Jason Samosky, of Samosky’s Homestyle Pizzeria in Valley City, Ohio, has been a member of the U.S. Pizza Team (USPT) since his first competition and win in 2005 at Pizza Pizzazz in Columbus, Ohio. Jason recently built his own wood-fired oven to serve his operation. Here, Brian Hernandez, PMQ … More
Chef’s Corner | Pete Blohme Tricks Out a Tasty Treat With Beignets
The term “French Quarter” usually conjures up images of New Orleans, Bourbon Street and Cajun food. Most of us don’t realize that there is a French Quarter in Alabama as well. And, nestled in the picturesque little town of Fairhope, also lies one of America’s hidden gems. Among a … More
A Eureka Moment for Steve Bangos Led to His Alaska-Themed Pizza
When Steve Bangos, a television visual and set designer and musician, traveled to Alaska for a gig, little did he know that visit would change his life. Years later, his Eureka Pizza Co., located in Yorba Linda, California, honors the landscape and culture of the 49th state. Bangos’ journey … More
Chef’s Corner: Leah Scurto and Her Recipe for Rosemary Sicilian Grandma Pie
When people think of California, a few things naturally come to mind—sun, surf and sand. But there is more to the Golden State than beaches and movie stars. From San Diego to San Francisco, California is home to some of the best pizzerias and pizza makers on the West … More
Super Troopers: Rick Drury Rewrites the Laws of Pizza Marketing at Precinct Pizza
When he was a younger man working for a Domino’s Pizza store in the late 1980s, Rick Drury, owner of the two-location Precinct Pizza in Tampa, Florida, admits he was a “terrible employee” who thought he knew more about running a pizzeria than his bosses. Turns out he was … More
Chef’s Corner: Chris Decker Creates Some of the Best Pizzas in Las Vegas
Bright lights, water fountains, mini volcanoes. Las Vegas is famous for a lot of things, and pizza is fast becoming one of them. In a town that sees tourists from all over the globe year-round, your pizza game must be on point, and Metro Pizza’s game is definitely on … More
The Upper Crust: How Anita and Klime Kovaceski Became One of Miami’s Culinary Power Couples
Klime and Anita Kovaceski make a formidable foodservice duo. Walk into their Miami-based hotspot, simply called Crust, and Klime is effortlessly juggling preshift staff management and late-night social media, whipping up time-tested culinary delicacies, and roving tables to gauge customers’ satisfaction at an always-packed house. Anita, invariably, is … More
The Lost Boys: Building a Small-Town Pizza Empire in the Deep South
In the little Mississippi Delta town of Indianola, the summers can be sweltering, and the mosquitoes are big and mean. As youngsters, best friends Brooks Roberts and Preston Lott played in its broad, flat, green spaces, gazed up at the night sky illuminated by sudden, brilliant flashes of heat lightning, … More
Artichoke Basille’s: How Two East Village Pizza Guys Became Food Network Stars
Francis Garcia and Sal Basille—cousins, business partners and owners of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza—are, in many ways, quintessential old-school New Yorkers. They know the score and tell it like it is. They’re not afraid of hard work. They take pride in their pizza craft. But they’re also quite unlike the … More
The Lucky Number: Ali Haider Is Setting the Pizza World on Fire at 786 Degrees.
Ali Haider may be half-Iraqi and half-Indian, but he’s all Italian at heart. As owner of 786° Wood Fired Pizza Company in Sun Valley, California, the dashingly cosmopolitan Haider—he was born in India and raised in Kuwait before immigrating to the United States—terms himself an “ambassador of … More
The Master Plan: How Michael LaMarca Balances Family Life and Pizza Rock Stardom
The owner of Cleveland-based Master Pizza doesn't let running his successful business run his life.
Rocking the Boat: How Two Landlubbers Built a Floating Food Truck in the Virgin Islands
Living in paradise is harder than you think—if you’re paying for it with pizza. For Tara Bouis, co-owner and head chef of Pizza Pi VI, it means 10-hour workdays, toiling in a cramped, hot little kitchen with the oven running full blast, slipping and sliding over slick, wet floors, … More