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This week on The Hot Slice, we sit down with Dan Collier. Dan Collier is co-owner and President of PizzaMan Dan’s, a regional chain in Southern California with 8 locations founded in 2012. Dan began his pizza career as a delivery driver in 1984. He served as President for a 20-store chain from 1987-2002 before becoming a Franchisee from 2002-2012.

Dan has been a speaker and educator at Pizza Expo, sharing his successes and, more importantly, his failures with fellow pizza operators and owners since 2002. Dan has also written articles for Pizza Today magazine.

We talk with Dan about his store growth and adding an additional unit. He shares concept direction, how the new store has performed and what has been key to that success.

Dan also surprises us with a new concept development that required him to change his perception of third-party delivery. Find out more about his new Los Angeles-based ghost kitchen concept.

Show Notes:

Submit your pizzeria for the 2024 Pizzerias to Watch List. Complete the form today at https://pizzatoday.com/pizzerias-to-watch-questionnaire/

Happy National Pizza Month! We have ideas and marketing resources to help you. Visit: https://pizzatoday.com/national-pizza-month-october-2019-pizzeria-tool-kit/

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Our guest this week is Mya Anitai. She owns Franny’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, Highlands, New Jersey. She took over a longstanding pizzeria Francesco’s Italian Restaurant in May 2019 and rebranding the business into Franny’s in February 2020.

Mya discussed the rebranding with us in a previous Conversation. She said, “Francesco’s had been in business for 40 years before I purchased the restaurant and took over. With great bones and a neighborhood of nostalgic support, I worked steadily to modernize the menu and increase ingredient quality across the board. The most popular dishes from Francesco’s stayed as well as specials directly from my Richmond, Virginia restaurant Dinamo (@dinamorichmond). I spent months monitoring sales and learning my customer’s dining desires before fully rebranding and becoming Franny’s.”

Mya also owns Dinamo in Richmond, Virginia. We explore each restaurant’s menu and what makes Franny’s different.

Franny’s has a full menu with pizza at its center. Franny’s serves three types of pizza: classic, New York style flour-tossed round, oil-pressed, square granny pie and deep-dish Sicilian. And we get into what makes those styles unique and what’s behind that oil-pressed grandma pie.  Other menu items include pastas, entrees, sandwiches, appetizers, salads and soups. We talk about Franny’s menu focus, as well as its new seasonal menu and what produce she will highlight.

Listen that and more on this week’s The Hot Slice Podcast.

Explore more on Franny’s at https://frannyshighlands.com/  and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/frannyshighlands

Read Mya’s Conversation in Pizza Today at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/conversation-mya-anitai-frannys-pizzeria-restaurant-highlands-new-jersey/

Show Notes:

Submit your pizzeria for the 2024 Pizzerias to Watch List. Complete the form today at https://pizzatoday.com/pizzerias-to-watch-questionnaire/

Learn more about Pizza and Pasta Northeast in Atlantic City on October 1-2 at https://ppne.pizzatoday.com/

Don’t forget October is National Pizza Month. We have ideas and marketing resources to help you. Visit: https://pizzatoday.com/national-pizza-month-october-2019-pizzeria-tool-kit/

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we chat with Frank Zabski of New Haven, Connecticut. After a corporate career wore him thin, Frank got into the pizza business with a mobile unit he named "Fired Up Pizza Truck". With the catering business, Frank aimed to "bring the party to you, not just the pizza." The truck catered parties and events for 50-125 people and specialized in New Haven-style pizza. 

 Show Notes:

Don’t forget October is National Pizza Month. We have ideas and marketing resources to help you. Visit: https://pizzatoday.com/national-pizza-month-october-2019-pizzeria-tool-kit/

Frank has since gone on to launch New Haven Pizza School (https://thepizzagavones.com/new-haven-pizza-school/). The school teaches home cooks/pizza enthusiasts how to make the iconic pizza style that remains a hidden secret from many consumers nationwide.

Read Franks's bio at at https://thepizzagavones.com/frank-zabski-a-k-a-the-polish-pizzaiolo/. 

Frank will be leading a hands-on demo on New Haven-style pizza at the upcoming Pizza & Pasta Northeast show in Atlantic City. The demonstration is slated for October 1 from 3-4 p.m. Check the PPNE show schedule and learn more at https://ppne.pizzatoday.com/.

Learn more about New Haven-style "apizza" here https://pizzatoday.com/topics/menu-development/apizza/. Then check out our Pizzeria of the Year feature on Modern Apizza, a New Haven staple, here. https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/2023-pizzeria-of-the-year-modern-apizza-new-haven-connecticut/

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Jeremy, Denise and Josh hop in this week’s podcast give all the skinny for the upcoming Pizza & Pasta Northeast at the Atlantic City Convention Center on October 1-2.

Pizza & Pasta Northeast showcases top suppliers for pizzerias and Italian restaurants. The two-day show features a schedule of pizza and pasta demonstrations by top chefs, seminars and workshops given by industry leaders, and special presentations from featured keynote speakers.

Presented by International Pizza Expo, the annual trade show in Las Vegas for the pizzeria industry, this event gives the region of the U.S. the highest concentration of independent and small chain Italian-concept restaurants its very own focused gathering of buyers and sellers.

With a full line up of events, educational sessions, demonstrations and competitions, get the PPNE app to plan your trip: https://pizza.a2zinc.net/PPNE2023/Public/Content.aspx?ID=42829

For more info on Pizza and Pasta Northeast, visit https://ppne.pizzatoday.com/

Show Notes:

Pizza Expo 2024 will be our 40th Anniversary. If you have show memorabilia, photos or memories, please share those with Jeremy at [email protected] and Denise at [email protected]

Don’t forget October is National Pizza Month. We have ideas and marketing resources to help you. Visit: https://pizzatoday.com/national-pizza-month-october-2019-pizzeria-tool-kit/

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we chat with Drew Butler, who perhaps has been destined to be in the pizza industry. Things aligned for Drew when he was making pizzas out of his house as fundraisers for youth sports. He had been looking for a building to start his business when friends shared that a beloved local market had an unused pizza oven. Instead of undertaking a costly buildout on a new facility, Drew opted to set up shop, Market Pizza by Drew Butler, at the Jackson Market in Culver City, California.

We dive into what goes into making his neo-Neapolitan pizza including the use of a three-flour blend, sourdough and a long fermentation process.

Drew was named a Rising Star in the Pizza Industry in July. In his Q&A, Drew says, “I am striving for excellence in pizza and service experience for Market Pizza. My highest priority is the uniqueness of my dough and the special time my 67-hour process deserves. It all starts with the crust — the rest is just toppings! Gourmet toppings for sure, but we have a pretty level playing field for tomatoes, cheese, meats and veggies. The crust is my signature. It’s what defines my pizza from everyone else’s.  It’s got my name on it, so it’s got to be great!”

See how he’s adding to the momentum as he grows in the pizza business. Find out his ultimate goal.

Read Drew’s Rising Stars Q&A at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/drew-butler-market-pizza-by-drew-butler-culver-city-ca-rising-star-2023/

Follow Market Pizza by Drew Butler on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marketpizzabdb/

Show Notes:

Attention ALL PIZZERIA OWNERS AND OPERATORS: As a valued member of the pizzeria community, we would like to invite you to participate in an industry survey. Be counted in this annual gauge of vital pizzeria insights, issues and trends. Take the survey now: https://pizzatoday.com/be-counted-pizzeria-operator-survey-portal/

Last chance to submit your pizzeria for one of the 20 categories in the PIE Awards. Learn more at https://pizzatoday.com/pie-awards/

Celebrate National Pizza Month in October! Pizza Today has you covered this October with our National Pizza Month Pizzeria Tool Kit. We’ve pulled together resources to help you mark the occasion and promote your National Pizza Month campaigns in your store, in the community, virtually and on social networks. 

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we have our upcoming Pizza and Pasta Northeast Keynote Speaker Will Grant on the show. Will owns That's A Some Pizza in Bainbridge Island, Washington and Sourdough Willy’s in Kingston, Washington.

One of four Master Pizzaiolo in the United States Will has been making pizzas for 39 years with his family pizzerias. He has opened 13 restaurants since 1984 and has won and placed in over 5 food competitions in the last 5 years. Currently Will teaches professional classes out of both his restaurants "That's A Some Pizza" and "Sourdough Willy's" which serve a combined five styles of pizza, all using a heirloom sourdough starter. As a World Pizza Champion team member, restaurant consultant and Master Pizzaiolo Will has the experience you need to help be successful in your restaurants.

We dive into how Will is able to motivate his team and create excellence in his product. He goes beyond his story walls to help consult and instruct pizzeria operators across the country. He is a frequent speaker and demonstration presenter at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas and Pizza and Pasta Northeast in Atlantic City. Listen to find out how Will is elevating the pizza industry.

Show Notes:

Attention ALL PIZZERIA OWNERS AND OPERATORS: As a valued member of the pizzeria community, we would like to invite you to participate in an industry survey. Be counted in this annual gauge of vital pizzeria insights, issues and trends. Take the survey now: https://pizzatoday.com/be-counted-pizzeria-operator-survey-portal/

Follow That’s a Some Pizza at https://www.thatsasome.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsasomepizza/

Follow Sourdough Willy’s at https://www.sourdoughwillys.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sourdoughwillyspizzeria/

Learn more about Pizza and Pasta Northeast in Atlantic City on October 1-2 at https://ppne.pizzatoday.com/

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, Jeremy and Denise sit down with Melissa Rickman, owner of Wholly Stromboli in Fort Lupton, Colorado. Rickman, a seasoned pizza business maven, regularly contributes to the educational lineup at Pizza Expo and Pizza & Pasta Northeast. She has written articles for Pizza Today and has led a variety of seminars and food demos at the two aforementioned shows.

Now, she’s prepping for her biggest stage yet — delivering a keynote address at PPNE 2023 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

We talk with Melissa about the keynote as well as her online ordering platform, who she sees as some of her biggest inspirations and her future plans in the industry.

Read her article from earlier this year about why you should keep chicken wings on your menu: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/menu-development/keeping-chicken-wings-on-the-menu/.

Learn more about Wholly Stromboli at whollystromboli.com. And, finally, register to attend PPNE so you can hear Rickman’s keynote in person: https://ppne.pizzatoday.com/.

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we are chatting with Gemma Cataldo, manager at Antonio’s Italian Restaurant in Elkhart, Indiana. We recently named Gemma a Rising Star in the Pizza Industry.

She competed in her first International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo this year and took home first place in the Traditional Division. Her only other competition showing was in the Young Pizza Maker of the Year at Pizza & Pasta Northeast in Atlantic City last year.

After also winning the Traditional Division in 2019, her father Paul set a legacy for competing and winning as both Gemma and her sister Carmela.

As Gemma heads to university soon she plans to continue to elevate the pizza industry. She has collaborated with Carmela to be a beacon for women in pizza. She is working with the Women in Pizza movement to help amplify the successes of women in the industry.

In a Q&A with Gemma for Rising Stars, says, “I recently graduated high school early in March and I will be attending Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, this fall. I plan on studying Dental Hygiene, though I have no intention of leaving the pizza industry behind. The pizza industry has always had a special place in my life, and going to college will not prohibit my desire to continuously improve and learn. My sister, Carmela, and I are already working on new pizzas and flavors for the 2024 IPC. In terms of more immediate action, I am becoming more involved with Women in Pizza to support and highlight the talents of women in the pizza industry, especially young women who are just starting.”

Hear more about Gemma big IPC win, the pie that won, her future plans and continuing her Women in Pizza charge.

Read Gemma’s Rising Stars Q&A: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/gemma-cataldo-antonios-italian-restaurant-elkhart-in-rising-star-2023/

Learn more about Antonio’s Italian Ristorante at https://antoniositalian.com/

Follow Gemma and Carmela’s Instagram: @thecataldosisters.

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast our Editor-in-Chief, Jeremy White, reads some letters he's received recently from pizzeria operators regarding dessert sales in their shops. Desserts can often be challenging to move, but they can create great incremental revenue when a well-thought-out dessert program is put into place. In this installment, two operators chime in via e-mail with what's working for them. These letters came in as a response to a Commentary Jeremy wrote asking for insight into dessert sales and how to improve them.

The attention also is on Pizza & Pasta Northeast in New Jersey. This year's show runs October 1-2 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. In this episode of the Hot Slice we cover the two Keynote addresses that will be given on Day 1 by Melissa Rickman and Day 2 by Will Grant. We also briefly touch upon a couple of the workshops attendees will want to be sure to hit up while at PPNE. Registration for PPNE is open, so don't delay in punching your ticket to attend by visiting https://ppne.pizzatoday.com/.

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This week on The Hot Slice Podcast are 2023 Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry Alex White, Dani Garcia-White, Cameron White, Justin Ford, co-owners of Yukon Pizza in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. Read their Rising Stars Q&A at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/alex-white-dani-garcia-white-cameron-white-justin-ford-yukon-pizza-downtown-las-vegas-nv-rising-stars/.

Yukon Pizza has grown from an outdoor oven at a commercial kitchen to a hot on the Las Vegas pizza scene brick-and-mortar pizzeria. Check out bio that Dani provided for each owner:

Alex White is a Las Vegas resident of 16 years, and the 5th generation heir of a family sourdough starter dating back to the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon Territory, over 125 years ago. He spent a decade working in the film and television industry, while also building his skills as a backyard pizza maker. When the pandemic happened Alex, his wife Dani, brother Cameron, and good friend Chef Justin Ford made the decision to jump from backyard pizza makers to a full on brick and mortar restaurant.

Dani Garcia-White was born in southern california and raised in Las Vegas. After spending 10 years in the film production and live event production industries, Dani began to form an interest in making pizza alongside her husband and founder of Yukon Pizza Alex White. Dani left her previous career in April of 2022 to pursue pizza-making and restaurant operations full time. She has found a passion for both pizza making and managing a restaurant and looks forward to Yukon's continued success!

Cameron White started as a pizza cook and delivery driver during high school. While he pursued a career in advertising and video production in Northern Nevada, he was consistently amazed by his younger brother's improving pizza-making skills. Both Cameron and Alex, who also worked in video production in Las Vegas, had dreams of turning Yukon Pizza into a family business, but they thought it was something for the distant future. However, Cameron's dissatisfaction with advertising and a pandemic-induced layoff prompted him to seize the opportunity with Yukon Pizza immediately. In the summer of 2020, Cameron, along with his spouse, artist Jess White, moved to Las Vegas. Together, they started laying the foundation for the business, collaborating with talented individuals like Cameron's sister-in-law Dani, chef Justin Ford, and the rest of the amazing staff at Yukon. Cameron has been humbled by the experience and the chance to work with such remarkable people.

Chef Justin Ford oversees back-line our menu and operations. He has nearly 20 years of fine dining and pizza restaurant experience, having worked in LA and Las Vegas with Nancy Silverton, Wolfgang Puck, David Chang, and others. Justin joined the Yukon Pizza team officially in 2020, when we started as a neighborhood popup during the pandemic. Since then, Justin has taken on the role of Chef head-on, allowing Yukon Pizza to expand its menu into new and exciting directions.

Learn more about Yukon Pizza at https://yukonpizza.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yukonpizza/.