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/eastvillagepizza/ .
Show Notes:
Take the 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey now at https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7926725/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2024 .
October is NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! Start planning now! We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit.
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This week we’re exploring tech in pizzerias with George Panagopoulos, owner of Dedham House of Pizza, in Dedham, Massachusetts. This tech-savvy operator has taken over an over 50-year-old pizzeria. He is driving the business into future by developing a custom AI chatbot. As he has stepped into the owner role, George has implemented self-ordering kiosks, mobile app, rewards program, online specials and third-party delivery companies.
Listen as George shares what motivates him to advance his business technology and offers insights on how other operators can do the same.
We talk about what the future of Dedham House of Pizza will look like and how he is helping educate his customers to get there.
Here is a brief overview from Dedham House of Pizza:
Dedham House of Pizza is a Greek family-owned pizzeria located in the heart of the historic Dedham Square, a suburb of Boston. Serving up an array of New England Greek pan-style pizza prepared with daily-made, in-house dough, calzones, subs, roll-ups, pastas, salads, beer, wine, desserts and more, DHOP has been providing fresh food to the local community for over 50 years. Through implementing recent innovations such as self-ordering kiosks, a mobile app, a rewards program, online specials, catering offerings, gluten-free pies and three third-party delivery companies, third-generation owner & operator George Panagopoulos has taken an individually-owned mom & pop pizza shop to a nationally-recognized pizzeria.
The pizzeria’s patriarch, Andreas Panagopoulos, immigrated from a small Greek village called Eleochorio (Village of Olives) outside of Greece’s third largest city, Patras. Andreas and his siblings were farmers growing grapes and olives, and they made their humble living producing wine and olive oil. In search of the American Dream, Andreas arrived in the U.S. in his mid-20s, working a variety of jobs and falling in love with pizza. Andreas arrived in the U.S. in 1981 and by 1983 was working as an employee at the pizzeria. By 1991, he was managing it and by 1996, he and his wife Maria owned it, eventually enlisting their entire family to work as well including their son, George, who serves as the current owner and operator.
Learn more about Dedham House of Pizza at www.dedhamhouseofpizza.com and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/dedhamhouseofpizza.
Show Notes:
Take the 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey now at https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7926725/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2024 .
October is NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! Start planning now! We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit.
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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, Denise and Josh chat with Jessica Hellaine and Nick MacDonald, owners of Black Dog Pizzeria in Dublin, Ohio.
First, we learn what Columbus-style pizza is. Black Dog also serves New York-style pizza. Nick is the mad scientist of the business always experimenting with the dough and menu. Explore the evolution of its New York-style pizza. We talk menu development and employee input. Learn about their playful pun pizzas and marketing.
Jessica runs the marketing, social, front of house and other operations. We talk about how the pizzerias is gaining attention and grassroots growth through community and neighborhood events and competitions.
A mostly DELCO operation, they talk about converting third-party to their in-house delivery program.
Listen until the end when we find out what is top of mind in pizza business with Jessica and Nick and how the business recovered from a fire.
Show Notes:
Check your Email for the 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey. Learn more about the survey get a link to the survey.
October is NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! Start planning now! We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit.
Register for PizzaCon, the fun new event is November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon.
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This week, Jeremy and Denise chat with Jeff Cincotta, Chef Owner of Molinari's Italian Eatery & Pizzeria and Ravello Italian Kitchen in Watertown, Massachusetts. Prior to opening Molinari nine years ago, Jeff spent his career as an executive chef at private clubs.
He was ready for a change and opened Molinari. We dive into his background and transitioning to ownership and talk about the culinary creativity he brings to the business.
Molinari uses local seasonal ingredients. Jeff talks about his approach to local and shares some of his menu creations.
Don’t miss the end when Jeff shares tips and motivation for fellow operators.
Show Notes:
Jeremy and Denise highlight Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year, Camporosso in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Read the full story.
Check your Email for the 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey. Learn more about the survey get a link to the survey.
Check out the recent Pizza of the Week and how your pizza special can be considered at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/pizza-of-the-week-boxcar-pizza-portland-oregon/
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This week, we chat with Candy Yiu, who owns The Turning Peel in Portland, Oregon. She meticulously selected all the design elements that went into the pizzeria that resides in a house turned commercial space. The result is an enchanting and magical space with sourdough Neapolitan pizza at its core.
We talk about how the business has developed and how the starter and pizza dough has evolved. She even shares what her sourdough is named.
In an upcoming Conversation in Pizza Today Magazine, we asked Candy about the pizza style and dough. She said, “It is like a traditional Neapolitan pizza with paper thin crust with airy rim. But the difference is the crust is crunchy on the outside. Holding the edge of a slice should withstand weight of toppings. The sourdough gives you a tangy flavor you can’t resist. Crunchy yet chewy! We serve our sourdough Neapolitan pizza on a rack on a plate. We spent a long time to select this system to keep the pizza crust crunchy.”
Learn more about The Turning Peel at https://www.theturningpeel.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theturningpeel/
Show Notes:
Jeremy and Denise highlight Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year, Camporosso in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Read the full story: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/2024-pizzeria-of-the-year-camporosso-wood-fired-pizzeria-ft-mitchell-kentucky/
Check your Email for the 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey. Learn more about the survey get a link to the survey at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/industry-news/pizza-today-launches-2024-pizzeria-operator-survey/
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This week, Executive Editor Denise Greer interviews Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler, Owners & Chefs at Miller Butler in San Pedro, CA, They have quickly gained a reputation for amazing pizza in the LA pizza scene.
What started out as a pandemic pasta-selling business as evolved into a mobile pizzeria in high demand for its popups and catering. While Jillana has had a long career in food, including as a personal chef, operating a pizza business wasn’t in the plan until the COVID-19 Shutdown. Ahmad fell in love with the dough process as the couple perfected their pizzas. He has continually modified the dough in search of that perfect crust.
Find out how developed their dough recipe and started the business. Explore how Miller Butler has grown through crowdfunding and what’s next for the business.
You can catch Q&A in our Rising Stars of the Pizzeria Industry feature: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/rising-stars-of-the-pizzeria-industry-2024/
Learn more about Miller Butler. And follow the business on Instagram @millerbutler_sp and Jillana @chefjillananadine and Ahmad @mrbutler_aka_doughboi.
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This week, Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White goes one-on-one with Thomas Ardito, co-owner of Brooklyn DOP in Brooklyn, New York.
A fitness enthusiast and gym owner, Ardito grew up tinkering with pizza at home and first got involved in the industry by delivering pies on Long Island. But it wasn’t until the COVID pandemic — when many gyms across the nation were forced to close — that he began deeply exploring his interest in artisan bread making and dough development.
After working with Andrew Scudera at the Goodfellas Pizza School of New York and informally consulting great dough mentors such as John Arena, Ardito was ready to begin his journey in earnest and dove head-first into pizzeria ownership with business partner Jason D’Amelio.
Learn more about Brooklyn DOP at https://www.brooklyndop.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/brooklyndop/?hl=en
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Over the next few episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast, we’re excited to let you get to know pizza makers and owners who we named Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry. We’re so impressed by Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola, Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Leña was recently named a top pizza spot in the U.S in the feature: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/di.... It’s been a whirlwind since the announcement and even before that. Marisol has quickly garnered a reputation for her pizza and bagels, and it continues to grow. We talk about how the business started and its evolutions. We also dive into the Mississippi Delta region and pizza.
Marisol has a passion for flavor combinations. We go into some of her menu favorites. As part of our Rising Stars feature, we asked Marisol: Your menu changes weekly? What goes into your creativity? She said, “We introduce a unique pizza special every week, a veggie option that changes from time to time, and five pizzas that always stay on the menu. Additionally, we offer a couple of salads, appetizers and desserts. Our customers really appreciate that we offer something different every week and that we try to make everything in-house. We draw inspiration from our travels, ingredients we enjoy and creative ideas on social media. My Mexican heritage also plays a big role in the specials. I often like to incorporate traditional Mexican ingredients to our pizzas. It usually takes us a day or two to come up with the perfect combination of ingredients. We test out the flavor combos to ensure our customers will like variety — and of course, we always want the end product to taste and look delicious.”
Check out the Rising Stars of the Pizza Industry featuring Marisol at: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-...
Learn more about Leña – Pizza + Bagels.
and check out the pizzeria and Marisol on Instagram at @lenapizzabagels and @marisoldo.Over the next few episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast, we’re excited to let you get to know pizza makers and owners who we named Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry. We’re so impressed by Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola, Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Leña was recently named a top pizza spot in the U.S in the feature: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/di.... It’s been a whirlwind since the announcement and even before that. Marisol has quickly garnered a reputation for her pizza and bagels, and it continues to grow. We talk about how the business started and its evolutions. We also dive into the Mississippi Delta region and pizza.
Marisol has a passion for flavor combinations. We go into some of her menu favorites. As part of our Rising Stars feature, we asked Marisol: Your menu ch -
This week, Executive Editor Denise Greer goes one-on-one with Hillary Lake, who co-owns Hillary’s Chicago Pizza, in St. Augustine, Florida.
She’s no stranger to restaurant business ownership, but she never thought she would enter the pizza industry. It was during the pandemic that she missed her hometown Chicago pizza and sought to make the perfect Deep Dish. That catapulted into creating a farmer’s market and brewery pop-up for extra income. Today, Her and her husband Bruce bought a turnkey craft house.
Hillary isn’t stopping there. She has a vision to take her social work degree she is currently pursuing and opening a unique take on a Pizza Farm. Listen to her share her future plans.
Earlier this summer, we did a quick Q&A for our Conversation feature. In that, she says “We had and have amazing support here in Northeast Florida, and buying a restaurant was not on our to-do list. We had a restaurant in Chicago and thought we were done with that journey. I applied to grad school during the pandemic and I worked at a school for special education and my husband worked in insurance. The pizza thing would not go away though. Things magically lined up over and over from pop ups to farmers markets to our funding for the brick and mortar. The location was very serendipitous. The people that told us about our first farmer’s market are the same people who told us about the available kitchen in St. Augustine.” Read her Conversation: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/conversation-hillary-lake-hillarys-chicago-pizza-st-augustine-florida/
Learn more about Hillary’s Chicago Pizza at https://www.hillaryschicagopizza.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hillaryschicagopizza/ .
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Happy 4th of July, everyone! On this holiday, we’re replaying a favorite episode for your enjoyment. Jeremy sat down for a one-on-one interview with pizza legend John Arena, co-founder of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas, just before he gave one of the most memorable opening day keynote addresses at the 40th Pizza Expo in March.
During the discussion, John touches on his feelings about tinkering with dough formulas and pushing the industry forward through trial and error. He teases his keynote (“from Me to We,” he says) and even talks about his favorite style of pizza to eat (hint, he grew up on it), as well as his favorite style of pizza to make.
Follow John Arena on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/johnnypizzaguy/
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Giovanni Cesarano is part of the new generation behind the legendary King Umberto on Long Island, New York. We last caught up with Giovanni in 2021 on the podcast when we shared with him that he had been named a Rising Star in the Pizza Industry.
A lot has happened with Giovanni and the business. We talk about how he’s able to keep King Umberto’s top of mind in a changing New York pizza scene. We learn more about how the business has elevated and talk pizza styles. Giovanni remains humble in his leadership.
In his Rising Stars Q&A, he was asked, what is something uniquely you’ve brought to the pizza business? He replied, “It’s hard to be unique in a business where so much information is shared and seen on a day-to-day basis. With that being said my mother was a seamstress growing up, so I watched her make beautiful dresses and that was always inspiring for me. We’ve introduced some cool King Umberto gear like hats, t-shirts, and jackets.” Check out that Rising Stars Q&A at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/rising-stars-of-the-pizza-industry/ .
Listen to this one-on-one interview with Giovanni and Executive Editor Denise Greer.
Learn more about King Umberto at https://www.kingumberto.com/
Follow King Umberto on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kingumberto/
Follow Giovanni on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/giovanni_chez/
Listen to Giovanni’s previous The Hot Slice episode: https://pizzatoday.com/podcasts/the-hot-slice/s5e1-rising-star-john-cesarano-on-continuing-a-legacy/.
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