For the past 65 years I have been in an ongoing dialogue with my childhood friend, Howard (aka Howie) Brownstein. Howie used to work as a delivery driver for Mama's Pizzeria, which many of you know as the place I revere as cheesesteak heaven. When he couldn't work his shifts he would ask me to fill in for him and the inter-weaving aromas of Mama's super-cheesy pizzas and juicy cheesesteaks (both of which relying on Mama's secret 3-cheese blend)  embedded a powerful taste and olfactory memory, associated specifically with Mama's, that has forever driven my never-ending quest for the perfect pizza. In the meantime, Howard became an internationally successful expert in something called "turnaround and crisis management." For the past forty years, he has regaled me with stories of his adventures interceding for companies (and their families) for whom he is often their last hope before they lose everything. His "turnaround" journey is not unlike my own adventures with pizza (except that turnaround intervention pays much better) and it also serves as another ideal metaphor for the journey of self-discovery, resilience, and the overcoming of adversity, as you will hear in this engaging conversation with the best "fixer" I know. Enjoy....

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When I first met Randy Clemens he was a seventeen-year old guy looking for a purpose in life, something to sink his teeth into, and volunteering to be my assistant for a bread class I was teaching at Sur la Table in Los Angeles. Fast forward 23 years and join me as I catch up with Randy who, after writing three books (including the famous "The Sriracha Cookbook") and working in many aspects of the culinary world, seems to have found what he's been looking for in, of all places, Uruguay, by founding the Las Bandurrias Food Forest and Homestead.  What, you may ask, is that? Well, as you'll hear during our conversation, think back fifty years ago when the so-called "back to the earth movement" was happening and all sorts of folks, often called hippies (and way ahead of their time), were engaged in what we now call sustainability and regenerative agriculture. And now, even newer terms like bioconstruction, syntropic agriculture, food sovereignty, and agroecology are the fleshed-out current incarnations of that earlier movement. Bottom line, as Randy says, is "I just wanted to be able to make things from scratch."  He is on his own version of a pizza quest, his quest for meaning and purpose, and is bringing along a lot of folks with him and teaching anyone who wants to learn how to do it. It's all here in this episode of Pizza Quest.

Note: As promised during our conversation, here are some links for any of you who want to connect with Randy and Las Bandurrias. You'll love these videos and postings, which beautifully show what's going on way down there in South America:

Patreon

Youtube

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

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One of the most beloved couples in all of pizzadom have just released their first book, Pizza From the Heart, and it's a beauty, loaded with wonderful recipes, anecdotes, banter, and the whole backstory on the creation of the legendary Paulie Gee's Pizza. Paul and Mary Ann Giannone, aka Paulie Gee and Mrs. Gee, are manifesting their dream and legacy on a daily basis. One of my most important takeaways from this enjoyable conversation the the Gee's is that it is never too late to go after that dream (after all, they were in their fifties when they decided to step aways from their conventional but unfulfilling lives go all in on the risky but heart-felt vision of turning a fun hobby into a path of serving others through their pizzas.  Obviously there's a whole lot more to this story, so join us to hear all about their amazing journey, here on this episode of Pizza Quest.

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Kyle Ahlgren returns with some great news regarding the online baking courses he has created for Central Milling's Artisan Baking Center. He's also offering a special discount code for any Pizza Quest viewers and listeners (and your friends). In our conversation, Kyle takes us behind the scenes regarding what it involves to create these terrific baking courses with a number of the best teachers/bakers in the world, including Tony Gemignani, Craig Ponsford, and others. And, hey, Kyle even let it slip that our Pizza Quest course, which we filmed about two years ago, is one of his best sellers so, of course, the discount code can be used for that one too. Enjoy -- and thanks to Kyle for your generous offer!!

Here's the deal:  You can view and purchase the classes at artisanbakingcenter.com where you will get 40% off your initial class purchase by using the coupon code:  PQ40   (As the saying goes, use it or lose it, though I believe this offer will be good for a couple of months)

Six-Time James Beard Finalist, Cathy Whims, of Portland's Nostrana, on her new book.

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This week we welcome six-time James Beard Award finalist, Chef Cathy Whims, owner of Portland's beloved restaurant, Nostrana. which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. I first met Cathy when she was the chef and co-owner of Portland's celebrated fine dining Italian restaurant Genoa, where I enjoyed a memorable six-course tasting menu along with the famous bread book author, Carol Field (The Italian Baker). That was over 25 years ago. Genoa closed a few years later, and Nostrana emerged, but it’s quite different from Genoa, serving wonderful rustic Italian food and Neapolitan pizzas to its large and loyal following. This month also marks the publication of Cathy's first book,The Italian Summer Kitchen, full of wonderful, easy-to-make recipes as well as the stories behind them.

I felt like we were all so young when we first met (and Cathy is still far younger than I), but now it feels like we're like the surviving old timers. I remember reading the sobering news when Carol Field passed away eight years ago -- she was an esteemed mentor to many of us, and now we've inherited that same mentorship mantle for the next generation, which is why Cathy's new book is so important.  We'll hear all about her long journey from Chapel Hill, NC on her way to becoming hailed, as one writer called her, the unofficial Doyenne of Italian cooking for the Pacific Northwest. It's all here in this week's edition of Pizza Quest.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest! NYC is a treacherous place to open a new pizzeria.  The competition is fierce and public is vocal and not always diplomatic. But the lure of reaching for holy grail of pizza is hard to resist, and now Chef Ian Coogan, formerly of Eleven Madison Park and the Jean George lineage of great chefs (among other top-tier mentors), and currently the culinary director at the popular Motel Morris in Chelsea, has taken the plunge a few blocks away with the opening of KID.  To assure success, Ian brought in Roberta's and Tartine alumnus, Max Blachman-Gentile to nail down the dough and the fermentation game plan. In this episode we are graced by having them both here to share with us the rest of the story, including their creative process that resulted in a highly inventive yet relatable menu and whimsical ambience. They also share the how-to of training their team to deliver the KID experience on the highest level on a daily basis. It's all here on this week's episode of Pizza Quest!

My long-time friend, Peter Scott Ruben, is the best guitar player I know, having personally watched him jam with some of the great rock and blues musicians of the seventies (Joe Perry in his pre-Aerosmith days and Kim Simmonds of The Savoy Brown Blues Band are two who immediately come to mind -- I read that Simmonds died two years ago in England and the band had to break up after an amazing fifty-five year run). Since then, Peter has fronted his own bands, and has also carried on his father's legacy as leader of the premier special events orchestra/band in Philadelphia, through which he met "the great one," Frank Sinatra, at a White House gig the orchestra was playing during the Reagan administration back in the 1980's. He also donned a wig a few years ago and played as Eric Clapton in a Cream tribute concert (and I seem to recall he even played a set as Jimmi Hendrix). In addition to his amazing playing, he knows way more about music than anyone in my social orbit so, now that he has embarked on an Act 3 career performing a Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin one-man tribute show (having bought performing rights to the original Nelson Riddle and other Sinatra/Darin charts), I thought it would be fun to pick his brain here on Pizza Quest regarding why he thinks Sinatra is the greatest performer of all time as well as to see if together we could create a top ten list as well as a Mt. Rushmore top four list of the greatest of the greats. It was so much fun recording this episode -- as you will see and hear -- that I plan on inviting him back to do a similar retrospective on the greatest guitar players and also another on the best bands and performing groups of our time.  Peter and I used to stay up all night during our college days talking about stuff like this, so I know he's game for it, as you will hear in this conversation in which we explore not only Sinatra's greatness but also dive deeply into the why and how of what made him the GOAT (and why Bobby Darin was the prince in waiting until he died way too young). So, as we like to say, it's more about the quest than it is about the pizza, and this time around we jump into Peter Ruben's quest for what distinguishes the good from the great when it comes to musical artists. The topic may have changed, but the game remains the same -- and the quest never ends....

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Elizabeth Brasch is committed to delivering what she calls, "a higher order of pizza," at Mellow Mushroom, where she serves as VP of Marketing and Menu Innovation. As anyone who has been to any Mellow Mushroom location knows, the notion of a pizzadelic experience is not at all far-fetched. And, for those who own their brands, this conversation with Elizabeth will be especially enlightening as we hear how a University of Georgia-born hippy-era pizzeria grew over the past fifty years into a formidable multi-unit operation with a fanatically loyal following wherever they pop up another location. After all these years, how do they keep it fresh and updated, while always staying true to their brand and its roots?  That, and much more, will all be revealed in this week's episode of Pizza Quest.

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As you know, our usual focus is on the celebration of artisanship in pizza and anywhere else we find it. But what if the next generation of "artisan" pizza makers are robots? Or is this a non sequitur? Hey, before you shoot the messenger, listen to this revelatory conversation with Nipun Sharma, the CEO of Appetronix, who is about to launch the first fully robotic pizza kiosk in partnership with Donatos Pizza -- with more locations on their way. But how can this be? And how long before this technology scales up and shows up across the country? A lot of major implications here, so buckle your seat belts and join us as we explore a brave new world in this very unique episode of Pizza Quest.

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        There's something special happening in Pukalani, on the island of Maui, where Chef Jeff Scheer and his wife Kaili (along with their trusted friend and restaurant anchor, Chef Chris), are drawing big crowds and James Beard Award attention at their non-touristy, upcountry restaurant, Marlow. It starts with fabulous wood-fired sourdough pizzas (both traditional and inventive) but also, drawing on Jeff's background as a fine dining chef,  also includes duck confit, a must-have octopus' salad, handmade pasta dishes and gnocchi, rotating seasonal, locally grown specials, and uniquely flavored gelatos.  In a sense, Marlow is at the heart of an ever-growing Maui community of locals as well as "pilgrims" who have made the trek. For anyone thinking of heading to Hawaii, you will not want to miss the Marlow experience. Otherwise, join us here for a vicarious immersion into the world of Chef Jeff Scheer and Restaurant Marlow, and then imagine yourself there.