Luca Platania has had a tough road getting to where he is. A brain tumor scare followed his move from Italy to Finland (he followed his wife back home), where he had to learn the language. Now, he’s got several locations of Forza in Finland, and Steve met up with him at his year-old space in Helsinki, where Luca showed off his two styles of pizza.
Archives: Podcasts
Chadwick Corcoran from Two Doughs in Agoura Hills, CA
When you start rolling and tossing dough at the age of five, you have some strong opinions and approaches to pizza making. Chadwick Corcoran sure does. In fact, he feels so strongly about both hand-stretched thins baked on the hearth, as well as pan-baked Sicilians, he decided to offer both at his suburban L.A. pizzeria, Two Doughs.
Rick Rosenfield, Co-Founder of California Pizza Kitchen and ROCA
Rick Rosenfield started his career with the Justice Department, going on to become a trial lawyer and prosecutor. But he and his business partner realized early on they wanted out of law, and into the restaurant business. They decided to create a pizza brand based on the California way of living – fresh produce, seasonal ingredients and unique (often misunderstood) flavors for 1980s America. The result was California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) a brand that has more than 200 locations worldwide. We talked about his origin story and how the brand developed its signature style of pizza.
“The Dough Whisperers” from Pizza City Fest L.A.
Our first panel discussion at Pizza City Fest L.A. this year was “The Dough Whisperers,” a panel including three of the leading dough experts in L.A. right now: Daniele Uditi (Pizzana), Andy Kadin (Bub & Grandma’s; dough supplier for Nancy Silverton/Mozza) and Evan Funke (Funke, Felix Trattoria, Mother Wolf). Moderated by our friend Noel Brohner, this slightly edited version includes a few of the audience questions as well. You can watch the entire discussion on our YouTube channel as well.
Salvatore LoCascio from Coda di Volpe in Chicago
Salvatore LoCascio has paid his dues. First in Italy, then in Chicago, working for the city’s best Neapolitan pizza makers. He’s now stationed at Coda di Volpe – one of only three VPN certified pizzerias in the city, where he’s adding a touch of his Sicilian heritage, and adding a new pizza to the traditional lineup.
Michael Schell from Schellz Pizza Co. in Los Angeles
Michael Schell and his wife operate out of a ghost kitchen in Hyde Park, which is just a few miles from Inglewood and SoFi stadium. It’s a pretty grim block, and it’s hard to spot, but once you do, you’ll be happy you arrived. Schell loved Detroit style pizza, and wanted to create something a little bit different, mimicking shokupan milk bread in Japan. It’s light, chewy and pretty dreamy when topped with sausage, red onions and giardiniera. Schellz Pizza Co. is destined for a brick-and-mortar sometime in the next year.
2023 International Pizza Expo
This year’s International Pizza Expo was back in full force after a couple of years of limping along. The Las Vegas Convention Center was filled with all kinds of vendors and suppliers, as well as pizza fanatics. I lost my voice the day before the Expo started, so it was a challenge talking to people, but I managed to hear a number of voices from different perspectives in the industry.
Matt Lyons from Tribute Pizza in San Diego
Matt Lyons built Tribute Pizza as an homage to some of the greatest pizzas he’s ever had. He makes 13″ Neo-Neapolitans, pan-baked grandmas and 18″ NYC style pies, hand stretched and tossed like a pro. We spoke with Matt just before service, as he make one of his new favorites, inspired the pizzas he had at L’Industrie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Salvatore Grasso from Pizzeria Gorizia 1916 in Naples, Italy
When most kids were figuring out Play Dough, Salvatore Grasso was literally playing with real dough, a result of a combination of double zero and zero flour. Today’s show is all about family and history. Growing up in a legendary Naples pizzeria – Gorizia 1916 – he is the fifth generation. We spoke to him and his wife, Lucia, about how they’ve maintained tradition while also adapting to keep up.
Franco Pepe from Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo, Italy
Franco Pepe has been in business since 2012, but it was the Chef’s Table: Pizza episode that helped catapult him into stratospheric popularity among pizza aficionados. He has built a temple to the art of pizza – Pepe in Grani – where all dough is mixed by hand, and toppings are curated from around the country, oftentimes transformed into unrecognizable shapes. We got a rare tour of his space, in a renovated 14th Century structure hidden away on a tiny side alley.
