Pizza City with Steve Dolinsky

Argentinian born, Italian raised. Guillermo Paolisso came to Chicago and realized there was a gap in the market: Roman style. He and his wife now make their crunchy slices each day at Capriccio in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.

Hunter Leslie started out with a food truck, but realized pretty quickly as he moved from Detroit to L.A., the future was in a brick and mortar. He was one of the first Midwest transplants to open a Detroit style pizzeria in L.A. with Detroit Pizza Depot.

Jeff Scheer ended up on Maui like a lot of people - by accident. But his commitment to the culinary scene there, as nascent as it is, has been admirable. We discovered his sourdough pizza at Marlow, in an upcountry mall, where the menu has lots of highlights.

Their motto is "One Part Milan, One Part Brooklyn, All Maui," so you know a pizza from Sal e Pepe is going to be special. This is a love story for sure, but it's also a story of resilience and courage, in the wake of the deadly Lahaina wildfires from 2023.

Bronwen Kinzler-Britton & Jose Ibarra both came from more fine-dining backgrounds, but realized they just wanted to work for themselves and make great pizza. Naughty Pie Nature operates out of a tiny corner kitchen space (no dine-in) in Echo Park, but they've had a nice, steady growth pattern since they were just a pop-up a year or so ago.

Alex White's Great Great Grandfather used a sourdough starter when he ran a shop in the Yukon Territory more than 120 years ago. That same starter lives on in a Las Vegas pizzeria: Yukon Pizza, where they make sourdough crusts as well as some NYC slices.

As a born-and-bred New Yorker (from Long Beach), Vito DeCandia was literally brought up in a pizzeria. He was stretching dough by the age of 12. His lifetime of baking eventually led him to the West Coast, where his wife was from. Two years ago he opened Angel City Pizza in Venice, where he continues to make what he knows: NYC style slices, squares, and even Grandmas! Vito will be one of 40 pizzerias participating at Pizza City Fest L.A. April 26-27. Get your tickets at pizzacityfest.com

John Notaro may have spent his early years in Brooklyn, but there's no denying pizza and baking are in his DNA. He spent years at Sbarro, then ran a bakery until he became partners at Famous Ben's, a SoHo landmark since 1979 (they celebrate 46 years in business this month). We talked about his "Palermo" which aficionados will recognize as a sfincione (sans anchovies).

Wylie Dufresne has spent his life and career in New York City. He worked for Jean Georges Vongerichten, ran notable restaurants like 71 Clinton Fresh Food and WD50, and was starting a doughnut business until the pandemic changed everything. Pizza saved him, and his creation - Stretch - has brought a new evolution to what "NYC Pizza" means.

Mr. Mangieri is a two-time winner (#1 ranking) in the 50 Top Pizza list and is currently on the 6th iteration of hisUna Pizza Napoletana, now on New York's Lower East Side. He spent 9 years in San Francisco, with stints in New Jersey as well. But now Mangieri is firmly in control of his craft, limiting the offerings to just a half dozen each night with a few simple starters and a pair of desserts. It's truly a Neapolitan worth the journey.

The Federighis had successful careers in commercial production and modeling, but all of that changed during the pandemic, when they shifted more into their love of pizza making. Hopscotching around Chicago and the suburbs, making artisan, then Sicilian and finally Chicago thin (tavern style), they've opened one of the most in-demand pizzerias in the city - Pizz'Amici - which makes a textbook Old School Chicago thin pizza.

Darby Aldaco got into some big trouble as a kid, stealing pizzas from stopped delivery cars. At 18, he was arrested for stealing a Domino's pizza, subsequently losing his prom date. He wound his way through the L.A. bread scene, worked for Nancy Silverton at Triple Beam, then began commuting to Portland for a pizza project. The result is Pizza Thief (and the Bandit Bar next door). They make 18 inch pies and focus on sour dough and whole grains with high hydration. Like so many of their peers in Portland, they get all of their ingredients from local farms, markets and mills in the Northwest.

The Mexico City pizza scene is still in its infancy. Most of the styles tend to follow the Neapolitan model - wood fired, high heat, etc. Ardente has two locations in CDMX and we visited their newest location in the Condessa neighborhood, where Alfonso Jarero has brought his expertise in gelato making and is now also making excellent pizzas.

Chicago has a wealth of pizza styles - deep-pan, deep-dish, tavern and stuffed are the homegrown styles, but there's also Sicilian, Detroit and Neapolitan. When it comes to Roman pinsa, however, choices are more limited. Adam Weisell was born in Rome, so he brings a lot of experience and his own taste memories to the menu at Munno, an Italian restaurant with a dedicated pinsa program. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Matthew Grogan loved the pizza from Grimaldi's (and later, Juliana's) so much, he quit his job in finance to help Patsy Grimaldi continue his vision. The New York native has seen Grimaldi through good and bad times, and feels the weight of carrying on that vision well into the 21st century. We discuss the complicated history of Grimaldi's and Juliana's, including the special challenges involved in running a coal-fired oven beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Vincenzo Onnembo was a film student in Rotterdam, but in 2018 wound up in Amsterdam with a business partner, making Neapolitan-inspired pizzas at nNea. He has since opened a carryout operation next door, since getting a reservation at the restaurant could take months. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

David Peña fell hard for New Haven style apizza, so after a deep research trip - where he spent time in some famous kitchens like Frank Pepe's - he returned to Texas with new vigor and the idea to replicate the traditional apizza (ah-BEETS) in the Lone Star state, about 30 minutes outside Dallas at Fortunate Son (yes, named for the Creedence Clearwater Revival song). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Rony Stark grew up in Italy, with an appreciation for homemade pasta and pizza. But when he moved to Nashville several years ago, he saw an opportunity to create something no one had done before: Roman pinsas. At PennePazze he offers both handmade pasta and these light and airy pizzas, and is expanding the business. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

A pair of Filipino cousins joined forces with their Mexican friend to open a unique pizzeria in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Novel Pizza Cafe combines both of the partners' cultures, but also thinks of itself as and all-day cafe. We took a closer look at how they make both a Chicago thin pie as well as a deep-pan. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

We revisit this wonderful pizzeria from the Upper West Side of NYC, now that they have a second location downtown. Frank Tuttolomondo's square slices are incredible. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

We revisit L'industrie in NYC this week, after they came in 80th in the world from the 50 Top Pizza organization. We are revisiting this classic because they now have a second location in the West Village, but we spoke with owner Massimo Laviglia way back in 2020, when he was still finding his footing. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

For nearly 80 years, Rose Barraco George has been a part of legendary Vito & Nick's in Chicago. A true blue collar joint since it's inception as a bar in 1920, the bar/restaurant continues its tradition of making one of the finest tavern style pizzas in the city. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Four years ago, we had Thomas McNaughton on the show, talking about his new concept, Flour + Water Pizzeria in the Mission District in San Francisco. Since the pandemic, he and his co-Chef/Culinary Director, Ryan Pollnow, moved and expanded the operation, tweaking the recipe, and deciding to set up a commissary in the new store that will ultimately support additional stores. Meanwhile, they operate a sit-down pizzeria in front and a slice shop in the back. That's where I met Pollnow, to talk about the evolution of their pizzeria, and how they nailed one of the best gluten free slices I've ever had. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

A Chicago native who grew up on NYC slices, Don Hernandez traveled around the country, ending up in Nashville several years ago. He never intended to open a pizzeria, but he found that it was recession and pandemic-proof, and the community just outside of town, in Madison, was incredibly supportive. His NYC-inspired slices at Pinky Ring Pizza go a few steps further, employing not one but two all-natural starters. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Jason Vincent (Giant, Chef's Special) has worked in Chicago as a Chef for nearly 20 years. After stints at Lula and Nightwood, he struck out on his own and despite running two successful restaurants in town, decided to pursue pizza in a serious was during the pandemic. At Pizza Matta, he offers both an E. Coast-inspired thin as well as a Midwestern tavern style. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Kim Hayes' background as a culinary employee at Macy's and Marshall Fields laid the groundwork for her lifelong dream: to open a pizza farm with her husband, Brad. They've spent the last 10 years renovating the Alpha & Omega Farm in Princeton, MN, about an hour north of Minneapolis, creating "Pizza Nights" on Thursdays and Saturdays in the Summer and Fall. Steve spent the day with Kim as she prepped for a recent dinner service. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Ryan Ososky has worked for some of the biggest chefs on the West Coast - Bradley Ogden, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck - and when he decided to go out on his own, he felt the most appropriate use of his skills would be pizza. Not just any pie though, he had to make the Detroit style pizzas he remembered growing up Michigan. But Ryan's pies at Dtown go way beyond just pepperoni; he now offers a $100 pie with A5 Wagyu and caviar... --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Jerry Czerwinski grew up in Skokie, IL, a child of mostly thin crust and some deep-dish. He had a long career as a carpenter, before going head-first into pizza, really getting the bug about a decade ago. He and his family now run Uncle Jerry's Pizza Co., a small suburban pizzeria where they've completely reimagined deep-dish, creating a pie with one of the best OBRs (optimal bite ratios) anywhere. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

We always have a couple of panel discussions and demos at Pizza City Fest, and a few weeks ago in L.A., we brought together three brilliant pizza makers who think visually as much as they do about the recipes. Justin De Leon (Apollonia's), Ines Glaser (Lupa Cotta) and Thomas McNaughton (Flour & Water Pizzeria, SF) join the LA Food Podcast's Luca Servodio to talk about their process. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Every Pizza City Fest has a series of informative panel discussions and demos, and at this year's L.A. event, we brought back "The Dough Whisperers," three of the top bakers on the West Coast, sharing best practices. Tony Gemignani (Tony's, Capo's, Slice House), Daniele Uditi (Pizzana) and Sarah Minnick (Lovely's Fifty-Fifty) join Karen Palmer in the conversation. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Chris Decker worked for 26 years under John Arena at Metro in Las Vegas, but now he's the guy in charge at Truly Pizza in Dana Point, CA. They offer two very distinct styles of pizza and both are incredible. Chris and his crew are going to be featured at Pizza City Fest LA this weekend, where they'll be showing off a very unique pie. He previews it for us on this week's show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Jeff Barris has always been into pizza, but when he had a chance to buy an established pizzeria in Atwater Village, he jumped at it. Hail Mary already had a cult following, but now that Barris and his team have taken over, they've changed very little (just the sauce), keeping the same all-natural starter intact and employing four different flours. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Coming back after a few years of so-so attendance, still recovering from the pandemic, the 40th International Pizza Expo was a smash in almost every way. I spoke with a few attendees about why they made the trip. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Connie Zotta is the 2nd generation to run Salerno's in Chicago's West Town neighborhood. The pizzeria has been around since 1966, when it opened in a near suburb of Chicago (Berwyn). Zotta's dad, Joe Salerno, founded the business with his brothers, but since he passed away recently, she has been tasked with keeping the tradition alive. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Alex Koons has had an interesting career - audio engineer, pizza delivery guy - but his biggest challenge was attempting to open a vegan pizzeria in L.A. It didn't take long to realize he had to pivot. Today his pizza at Hot Tongue in Silver Lake (both vegan and meat-friendly) is among the best in the city, due mainly to his remarkable dough recipe (with four flours!). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Peter Dorrance and Eric Ehler met while working at Mr. Jiu's, the Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown. They left to open Outta Sight, a NYC-style pizzeria in the Tenderloin. Convincing locals that it's OK to re-heat slices to-order took some getting used to! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Katsuya Fukushima spent 15 years working for José Andrés in Washington D.C., and it allowed him to travel the world. But his upbringing in Hawaii also influenced his palate, and his Japanese heritage also plays a role on his menus. He now cooks Wafu - Japanese inspired Italian - at Tonari in D.C.'s Chinatown, where he and pastry chef Mary Mendoza have collaborated on a mentaiko corn Detroit style pizza that is just stunning. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Like several of Knoxville's best chefs and restaurants, owner Brian Strutz is an alum of Blackberry Farm's kitchens. A Dopo is an homage to a life-changing trip he took to Italy years ago, where all they had was an oven. Strutz still uses an all-natural starter and his staff pulls mozzarella curds each day. Serious Old School in Tennessee! NOTE: on this episode, we also mention Potchke, an Eastern European-inspired deli Strutz is involved in. His business partner Laurence Faber and wife Emily Williams are the creators of that concept. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Jenny Olbrich has had a multi-faceted career - from private chef to designer...eventually landing in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, at The Esters - a bar and restaurant with a tidy pizza program. She talked about her path, and how she managed to crank out hundreds of pies at a time in a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Max Balliet has held odd jobs in mechanics, but a life-changing trip to Italy as a kid shaped his future career. He didn't see much of a pizza culture in his native Louisville, so he decided to create something completely unique - a neo-Neapolitan style pizza based on an all-natural sourdough starter - and now Pizza Lupo is one of the best places to grab a pie in all of Bourbon Country. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Lenny Rago has been working in professional kitchens since he was 14. Now in his 50s, the Chicago native has built Panino's into a pizza powerhouse, creating nearly a half dozen types of pie at three different locations. We met up with him at his Evanston location, where he showed off a classic Chicago tavern style, as well as a preview of his deep-dish, which will be launching in the new year. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Daniele Cason has been the Executive Chef at The Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo for more than a decade. As a Rome native, he wanted to bring pizza to the restaurant, and did so in the form of a small L-shaped bar with just a few seats called The Pizza Bar on 38th. He recently began offering only an omakase (tasting) experience for guests, requiring a two to three month advance reservation. His pizzas are simply sublime. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Ontario native Mike Lange was a graphic designer who happened to be backpacking in Australia when he met his girlfriend (a fellow Canadian). They decided to set up shop in her hometown of Calgary, where Noble Pie has been a hit almost since it opened. Demand these days is off the charts, for Lange's artisan thin pies, inspired by New York City pizza. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Connie DeSousa and her business partner, John Jackson worked together in San Francisco, and since both are Canadians, eventually moved back to open CharCut in Calgary. They've also got CharBar there, and more recently, Connie & John's Pizza, which is a takeout only operation, though you can sometimes eat upstairs from CharBar if there's seating open. We tried both their New York style, as well as their Detroit, and made an appointment to see them build one of those Detroits in their kitchen above CharCut one afternoon.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

We're back in Chicago and no, we're not talking about stuffed or deep-dish or tavern-style, but rather, a hybrid between New York and artisan at Bob's Pizza. The New York part comes from the dough – it's stretched to 18”, the slices are foldable with no tip sag, they're baked on stone hearths and toppings are applied judiciously, all in balance. The artisan part comes from the fact the chef and owner – Matthew Wilde – is a trained chef from Minnesota, who might sweat garlic and reduce cream for a base instead of just tomato sauce (which he also, incidentally cooks before adding it to a pie). He makes his pickles, he uses fine sea salt and most notably, uses beer in his dough rather than water. The results are mighty impressive.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

James Durawa grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but learned how to make artisan pizza while working at Apizza Scholls in Portland, Oregon. He and his wife moved back to Milwaukee several years ago and opened Wy'East Pizza on the west side of town, serving his guests a unique pizza (by local standards); a strong deviation from the ubiquitous tavern style pies all over town. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

There may not be a straight line from the Italian deli and butcher business to pizza making, but Donny Mellozzi isn't letting that stop him. His passion for pizza has been all-consuming the last several years, and its led to the creation of two types of pizza he's making in a converted space above a paint shop in a Montreal suburb. Pizza Frankie's is truly a labor of love and commitment. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

During the two-day festival at the end of August, we always hold a series of educational and informational panel discussions. We have excerpts this week from "The Dough Whisperers" and the "3rd Wave Deep Dish/Pan" panels, held at The Salt Shed in Chicago. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

When he got tired of his corporate job, Brian Tondryk decided to get into the pizza business, because his grandfather - Fred Bartoli - inspired him as a kid. Bartoli started Gino's East in 1966 in Chicago. Tondryk had to talk to old timers, do his research and go back to his childhood to try to recreate the pies he remembered from the 1970s. He now has two Bartoli's locations in Chicago serving both deep-dish and thin pizza. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Devin Bogdan has worked in restaurants around the U.S., some that have received Michelin stars or James Beard awards. For the last four years, he's been in the kitchen at Smith & Lentz Brewery, an East Nashville bar and restaurant with an ambitious menu, drawing upon the seasons. The pizza he has developed is truly remarkable, using several flours, an all-natural starter and a particularly high hydration. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Tony Scardino is a child of the Chicago suburbs. His memories are of thin and crispy tavern style pies, but over the years, as he made his way around the kitchens of some of Chicago's better restaurants, he got the pizza bug. The last few years have seen him and his Professor Pizza brand bouncing around Chicago, but always improving his craft. Today, his kitchen sits atop a building in the hot West Loop, where he makes three styles of pizza - and continues experimenting all of the time. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support