How You Slice It

“We pretty much opened  the doors and shook the dice.” Hosie Thurmond, one half of the unstoppable team behind Minneapolis’s pizzeria Slice, tells their story of persevering through start-up challenges, arson, and store expansion, all while remaining true to their community roots.

Tap and hear how Hosie is serving up NY style pizza to the people of MN (including a Timberwolf).

Victoria Tiso, operator of world-famous Louie and Ernie’s Pizza, is our guest this week. It’s a family story. The pies are the same as when her dad took over, but Victoria is launching their shop to the next level.

This Bronx-based institution has been family-run for generations. Listen in for the secret to their success: K.I.S.S.

Our guest this time is Mike Kurtz, the founder of Mike’s Hot Honey. If you haven’t heard of his chili-infused honey, you should get to eating. From his dorm room to his break room and at Paulie Gee’s counter to in your stomach, Mike’s Hot Honey just keeps growing.

Listen in to hear how a walk through Brazil started sparked a sticky idea that’s become a pizza phenomenon. 

Our guest is Joe Brignoni, the owner of Joe’s Rotisseria in Asbury Park and Roselle Park, New Jersey. He’s famous for blending a pizza, calzone, and garlic knots into one delicious Frankenstein. In this episode, he’ll tell you how it saved his business (and reveal the composition of a Thunder Stick).

Hit “Play” to hear how a culinary education in Disney made Joe into one of the most creative pizzaiolos on Slice.

This week’s guest is Nicole Russell, owner of Last Dragon Pizza in Rockaway, NYC, and host of First We Feast’s Pizza Wars. From shipping made-to-order pies to working nonstop on her goals, she’s carving her own path in pizza.

Hit play for inspiration. Nicole tells you how her shop got its name, why she hits so many flavors on her menu, and what “The Glo” is all about.

Our guest this time is Scott Sokoloff, the former head of analytics at Domino's. He’s a big believer in data-driven decisions, building customer relationships, and using both to succeed in food. 

Listen in for order-timing insights, business questions you should consider, and whether to focus on new or old customers.

There are fewer than seven women running pizzerias in New York City, and there’s only one who started hers as a speakeasy out of her apartment. Miriam Weiskind’s gone from creative director to pop-up pizzaiola over the last two years. In this episode, Ilir and Miriam cover the most important part of the pizza-making process, how she got her start during the pandemic, and pizza’s gender gap.

Tune in to hear the reason she puts frogs on her merch, how many pizzas she gave away to first-responders, and why this career was destined from the start.

This episode is more of a conversation between two old friends than it is an interview! Johnny Pavlik sits down with Ilir from his home in North Carolina to talk about growing his business from one Johnny’s Pizzeria to four, with a food truck pulling in soon. From his struggle with addiction to his community-focused social media presence, Johnny shares his secrets to double average orders and more…

Tune in to hear what a true Slice partnership can do for a business looking to go digital, why digital is the future, and what a strategic menu can do for your bottom line.

In an epic conversation about chasing authenticity in expression and products, Ilir sits down with LA’s pizza renaissance man: Brandon Gray of Brandoni Pepperoni. From his time cheffing in the Navy to starting his own business in 2020, Brandon is about dedication to craft, learning by trying, and the Clippers.

Listen in to hear why the details count, where Brandon’s Ratatoullie moment happens, and what makes his tomato sauce so tasty. 

Hakki Akdeniz is more than a world championship pizza acrobat — he’s independent pizza’s most inspiring person. He came to the United States from Turkey with nothing but suitcases, and now has a slew of pizzerias and extraordinary dedication to his community. Ilir and Hakki sit down in our studio to talk about business and pizza but end up covering what it means to never give up.

Listen in to hear how many times Hakki had to hit restart before making it to where he stands now: happily helping others through independent pizza.