Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart

I make a lot of pizza. In an attempt to keep things interesting, I do a fair bit of experimenting. I’m often inspired by an ingredient I got my hands on at Whole Foods, or another local market. I was lucky enough to bring home some beautiful Prosciutto and Nduja provided by La Quercia for the Forno Bravo Wood Fired Expo back in September. With a product like this in…Read More…

Note from Peter: This month, our regular guest columnist, John Arena, continues his exploration of pizza authenticity in its broader context. As you read the description of his recent “Dream Team” experience in Naples, if you are at all like me (and many of you are), you will wish you could have been there with him. If you’d like to meet John in person, come to the Global Pizza Summit…Read More…

Just a quick posting here to let everyone know about the Global Pizza Summit, to be held in NYC on Jan. 11th and 12th. As part of the Summit there will also be the 2nd Annual Caputo Cup Competition for both Neapolitan (wood-fired) and American-style pizzas. I’ll be heading to NYC for the Summit, as will regular guest columnist John Arena and a whole pantheon of pizza superstars, many of…Read More…

Welcome back to our “Master Class” series from Peppe Miele. In each of these segments we’ve learned another golden nugget of pizza wisdom and this one is no exception. For instance, he mentions (so quickly that I almost missed it) that the”official” Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN) Margherita Pizza is supposed to use a sprinkle of only Pecorino (sheep’s milk) cheese, even though most places (even his) now use mostly Parmesan….Read More…

It’s funny how ideas come together.  About a year ago, I came up with the idea to cook up a burger patty and wrap it in a pizza dough and throw it in the oven. I love burgers and I love pizza. Why not? I’d have a fresh baked bun literally wrapped around my burger. It turned out to be more of a puff ball of dough that blew up…Read More…

Note from Peter: Over the next few weeks I will continue to share my thoughts and memories about the Forno Bravo Expo held in September in Salinas, CA. We left off on  Friday,the day before the Expo was opened to the public, as we gathered with the Forno Bravo folks, our Pizza Quest team, our hosts at Talbott Vineyards, and a growing cast of heroes. We pick up the story…Read More…

Note from Peter: Here is the first of what we hope will be many new guest columns from John Arena. If you haven’t already seen the interview piece we did with him a few weeks ago, scroll down and catch up. In this column he addresses, in his inimical way, the matter of authenticity. I have a feeling this isn’t the last time he’ll have something to say on the…Read More…

We continue our exploration of Vera Pizza Napoletana with our Naples guru Peppe Miele. In this installment we turn to the wood-fired oven that is absolutely essential if you want to get certified as a real deal, verace pizza guy. It’s hard to believe, but important to recall, that only a few years ago in the United States a wood-fired oven siting was a rare and exciting discovery. Little by…Read More…

Note from Peter:  I’m happy to announce that John Arena, founder of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas, and one of America’s most beloved pizzaiolos, is returning as a regular columnist here on PizzaQuest. His first official Guest Column will run in December. Many of you have read John’s informative and engaging posts during the past few years, in which he explores his interest in the history and artistry of pizza,…Read More…

On Friday September 18th, 2015, still buzzing from an extraordinary day of filming with Anthony Magieri at Una Pizza Napoletana, our Pizza Quest crew reassembled at Talbott Vineyards in the hill country just outside of Salinas (“Tortilla Flats” country for you Steinbeck fans), the host site for the Forno Bravo Expo. In the past, Forno Bravo has held similar gatherings but this was my first time and also the most…Read More…