No Country For Old Pizzas "The flow of the river is ceaseless; and its water is never the same." - Kamo no Chomei, 1212 AD All of us in the independent restaurant world are in constant motion. We put our heads down day after day with hundreds of tasks of owning...
Hall of Flame “Everything starts with a solid foundation. The stronger it is, the longer you last in competition, business and life, because only the strongest survive.” Chef Que Wimberly, The Missing Brick Pizzeria, Indianapolis, Indiana The...
Onion Blings Onions. Yes, you know, those giant mesh bags that sit in your walk-in like a second-string quarterback? With a little imagination, it could be time to play this transformative vegetable to make pizzas and pastas more exciting. For centuries, these little...
The Right Stuff If stuffed shells were automobiles, they would be a flock of big, bright pink SUVs driving around town. In any restaurant, the delivery of this oversized, stuffed and sauced pasta is just as awesome a sight and usually followed by smiling faces full of...
Excellent Ancient Grains in the Pizzeria Fifteen years ago, I had no intention of making pizza without the usual white, bleached and bromated flour that all pizza places use. Then one hot September day, I travelled to my favorite Amish family in the rolling...
Fall Guys As our independent restaurants rebound from the pandemic and creep steadily into our busy season of fall and winter, thoughts of higher priced and less desirable produce like lettuce, tomato and peppers appear on our radar. The glut of fresh herbs, onions...
Salvadore Deli Sandwiches are like artistic pizzas in the way that pizzas are like artistic sandwiches. Many combinations of wheat, protein, cheese and vegetables in famous sandwiches can turn your pizzas into best sellers by bringing wonderful flavor memories back to...
A Quick Oil Change For centuries oil has been an integral part of cooking because of its inherent ability to change the nature of food. The saturated fats of yesteryear like butter and lard added to the popularity of fried foods, baked goods and charred meats but were...
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War The year 2020 marked one of the most tumultuous restaurant years in my lifetime. Because of Covid, my business model was shaken by new state rules, staff hardships and cranky...
Specialty sandwiches can be a much needed boost to your menu Not many businesses have such overlapping culinary footprints as pizzerias and sandwich places. Both have a base of wheat followed by cheeses, vegetables, proteins and even cold greens. Therefore, many...
Biggeats Smalls “Normality is the great neurosis of civilization.” - Tom Robbins Owning a pizzeria in a small town is a matter of community. Your customers are neighbors, coaches, teachers, police, firemen and workers of all types. To stay in business in these small...
Making the best Non-Traditional Pizza “Toppings are easy. The base takes a lifetime.” — Domenico Crolla, Restaurateur and Pizza Judge Competitive pizza making always brings out the best in people, but the non-traditional category of the International Pizza Challenge...
