A pair of highly regarded home pizza makers and industry influencers from Pennsylvania will share their culinary smarts and expertise on two flavor-packed regional styles in virtual classes taking place in January and February 2025.
The classes, to be offered via livestream, will be led by Jim Henry of Jimmyhank Pizza in Harleysville (a suburb of Philadelphia) and Jim Mirabelli of NEPA Pizza Review in Clarks Summit.
The first class focuses on Detroit-style pizza and will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. (Eastern time) on Thursday, January 16. Henry and Mirabelli will follow up with a second class on Pan-Fried Sicilian pizza, to be offered from 7:30 to 9 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, February 13.
Each course will cost $40. Click here to register and purchase tickets.
“We wanted to come out of the gate with two classes featuring the styles of pizza that Jim Mirabelli and myself are most well known for,” Henry said.
Henry, who started making pizza during the pandemic, has become known as “The Frico King,” thanks to his knack for crafting a mouthwatering “frico” edge—a cheese crisp formed by pressing the cheese against the side of a pizza pan and baking up the pie to caramelized and crispy perfection. A frequent guest chef and consultant, he’s an Ooni ambassador and the author of the e-book, Pizza with Jimmy Hank, which launched earlier this month.
Detroit-style is one of the hottest pizza styles in the U.S. today. Pan-Fried Sicilian, meanwhile, might not be quite so ubiquitous—yet—but maybe it deserves to be. It’s made with a relatively low-hydration same-day dough and a generous dose of peanut oil or an oil blend that yields a crackly texture reminiscent of pork rinds.
Related: Why pan-fried Sicilian pizza is ‘one of the most delicious pizzas you’ll ever taste’
Mirabelli, a beloved pizza influencer and supporter of small businesses in Northeast Pennsylvania, has contributed his Pan-Fried Sicilian expertise for PMQ articles in the past and is an expert on the style, even though it’s largely confined to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania—for now.
“You may be ready for a nap after you’re done eating it, but if you buy a pan-fried Sicilian and that box is sitting next to you, with that onion aroma…let’s just say you can’t leave me alone with a pan-fried Sicilian,” Mirabelli told PMQ earlier this year. “Many people I talk to who try it are rabid fans immediately.”
Henry and Mirabelli previously shared their pizza-making knowledge in a live masterclass taught at Lackawanna College on October 5. That four-hour class delved into the differences between the New York and Detroit styles, dough preparation, sauces and toppings, and home and outdoor ovens. The class raised funds that went towards scholarships and programs for Lackawanna College’s culinary students.
“We’ve both been asked numerous times about how to make our signature pizzas,” Mirabelli said. “With those requests in mind, we decided to develop these online virtual classes. Given the huge response we had with the live class this past fall at Lackawanna College, we knew there was demand for this type of learning experience, not only in a live setting but virtual as well.”
Mirabelli said the two upcoming virtual courses will be packed with pro tips. “We want to leave people feeling like they’ve really learned something that you can’t get from a book. I’ll divulge all of my pizza secrets.”
