If robots ever conquer the world, Julia Collins will be ready. They might even be her robots, in which case there’s no reason to panic: It will be a friendly takeover. Collins and her partner, Alex Garden, have developed a “cobot culture” at their single-unit pizzeria, Zume Pizza, in … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Katie Collier: The Queen of All Pizza Media in St. Louis.
Katie Collier could be a Food Network celebrity if she wanted to be—she just doesn’t want to be. With her extraordinary kitchen skills, warm personality and marketing smarts, Collier, the co-owner and culinary mastermind behind Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria in St. Louis, knows how to get her name—and … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Two Boots: Meet the Free Spirits Behind Pizzas Like the Hogwallop, the Dude and the Royal Tenenbaum
Naming a pizza at Two Boots is serious business. You can’t just string together a list of ingredients—say, the Bacon, BBQ Chicken, Scallions and Cheddar—and call it a day. No, you give it some deep thought, you search your soul, you ponder eternal cosmic truths, and then it finally … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
We Stayed Up Past Our Bedtime at Mikey’s Late Night Slice in Columbus, Ohio
You might say Mike Sorboro built Mikey’s Late Night Slice with his own two feet. Sorboro, who co-owns the famously irreverent pizza company in Columbus, Ohio, raised the money to launch the first Mikey’s location with his pedicab business, carting hard-partying tourists and clubbers around the city in the … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Thea’s Rules: This Food-loving Brit Is Rewriting the Restaurant Rules in Miami
In her teenage days, London-born Thea Goldman, owner of Thea’s in Miami, traveled the world as a fashion model—living in Paris, Tokyo, New York City. But her true passion wasn’t strutting down the runway; it was food. She chased jobs in and out of the kitchen, using modeling as … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Proud Larry’s Earns Straight As in Pizza, Drinks and Rock-and-Roll
Don’t let the unassuming red-brick facade and humble patio fool you: Proud Larry’s may look like your average small-town pizza joint from the outside, but it’s a venue that has played host to musical legends. Located in Oxford, Mississippi—home of the University of Mississippi and William Faulkner—Proud Larry’s, a … More
Business & Marketing
Pizza by the Sea: Beach-Town Pizza Company Has Picture-Perfect Strategy for Marketing to Families
Jason and Kristi Beer (above) encourage customers to paint original designs on pizza pans, which help create Pizza by the Sea’s distinctive, off-kilter vibe. It’s a good thing Jason and Kristi Beer, owners of the three-unit Pizza by the Sea in the Florida Panhandle, like children—they’ve got a lot … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
The Pizza Kings: The Strange, Sad Story of the Industry’s Greatest – and Most Tragic – Visionaries
He was the Johnny Appleseed of New York pizza, a business genius and visionary who helped countless Italian-American restaurateurs open their first pizzerias and survive the Great Depression. He’s even credited with inventing the modern gas-fired pizza oven and the pizza box. He should be an industry icon. Instead, … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Dallas-Based Chef Lee Hunzinger Reimagines the Possibilities of Pizza
Ask movie buff Lee Hunzinger for his favorite film quote, and he’s quick with an answer, recalling a scene from Young Frankenstein in which a blind hermit tries to teach the monster how to smoke a cigar. “Fire is good, yes,” the hermit says, just before setting the slow-witted … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Adam Paccione Steers Red Tractor to Success in the Heart of the West
Folks in Montana have lived off the land for centuries. Crow and Blackfeet warriors once roamed these frozen plains, hunting buffalo and fishing the teeming rivers. Later came the pioneers, who tilled the hardscrabble soil to grow potatoes and beans, and the ranchers, with their vast herds of cattle … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
&Pizza: Rebels With a Cause and a Whole Lot of Style
Fast-casual pizza is nothing new, but no one is doing it quite like &pizza—and Michael Lastoria, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based company, wouldn’t have it any other way. From branding its own beverages and snacks to crafting proprietary patterns for its ampersand-emblazoned swag, &pizza revels in breaking the mold … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Meet Gino Rago, the Pizza-Making Wizard of the Windy City
For Gino Rago, the multitalented chef and passionate proprietor of Panino’s Pizza in Chicago, pizza magic starts with the dough. Not just any dough, but a mystical elixir of flour, water, salt and lievito madre, better known as Mother Yeast. A hallowed tradition in Italy for hundreds of years, … More