Pizza Quest

Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

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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Welcome Back to Pizza Quest!

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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Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

        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.

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Welcome back to Pizza Quest! 

It's been a while since we've caught up with our two most recurring and popular guests, pizza legends John Arena (Metro Pizza in Las Vegas) and Brian Spangler (Apizza Scholl's, Portland, OR). Not only have they both been there and done it all, but they are also trusted mentors to many pizza operator newbies and, over these past years on Pizza Quest, have served as prophets-in-residence,alerting us to what to watch for next. We've broken stories with them on emerging trends like the pizzeria/bagel connection, sourdough is here to stay, and the return of the tavern/parlor/bar pizza style. In this episode, these esteemed pizza "elders" tell us about what they see coming next, as well as sharing some intimate, personal reflections regarding their next steps as they each approach their own "Act Three," and confront the challenges of transitioning into elderhood. Bottom line: even if you never plan to stop, you still need to have an exit strategy....

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Welcome back to Pizza Quest,

Our guests this week are the co-hosts of the popular Pizza Pod Party Podcast, Arthur Bovino and Alfred Schulz. They recently completed their first season of 52 episodes with a star-studded roster of  guests including Mo Rocca, Andrew Zimmern, Tony Dukoupil, Guy Raz ("How I Built This"), Candace Bushnell (yes, who wrote "Sex in the City"), George R.R. Martin ("Game of Thrones," anyone?), Susan Orlean ("The Orchid Thief" and way more), Scott Wiener (my go-to guy when it comes to everything pizza), and many others who you will hear about in this lively conversation. Their podcast is about gathering interesting people together with pizza as the means to get them there. The guys tell us about their upcoming Season Two and all about their other projects and whether there will be a new Best 100 Pizzerias List in the coming year (that's Arthur's baby, for those who didn't already know). It all happens here, on Pizza Quest.

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Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

In this episode, we welcome Brett McKay, the founder of the immensely popular website/newsletter/podcast, The Art of Manliness. For the past fifteen+ years Brett, along with his wife Kate, have been on their own quest to explore every aspect of what it means to be a man -- really, a human -- at this particular time in history. Their site has clearly struck a chord, as they have over a million followers (including listeners to their Art of Manliness (AOM) Podcast),where they cover everything from the practical (like "How to Shave Like Your Dad" and "How to Properly Tie your Tie"), to the metaphysical and philosophical (Aristotle is a huge influence on their work and journey, as are many other well-known historical thought leaders), and they have posted over 1,000 episodes (1059 as of this week's show on "The Science of Slowing Down Time"). Brett was kind enough to invite me onto his podcast and even kinder to reciprocate by coming onto Pizza Quest. There is a lot of kindred spiritedness here, as I think you will see and enjoy during this thoughtful conversation.

Note: Brett also shares some tips on how he and Kate grew their following into a full-time livelihood; tips that will prove useful to any of you who are trying to grow your own media platforms and brands -- this is priceless advice!

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Welcome Back to Pizza Quest!

This week we welcome fellow podcaster Jimmy Carbone, host of HRN's Beer Sessions podcast. Jimmy has been hosting his "convivial ale salon" on HRN (Heritage Radio Network) from the network's earliest days, beginning about 15 years ago.  Peter recently was a guest of Jimmy's on Beer Sessions, talking about the pizza/beer connection, so this time Jimmy returns the favor and joins us here to share his passion for hard apple ciders, a passion that Peter fortuitously shares as well. Join our pop-up "cider salon" here on Pizza Quest, as Jimmy takes Peter on a tasting tour of three easy to find yet distinctly different brands of cider. As always during these tasting episodes, you will learn more than you ever imagined while also being thoroughly entertained.

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Welcome back to Pizza Quest.

Mark Todd is a recurring guest here on Pizza Quest because, one, I love cheese (every kind!), and two, he's so interesting and makes cheese interesting too as he demystifies this magical, fermented, "spoiled" solid milk so that we can enjoy it in all it's mighty nuances and permutations. In past episodes with Mark, we've explored stretched cheeses in the "pasta filata" category, cheddar cheeses, and hard, aged cheeses. This time we've taken the big leap and a deep dive into "stinky cheeses," which means Alpine-style washed-rind cheeses that are not for the timid. But, oh, the rewards!! We join Mark from his base in the wilds and woods of Sonoma's rustic "West County," along the Russian River, where Mark is often found hunting for edible mushrooms in the redwood forest when he isn't teaching the world about the joys of cheese. I guarantee that you will learn more than you ever imagined during this lively conversation with our friend, Mark Todd, "The Cheese Dude."

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Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi's and Michael Carter's new book, "We the Pizza," just came out this week. They join us from their restaurant, Down North Pizza, in Philadelphia's Strawberry Hill neighborhood, to tell us all about it. The subtitle of the book, "Slangin' Pies and Saving Lives" is really what makes Down North Pizza unique among the many great pizzerias we feature here. The restaurant represents a larger mission, including the hiring of formerly incarcerated individuals, providing housing subsidies for those in need, and a number of other neighborhood and community projects that we discuss in this conversation with Muhammad and Michael, all designed to elevate the quality of life for the locals and to also serve as a model for, hopefully, otherDown North's across the country.  It's a work-in-progress but the launching pad for it all is the amazing and creative square-style pan pizza menu created by head chef Michael Carter and his team of cooks. The creativity on display is beautifully captured in their new book, written by Muhammad, along with co-author David Joachim, as well as beautifully energetic photos by Amurri Lauren. As you will hear here, all of the good works envisioned by Muhammad, who has been a community activist for years in Philadelphia, are made possible by the success of Down North Pizza. Join us as we discuss how to make a vision of community transformation come true, in this week's episode of Pizza Quest.

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Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

      Joel Kostman supported his family for over 30 years as a New York City locksmith, but that was just his day job. By night, he was (and still is) a serious writer who channeled his locksmithing adventures into a semi-autobiographical fictional cult classic story collection called, "Keys to the City: Tales of a New York City Locksmith." The New York Times even called him "The Doctor of the Deadbolt." As Joel says, "New Yorkers are concerned about keeping people out on a very primal level, whether it's an abusive spouse or a creep on the corner. They like to talk. I like to listen."  Joel and I are childhood friends and have gone on a number of pizza quests together when I happened to be visiting in Brooklyn, where he once lived. Join us as we recount those adventures, including his role in helping me win a James Beard National Bread Baking Championship, and his most recent exciting news: the possibility of the book being turned into a major television series.

        The Doctor of the Deadbolt is in, here on Pizza Quest.

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