I suspect that, to many who know him, Fredi the Pizzaman, this month’s cover subject, is also Fredi the Everyman, one of the “little guys” of the industry—his lunch-only restaurant has just five tables—who looms tall because of his personal integrity and his passion for his work. In our … More

Pizza Sports Have Arrived! For nearly 20 years, the U.S. Pizza Team (USPT) has been a labor of love for PMQ publisher Steve Green, his family and staff. As I mentioned in this space last month, their work paid off splendidly in January when the USPT’s Winter Trials, held at … More

It has been a while since my noble visage shone gloriously from this page, but let’s be honest: You probably didn’t even notice I was gone. You didn’t miss me one bit, did you? True, my sabbatical was fairly brief, but a lot happened in my absence. Someone started … More

Happy December, pizza nation! Addressing our readers as “pizza nation” has become a “thing” with me, and I thought I would delve into that further. Oxford Dictionaries defines “nation” as “a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory.” … More

My first visit to Chicago was in 1992, when I was a graduate student at Northern Illinois University. Three of my friends and I packed up the car and made the one-hour trek into the city to hear a performance by the Chicago Symphony. I fell in love with … More

Hello, pizza nation! I’m Bill DeJournett, and I’m the new managing editor at PMQ. Although new to the magazine, I’m not a stranger, having known the PMQ folks for more than 10 years. I am thrilled to be a part of the talented team here! Our editor at large, … More

Everyone knows about the top 50 pizza chains. They have the biggest marketing budgets, the best technology, training departments, legal departments and other advantages that come from having an existing and well-developed network of commerce in the $45 billion American pizza marketplace. But… …but but but but but…. According to … More

Making people laugh is a tricky business. It can even be risky, as any class smart-aleck who cracked the wrong joke about the wrong kid in elementary school will tell you. I should know—I was that class smart-aleck. Not so much a clown, just a smart-aleck. Clowns can get … More

We're all exposed to hundreds of news stories everyday, whether through the TV, radio or social media. There are usually a couple crazy stories that stand out–and often stick around. One great example as of late has been the Tide Pod Challenge. Somehow, teens got it in their heads that … More

I love this month’s cover for many reasons, not the least of which is that it features the stars of two of my favorite food shows, The Cooking Channel’s Pizza Masters and Pizza Cuz. Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, the savvy, straight-talking New Yorkers behind the Artichoke Basille’s Pizza … More

    My only complaint about this month’s cover shot of pizzaiolo Ali Haider—photographed by our own Daniel Lee Perea—is that I don’t have dimples like that. I’ve always wanted dimples. Heck, I’d settle for just one. Sometimes I smile at my reflection in the mirror—we’re talking about my … More