Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart

In the beginning there was pizza, and it was good. If Adam and Eve were alive today they would probably live in Vermont. Banished from the Garden of Eden, they’d spend their weekends driving the scenic routes of the Shires – longing for days gone by as they move forward in search of a new paradise, which would undoubtedly include plenty of pizza. They’d leave early on a late October…Read More…

Note from Peter: I met Will Grant in October, in Atlantic City during the Caputo Cup Pizza Championship, where I was serving as a judge in the Non-Traditional Category (this meant, pretty much, anything goes, as opposed to the Traditional category which limited total toppings to three). Will had come to my interview, earlier that day, with pizza maestro Joe Beddia, and afterward he filled me in on his life…Read More…

Hi Everyone, We’re back with another session featuring the great John Arena. In this segment, John gives us more common sense pizza philosophy and tips on wood vs. metal peels, as well as showing us how to make a simple tribute pizza to ancient Pompeii, destroyed (and preserved in volcanic ash) by the Mt. Vesuvius eruption about 2,000 years ago. As always, John always teaches us something we didn’t already…Read More…

Hi Everyone, As reported here in the past, I was fortunate enough to have been invited by Nathan Myhrvold to contribute to his monumental book project, Modernist Bread, about five years ago. Well, what he originally suggested might be a two or three volume collection has at last been published. It didn’t take long for Nathan and his resident Modernist team of bakers and chefs to realize that it would…Read More…

There’s this New York style pizza place nearby, in Hermosa Beach, CA, called Paisano’s Pizza that has been a go-to slice and pie place for me for years.  When I first started going in I felt at home.  This was the real deal.  It was an East Coast pizzeria sitting right there, steps from the Pacific Ocean.  There was just enough chaos in the normal operation of the place to…Read More…

This webisode is part of our ongoing series from the 2015 Forno Bravo Oven Expo, at Talbott Vineyards in Salinas, California. For three glorious, sunny days we had the opportunity to meet and cook with passionate, fellow “fire-freaks,” and work side-by-side with talented chefs, oven owners, growers, cheese and wine makers, and famous pizzaiolos like John Arena. John, as many of you already know, is a regular Guest Columnist here…Read More…

Hi Again, Last week I was waiting for the final, amended results for the Caputo Cup Pizza Competition and, at last here, here they are:  Caputo Cup 2017 Pizza Championship Traditional Pizzas (NY Style, no more than two toppings) 1st – Derek Sanchez of Mia Marco’s Pizza (Selma, TX) 2nd (tie) – Allen Raymond of That’s Some Pizza (Bainbridge Island, WA) 2nd (tie) – Michael Ricca of Ricca Brothers Brick…Read More…

Hi Everyone, I just returned from three weeks on the road, culminating in a lively few days at the first ever Pizza & Pasta Northeast Show in Atlantic City where, in two presentation sessions I got to interview pizza maker extraordinaire Joe Beddia, as well as three pasta luminaries (Antimo DiMeo, Hari Cameron, and Lorenzo Boni) on the future of pasta. In addition, I served, along with John Arena, as…Read More…

Note from Peter: While I’m at the Pizza Pasta Northeast Expo in Atlantic City this week (where I get to interview Joe Beddia on stage and also serve as a judge for this year’s Caputo Cup Pizza Competition), please enjoy this thoughtful post from our newest guest columnist, Joseph Calagno. I love his blending of culinary, cultural, and literary passion, and think you will too. I’ll return next week with…Read More…

Hi Everyone, While you are reading this I will be in Napa, CA, attending the Puratos Bread Symposium: Taste Beyond Imagination (where I will be delivering a presentation called, “The Next Big Thing in Bread”).  When I return I will post more about this symposium, as well as the upcoming Northeast Pizza and Pasta Show in Atlantic City, where I head to next.  So, since the Puratos symposium is all…Read More…