Steve talks with Chicago native Jared Leonard about his latest pizzeria – Grabowski’s – located in the RiNo District of Denver. Leonard is bringing the pizza of his childhood (that means tavern-style, thin, square-cut pizzas) to his newly adopted home.
Archives: Podcasts
Adam Sweet from King Dough in Indianapolis
Steve talks with Adam Sweet, an Arkansas native who ended up in Indiana. His first King Dough started on the campus of Indiana University, but he more recently opened in Indianapolis, directly across the street from Smoking Goose Meatery, a world-class producer of cured and smoked meats, and the collaboration has been a delicious one.
The Iconic Pizzas of New Haven
Steve travels to New Haven, CT, home to Yale, as well as some of the most revered pizza joints in the country. He meets up with Colin Caplan, the author of “Pizza in New Haven” and Owner of Taste of New Haven Tours. Steve (and a few lucky contest winners) learn about the city’s unique pizza history, then taste the legendary pies at Frank Pepe’s, Sally’s and Modern.
Marc Malnati from Lou Malnati’s in Chicago
Steve talks with Marc Malnati, President and CEO of Lou Malnati’s, the mammoth deep-dish pizza group started by his father in 1971. With more than 50 locations, Lou’s has become the largest deep-dish slinger in the country, and as Marc explains, their approach is more independently-minded than that of a large chain. Marc tells the story of how his father (and grandfather) were linked to the birth of deep-dish in 1943.
Steven Dilley from Bufalina in Austin, TX
Steve talks with Steven Dilley, the owner of Bufalina and Bufalina Due in Austin, Texas. Dilley’s parents are Italian and Taiwanese, so he has a unique perspective on food; his experience in the financial world in New York City, combined with some traveling and research in Naples, led to Bufalina in 2013 in East Austin. He talks about the city’s pizza scene, and why he didn’t bother trying to attain VPN certification for his thin and blistered pies.
Chris Bianco from The Manufactory in L.A. and Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix
Steve talks to Chris Bianco – of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix – about his new collaboration with Tartine Bakery’s Chad Robertson and Elizabeth Prueitt, in The Manufactory in downtown L.A. He’s focusing on flatbreads, rather than the wood-fired pies he’s known for, but the scale of the operation is mighty impressive.
Michael Schwartz from Genuine Pizza in Miami
Steve talks to Chef Michael Schwartz, the owner of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami and Cleveland. Schwartz’s new book, “Genuine Pizza: Better Pizza at Home” just came out, and Schwartz was in Chicago recently, doing a takeover of one of the ovens at Pacific Standard Time. He talks about some of the must-have tools for home pizza-making, but also discusses how he grew up on bad pizza in Philadelphia, then eventually opened Harry’s Pizza in the Design District of Miami, which led to the name change more recently to the Genuine Pizza brand.
Robert Garvey from Robert’s Pizza & Dough Co. in Chicago
Robert Garvey is an engineer-turned-playwright-turned-pizzaiolo, who grew up in Queens with a slice-a-day habit. Moving to Chicago in 1993, he started tinkering with dough recipes and spent the next decade or so, tweaking his recipe until he got it right. He recently re-opened his namesake pizzeria in Chicago after being closed for nearly two years, and his memorable pies are better than ever.
Justin De Leon from Apollonia’s Pizza in L.A.
Steve talks with Justin De Leon, a former professional photographer who has married his love of photography with his passion for pizza. Having grown up with heavy pizza in Monterey Park, he has spent years developing his Sicilian/Angeleno squares at Apollonia’s, which have enormous interior crumb and impossibly high cheese fricos around the lacy edges. The fact he knows how to photograph them makes them even more irresistible on Instagram.
Anthony Falco: International Pizza Consultant
Anthony Falco was one of the founders of the beloved Roberta’s, in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Over the past three years, he has become a pizzaiolo for-hire. He’s set up new pizzerias all over the world, and continues to create new, artisan options for some pizza shops in the U.S. as well. We met at Upside Pizza, in Midtown Manhattan, one of Falco’s recent clients, to learn more about how he’s helping pizzeria owners improve – and in some cases, create – their pizzas.
