Pizza Quest

When Hurricane Sandy devastated the coastal areas of Queens and Brooklyn, there were many economic victims. But Nicole Russell, who had already lost her job, decided not to be a victim and, instead, started making original pizzas baked in her home oven, and sold them out the back door, like her signature Kiss Mi' Converse Jerk-Chicken Pizza. Thus, Last Dragon Pizza was born. Before long, Nicole had earned a big following and got invited to join a delegation of pizza luminaries to compete in Italy on the world stage in an international competition. There’s a lot more to this amazing Lazarus story, so join us on this episode of Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart, as Nicole tells Peter how it all came to pass.

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Well before Ed Levine and Pete Wells, in the New York Times, declared Razza in Jersey City as “the best pizza in New York,” Razza’s owner, Dan Richer, appeared on Pizza Quest to discuss how it all happened. Is it the naturally leavened sourdough crust, or the best locally sourced ingredients, or something about the technique, imagination, and passion that drives Dan’s vision? You’ll find out as you join us for Peter’s conversation with Dan Richer on this episode of Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart.

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When Philip Korshak last appeared on Pizza Quest he was the general manager of pizza operations at Home Slice Pizza in Austin Texas. Fast forward five years and Phil, after an interim stopover in Minneapolis, is now in the Italian Market section of South Philadelphia, out of the pizza game altogether, and the proprietor of the recently unveiled Korshak’s Bagels, the hottest opening in food crazy Philadelphia in years. At the time of this interview, Phil was still haggling with inspectors and contractors amidst the pandemic drama, and hadn’t yet opened to the public, but when he did open the lines formed around the block with people anxious to try his sourdough, hand-formed bagels as well as his original shmears. Korshak’s is now the poster child for the burgeoning artisan bagel movement, and Phil is its colorful, charismatic ambassador. You’ll see why in this episode of Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart.

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We like to say that we celebrate artisanship wherever we find it, because artisans are our real community of kindred spirits, of which pizza is but one spoke (albeit, a very large spoke!). But another big spoke is, of course, the bread baking community and, in that branch of our family there is one name that towers above them all, Poilane! Many of you already know that 18 years ago the most famous bread baker in the world, Lionel Poilane, was tragically killed, along with his wife and their dog, in a helicopter crash on the coast of France. At that time, his eldest daughter, Apollonia, was preparing to enter college at Harvard, though she had always, since childhood, been preparing to carry on the family legacy. Childhood ended earlier than expected that sad day and, amazingly, Apollonia not only entered and completed her degree at Harvard but, also, traveled back and forth to take the helm at Poilane Boulangerie and, with her sister, to watch over its expansion into a global brand, as well as to write an important book about the four-generation bakery called, not surprisingly, Poilane: The Secrets of the World Famous Bread Bakery. Apollonia is here with us now, on Pizza Quest, to tell us the whole story of this visionary bakery. It’s our honor to welcome her.

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Today on Pizza Talk, we welcome Nina Mae Levin, the founder of Stoney Hill Pizza on Martha’s Vineyard. Our discovery of Nina was due to two previous interviews that we did last year, with Ed Levine and Glenn Roberts, who both live on the Vineyard and who, essentially, told us we had to meet this talented rising star and hear about her life-changing corn and shiitake pizza that had blown both of their minds. So I tracked Nina down just as she and her team were about to wind up their summer season and go into planning for the next year! Of course, we learned a lot more about Nina Mae, as well as her talented chef (the one who “holds it all together,” according to Nina), Georgia Macon. Because the corn season was already over, they demonstrated, instead, their own take on another of their (and my) life-changing obsessions: hoagies. Enjoy this conversation with Nina Mae Levin and Georgia Macon, of Stoney Hill Pizza because, as the saying goes, some new stars are about to be born.

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Will Grant burst on the culinary scene about five years ago when he started winning competitions with pizzas made on his 100% sourdough crust. Will’s starter was cultivated at his pizzeria, That's A Some Pizza, on Bainbridge Island, Washington and is a family multi-generational legacy. Will is one of several pizza influencers, such as Anthony Mangieri, Dan Richer, Anthony Falco, and others whom we've featured here on Pizza Quest, all who are converting others to the use of naturally leavened pizza dough. But Will's been doing it for a longer time than many of the others, even though he's just now come to prominence, recently representing the USA at the World Pizza Championships. You'll hear all about Will's journey, tenacity, his sourdough starter, and, also, his plans for the future in this very special sourdough episode of Pizza Quest.

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Welcome back for another fascinating segment of Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart. This time around we tracked down one of the most unique operations in the country, not because it is a mobile pizzeria, but because of how the owner, Luis Perez, makes it happen using 4 single unit RoccBox ovens mounted into a 3-wheeled Piaggio Ape van in Rochester, NY. It basically looks like a rocket ship -- you’ve got to love it!!

Luis will tell us the whole story and how this crazy operation works. Innovation and creativity -- this story feels like the American Dream, circa 2021. Enjoy!!

BTW, we recorded this last fall, at the end of the Peels on Wheels first season, and a lot more has happened since then for Luis, as the truck is about to become a "pizza garage." We'll bring him back in the future for an update, or you can follow his unfolding story on Instagram @peelsonwheelspizza

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After the international success of Modernist Cuisine, followed a few years later by the equally impressive Modernist Bread, author/publisher Nathan Myhrvold and his talented team of food geniuses are back with the eye-popping, four-volume boxed set, Modernist Pizza. It has everything you could possibly want to know about pizza and more, accompanied by the always spectacular in-your-face photography for which the Modernist books are known. In this lively conversation, Nathan tells us all about his early days as an assistant to Stephen Hawking, his role as chief technology officer at Microsoft, his work as technical advisor to Steven Spielberg for the Jurassic Park films, founder of Intellectual Ventures where he invests in world changing inventions, and how all of this intersects with his lifelong passion for food, cooking and, now, pizza. It’s quite a journey, and we’ll hear all about it on Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart, on HRN.

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Two Brits walk into a pizzeria… and the rest is history. Brother James and Thom Elliot decided to buy a three-wheeled Piaggio-Ape scooter and travel the world on a quest for the best pizza they could find. They not only wrote a book about their journey but opened three Pizza Pilgrims restaurants in London, where they put everything they learned into practice. Thom Elliot is the spokesman in this episode (though James drops by briefly) and he tells us all about their wild and crazy adventure.

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Mark Todd lives hidden in the woods along the Russian River in western Sonoma County, where he ferments everything he can get his hands on. But, more importantly, he is also a consultant to many cheese companies and marketing boards because, quite simply, when it comes to cheese, he is The Dude. In this episode he tells us how he became The Dude, and also gives us a master class in the category of cheese called Pasta Filata, which includes mozzarella, This will be the first of an ongoing series of episodes with Mark, in his mission to turn us all into cheese experts.

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