All Things Pizza

Totonno's is an iconic Brooklyn pizzeria that has been operating in Coney Island for 100 years. Although it's founder, Anthony Pero (who was one of America's first pizza makers) passed away in the 1960s, his family has continued to run the pizzeria since then -- through floods and fires and most recently the COVID pandemic. But the pizzeria faces an uncertain future after it was recently put up for sale. Pero's granddaughter, Antoinette Balzano, joins the podcast to discuss the family's decision to sell and reminisce about some of the highs and lows from the past century.

New Jersey resident and pizza lover Telina Cuppari holds the coveted honor of having the world's largest collection of pizza-related items, which was recently certified by Guinness World Records. Telina joins the All Things Pizza podcast to discuss her growing collection and take listeners through the process of getting her world record documented and recognized. 

Dom DeMarco made his way to the United States in the 1950s. And soon after his arrival opened a pizzeria (Di Fara) which -- over the next half century -- went from a non-descript local spot in Midwood, Brooklyn to a nationally renowned food institution and destination for hungry diners from around the globe. Dom recently passed away at the age of 85. His daughter, Margaret DeMarco-Mieles joins the podcast to discuss her father's legacy and what the future holds for the beloved pizzeria. 

During a routine pizza delivery, a Domino's driver outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin noticed a woman in distress. After he saw her mouth the words "help me," he called 911 and his quick thinking likely saved her life. This heroic act went viral, even capturing the attention of Taylor Swift. Joey Grundl joins the All Things Pizza podcast to talk about his effort to thwart a kidnapping and the aftermath of that night. 

Dan Carney and his brother Frank founded Pizza Hut in Wichita, Kansas back in 1958. In a rare interview, Dan reflects on his brother's recent death and shares memories about opening the initial shop with a small $500 loan from his mother, the decision to ultimately sell the company to Pepsi, and his involvement with the company after it was acquired. 

Dragontail Systems is a technology company that is helping restaurants optimize every step of the food preparation, delivery, and customer contact process. The company is also developing solutions for what the future of the food industry might look like, including a drone delivery test that was recently launched in conjunction with Pizza Hut. CEO Ido Levanon discusses how his company is disrupting the way that some of the world’s largest pizza chains have operated for decades.

Ben Berman, a Philadelphia based graduate student, has been giving away homemade pizzas in exchange for charitable donations since the start of the pandemic. After being featured by Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports, his “pop-up pizzeria” has become one of the city’s most coveted food destinations. Nearly 1,000 people enter a weekly lottery for 20 pies, each of which is lowered out of his apartment window via a pulley system. So far, Ben has raised $30,000 – and he’s just getting started.

In recent years, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have frequented Vesta -- an upscale wood-fired pizzeria in Redwood City, California. When the coronavirus hit, they made a $100,000 contribution to the restaurant. Owner Courtney Borrone joins the podcast to discuss her famous guests, dish on their favorite pizza, and share all the details about their generous contribution.

Michael Franzese was a high-ranking member of the Colombo mob, one of New York’s most notorious mafia families. Following a lengthy prison sentence, he decided to walk away from a life of violence and crime. He joins the podcast to share stories about his time as a mobster and to discuss his newest business, Slices, an upscale pizza franchise.

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, three remarkable individuals in the pizza world share how they are having a positive impact on their communities. Featuring conversations with Mike Morin (Federico's in Belmar, New Jersey), John Durning (Pizzeria Deville in Libertyville, Illinois), and Bryan Atwood (Toppers Pizza in Blaine, Minnesota).

Major League Baseball legend Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez joins the podcast to discuss his new pizza concept: Pudge's Pizza. We chat about his illustrious career, business ventures, love for Puerto Rico, and favorite pizza toppings.

There are lots of teenagers across America who love pizza. But Carolina Williams took this passion to the next level, by submitting a college essay to Yale about her obsession with ordering delivery from Papa John’s. She got accepted to the Ivy League school and her essay went viral, even attracting the attention of Papa John himself. Carolina joins the podcast to discuss this surreal experience.

For decades, members of the US military have relied on MREs (meals ready to eat) for sustenance while in combat. At a military research facility outside of Boston, work is constantly being undertaken to develop new dishes and meals for soldiers, which recently led to the debut of an MRE pizza. On this episode, we are joined by Michelle Richardson and Julie Smith -- two food technologists who both played pivotal roles in the development of this new dish.

Writer Jenny Zhang joins the All Things Pizza podcast to take us on a journey to China -- where her and her grandmother forged a special bond over the most unlikely of foods: pineapple pizza from Pizza Hut. Jenny shares a heartwarming story that she wrote for Eater earlier this year, and we discuss some of the topics that she reflects upon in the piece.

On the premiere episode of the All Things Pizza podcast, I sit down with Brooklyn's own Paulie Gee. Paulie left his corporate job to pursue his passion around pizza which led him to open his namesake pizzeria in Greenpoint, Brooklyn back in 2010. He now has a number of outposts around the country, in addition to a new slice shop in Brooklyn. We'll discuss his hat collection, the opening of his new pizzeria, and his love for the Yankees. Plus we'll talk about how he comes up with the creative names for his pizzas, how he helped with the launch of Mike's Hot Honey, and how often Paulie looks at Yelp reviews of his pizzerias.