A.J. “Auggie” Russo of Tiny Pizza Kitchen joins the show to discuss his early roots in the pizza business and how the pandemic pushed him back into the industry (2:41). Russo also discusses his Fennel Bourbon Candied Hot Peppers and the bump in popularity they received from talk show host Stephen Colbert. Colbert and his wife, Evie, featured Russo’s recipe for the hot peppers in their cookbook, “Does This Taste Funny?” Later in the show, Brian Hernandez shares a look back at the U.S. Pizza Team’s successful 2024 campaign and previews what folks can look forward to from the USPT in 2025 (1:04:46).

Russo's Fennel Bourbon Candied Hot Peppers: https://www.tinypizzakitchen.com/buy-chilies/p/country-feast-set-3nybt-hlg28

PMQ feature story on Russo: https://www.pmq.com/how-a-man-who-has-never-been-good-at-anything-became-great-at-making-pizza/