What's Good Dough?

Meet The Secret Cheese Blend Winning All The Pizza Competitions


Listen Later

What if the reason this pizza won wasn’t a secret ingredient… but a decision most people wouldn’t make?

Slice on Broadway just took home Best Cheese Slice at the 2025 Las Vegas Pizza Expo and was named Best Pizzeria in the State—and today, we’re sitting down with owner-operator Rico Lunardi to find out why. From dough hydration and cheese blends to Pittsburgh pizza culture and consistency under pressure, this episode goes deep into what it actually takes to make great pizza… and keep it great.

0:26 – Why Slice on Broadway stands out (and the “secret cheese blend”)

1:41 – Dough hydration, consistency, and why small changes matter big

2:56 – The accidental sugar-in-the-dough story 🍩

4:11 – Flour choices, competitions, and learning from Italy

5:11 – The Pittsburgh 50/50 provolone–mozzarella cheese blend explained

6:01 – Sauce philosophy: tomatoes, freshness, and staying consistent

7:06 – Winning awards, pizza loyalty, and why pizza gets so personal

8:21 – Pittsburgh pizza cuts: slices vs “cuts”

9:21 – Staying authentic in competitions (and regretting one change)

10:41 – Cheese texture, shredding in-house, and operational realities

12:11 – What “good dough” really means: patience, time, and care


Thank you to our show sponsors:

Bacio Cheese:

https://bit.ly/3FmQ3up

Corto:https://bit.ly/457DNII

Ooni:https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=77074&awinaffid=1800006


Join my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/


DM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: [email protected]

Topic:

award-winning pizza, best cheese slice, Las Vegas Pizza Expo 2025, Slice on Broadway, Pittsburgh pizza, pizza podcast, What’s Good Dough podcast, pizza dough technique, pizza making process, New York style pizza, provolone mozzarella blend, pizza cheese blend, pizza dough hydration, professional pizza making, pizzeria owner interview, pizza industry podcast, artisan pizza, how award-winning pizza is made, secret behind great pizza dough, Pittsburgh style pizza cheese, pizza expo competition tips, staying consistent in pizza making, pizza dough fermentation process, what makes good pizza dough, Rico Lunardi, Slice on Broadway Pittsburgh, pizza podcast interviews, pizza behind the scenes, pizza shop story, pizza culture USA, pizza craftsmanship, small business food podcast

Highlights

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

What's Good Dough?By What's Good Dough

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

101 ratings


More shows like What's Good Dough?

View all
Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,242 Listeners

Special Sauce with Ed Levine by Ed Levine

Special Sauce with Ed Levine

378 Listeners

Smart Pizza Marketing Podcast by Smart Pizza Marketing

Smart Pizza Marketing Podcast

125 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,081 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

7,271 Listeners

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

5,687 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

10,251 Listeners

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

11,046 Listeners

PIE 2 PIE - A Pizza Maker’s Podcast by Alex Koons

PIE 2 PIE - A Pizza Maker’s Podcast

56 Listeners

Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

Prof G Markets

1,473 Listeners

Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast by PMQ Pizza

Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast

10 Listeners

Your Money Guide on the Side by Tyler Gardner

Your Money Guide on the Side

1,853 Listeners