Archives: Podcasts

Jeff Barris has always been into pizza, but when he had a chance to buy an established pizzeria in Atwater Village, he jumped at it. ⁠Hail Mary⁠ already had a cult following, but now that Barris and his team have taken over, they’ve changed very little (just the sauce), keeping the same all-natural starter intact and employing four different flours.

Coming back after a few years of so-so attendance, still recovering from the pandemic, the 40th International Pizza Expo was a smash in almost every way. I spoke with a few attendees about why they made the trip.

 

Connie Zotta is the 2nd generation to run ⁠Salerno’s⁠ in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. The pizzeria has been around since 1966, when it opened in a near suburb of Chicago (Berwyn). Zotta’s dad, Joe Salerno, founded the business with his brothers, but since he passed away recently, she has been tasked with keeping the tradition alive.

 

Alex Koons has had an interesting career – audio engineer, pizza delivery guy – but his biggest challenge was attempting to open a vegan pizzeria in L.A. It didn’t take long to realize he had to pivot. Today his pizza at ⁠Hot Tongue⁠ in Silver Lake (both vegan and meat-friendly) is among the best in the city, due mainly to his remarkable dough recipe (with four flours!).

 

Peter Dorrance and Eric Ehler met while working at Mr. Jiu’s, the Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown. They left to open ⁠Outta Sight⁠, a NYC-style pizzeria in the Tenderloin. Convincing locals that it’s OK to re-heat slices to-order took some getting used to!

Katsuya Fukushima spent 15 years working for José Andrés in Washington D.C., and it allowed him to travel the world. But his upbringing in Hawaii also influenced his palate, and his Japanese heritage also plays a role on his menus. He now cooks Wafu – Japanese inspired Italian – at ⁠Tonari⁠ in D.C.’s Chinatown, where he and pastry chef Mary Mendoza have collaborated on a mentaiko corn Detroit style pizza that is just stunning.

Like several of Knoxville’s best chefs and restaurants, owner Brian Strutz is an alum of Blackberry Farm’s kitchens. ⁠A Dopo⁠ is an homage to a life-changing trip he took to Italy years ago, where all they had was an oven. Strutz still uses an all-natural starter and his staff pulls mozzarella curds each day. Serious Old School in Tennessee! NOTE: on this episode, we also mention ⁠Potchke⁠, an Eastern European-inspired deli Strutz is involved in. His business partner Laurence Faber and wife Emily Williams are the creators of that concept.

Jenny Olbrich has had a multi-faceted career – from private chef to designer…eventually landing in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, at ⁠The Esters⁠ – a bar and restaurant with a tidy pizza program. She talked about her path, and how she managed to crank out hundreds of pies at a time in a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet.

Max Balliet has held odd jobs in mechanics, but a life-changing trip to Italy as a kid shaped his future career. He didn’t see much of a pizza culture in his native Louisville, so he decided to create something completely unique – a neo-Neapolitan style pizza based on an all-natural sourdough starter – and now ⁠Pizza Lupo⁠ is one of the best places to grab a pie in all of Bourbon Country.

 

Lenny Rago has been working in professional kitchens since he was 14. Now in his 50s, the Chicago native has built ⁠Panino’s⁠ into a pizza powerhouse, creating nearly a half dozen types of pie at three different locations. We met up with him at his Evanston location, where he showed off a classic Chicago tavern style, as well as a preview of his deep-dish, which will be launching in the new year.