Pizza City with Steve Dolinsky

Jason Vincent (Giant, Chef's Special) has worked in Chicago as a Chef for nearly 20 years. After stints at Lula and Nightwood, he struck out on his own and despite running two successful restaurants in town, decided to pursue pizza in a serious was during the pandemic. At Pizza Matta, he offers both an E. Coast-inspired thin as well as a Midwestern tavern style.

Kim Hayes' background as a culinary employee at Macy's and Marshall Fields laid the groundwork for her lifelong dream: to open a pizza farm with her husband, Brad. They've spent the last 10 years renovating the Alpha & Omega Farm in Princeton, MN, about an hour north of Minneapolis, creating "Pizza Nights" on Thursdays and Saturdays in the Summer and Fall. Steve spent the day with Kim as she prepped for a recent dinner service.

Ryan Ososky has worked for some of the biggest chefs on the West Coast - Bradley Ogden, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck - and when he decided to go out on his own, he felt the most appropriate use of his skills would be pizza. Not just any pie though, he had to make the Detroit style pizzas he remembered growing up Michigan. But Ryan's pies at Dtown go way beyond just pepperoni; he now offers a $100 pie with A5 Wagyu and caviar...

Jerry Czerwinski grew up in Skokie, IL, a child of mostly thin crust and some deep-dish. He had a long career as a carpenter, before going head-first into pizza, really getting the bug about a decade ago. He and his family now run Uncle Jerry's Pizza Co., a small suburban pizzeria where they've completely reimagined deep-dish, creating a pie with one of the best OBRs (optimal bite ratios) anywhere.

We always have a couple of panel discussions and demos at Pizza City Fest, and a few weeks ago in L.A., we brought together three brilliant pizza makers who think visually as much as they do about the recipes. Justin De Leon (Apollonia's), Ines Glaser (Lupa Cotta) and Thomas McNaughton (Flour & Water Pizzeria, SF) join the LA Food Podcast's Luca Servodio to talk about their process.

Every Pizza City Fest has a series of informative panel discussions and demos, and at this year's L.A. event, we brought back "The Dough Whisperers," three of the top bakers on the West Coast, sharing best practices. Tony Gemignani (Tony's, Capo's, Slice House), Daniele Uditi (Pizzana) and Sarah Minnick (Lovely's Fifty-Fifty) join Karen Palmer in the conversation.

Chris Decker worked for 26 years under John Arena at Metro in Las Vegas, but now he's the guy in charge at Truly Pizza in Dana Point, CA. They offer two very distinct styles of pizza and both are incredible. Chris and his crew are going to be featured at Pizza City Fest LA this weekend, where they'll be showing off a very unique pie. He previews it for us on this week's show.

Jeff Barris has always been into pizza, but when he had a chance to buy an established pizzeria in Atwater Village, he jumped at it. Hail Mary already had a cult following, but now that Barris and his team have taken over, they've changed very little (just the sauce), keeping the same all-natural starter intact and employing four different flours.

Coming back after a few years of so-so attendance, still recovering from the pandemic, the 40th International Pizza Expo was a smash in almost every way. I spoke with a few attendees about why they made the trip.

Connie Zotta is the 2nd generation to run Salerno's in Chicago's West Town neighborhood. The pizzeria has been around since 1966, when it opened in a near suburb of Chicago (Berwyn). Zotta's dad, Joe Salerno, founded the business with his brothers, but since he passed away recently, she has been tasked with keeping the tradition alive.