Peter's Blog

Hi Everyone, I’m a little behind on posting, as I’ve been immersed in the second annual International Symposium on Bread (nicknamed, “On the Rise 2”). I just received the photo files from our photographer today and haven’t had time to write up a recap, but that all will be coming soon, so please check back in a few days. Also, this weekend is the 14th Annual Asheville Bread Festival, this…Read More…

We just received notice that one of our beloved Pizza Quest stars, Jim Ruddell, of Ruddell’s Smokehouse in Cayucos, CA, passed away. We featured Jim during our first season, and he also makes a short appearance in our highlight webisode, Pizza as Obsession, which is always found at the top of the Home Page. As Brad English reminded me, the smoked salmon fish taco he had when we filmed with…Read More…

I’ve been home for over three weeks now but am still enjoying flashbacks from Pizza Expo 2018. With over 8,000 people attending everyday, and hundreds of booths, there are probably over 8,000 versions of what Pizza Expo means to the attendees and vendors. For sure, plenty of pizza to taste, ingredients to sample, equipment to test drive, seminars and workshops to attend, and numerous competitions, there are just too many…Read More…

Note from Peter: I first met Brian Spangler about 18 years ago, when he owned a small mountain top artisan bread bakery outside of Portland, Oregon. He was hosting a meeting of the Board of Directors for the Bread Bakers Guild of America, and told me he someday hoped to open a place where he could also serve barbecue and pizza. Then, a couple of years later I saw him…Read More…

As promised, here’s a recap of my recent pan pizza crawl through Brooklyn and Manhattan, as choreographed by the indomitable Scott Wiener, founder of New York Pizza Tours (and regular contributor here on Pizza Quest). Background note: I am currently working on a book, scheduled for release next year, all about pan pizzas. These include focaccia, schiacciata, Sicilian, grandma, and the increasingly popular Roman and Detroit-styles. On this all day,…Read More…

Hi Everyone, I just got back from NYC where Pizza Quest Guest Columnist (and great guy), Scott Wiener, founder of New York Pizza Tours, orchestrated an amazing all day pizza crawl in search of killer “pan pizzas.” I will explain and post more about it right here within the next day or two, as soon as I can upload my photos and organize my thoughts. I was also in NYC…Read More…

Note from Peter: I first met Joe Fugere, founder of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Seattle, WA, at the 2016 Caputo Cup in Harlem, and then saw him again at the 2017 Pizza Expo, and then again at the more recent Caputo Cup in Atlantic City in October. We picked up our conversation each time as if time hadn’t intervened at all. From the first, I was impressed with Joe’s…Read More…

Note from Peter: A few months ago I posted about the wonderful experience I had at the Atlantic City Pizza and Pasta Show, where I met Alex Manzo and Massimiliano Saieva, the masterminds behind the new Roman-style pizza movement here in the USA. It was my first time tasting Massimiliano’s pizzas and I was blown away! While he was making his “al taglio” pizzas (“baked in a pan”) I spoke briefly with…Read More…

Note from Peter: I received this e-mail from pizza fanatic Bret Isbell on Sunday and couldn’t resist asking him for permission to share it with all of you. He agreed, so here it is.  If anyone has any personal memories of either “Z’s Pizza” in Garland, TX, or “Pizza Villa” in Richardson, TX, please feel free to chime in, as these kind of places are a dying breed. And, if…Read More…

Hi Everyone, I ran into my long time friend (and Charlotte pizza legend), Siler Chapman, at the Northeast Pizza and Pasta Show in Atlantic City a couple of months ago, where I discovered that he has partnered with his World Pizza Champions teammate, Michael Shepherd, on an exciting new venture. They both agreed to fill me in on their new consulting and coaching business, PerfectingPizza.com, so I’ll let them take…Read More…