November 2009

From parsley and Parmesan to lemon slices and dustings of powdered sugar, plating food is an art form that delights guests. I want to teach you some plating techniques to let your passion for food shine through. I’m sure you’ve heard it a hundred...

If you run a full service restaurant, it’s difficult to figure out how many tables to assign to each server. You want customers to be served promptly and accurately so they return. You also want servers to earn enough tips to keep them happy. Rober...

Tony Gemignani has already made quite a name for himself in the pizza industry. His dough-tossing prowess is well publicized, and his list of awards and honors seems to grow by the day. From cookbooks to children’s books, from leading the World Piz...

Spaghetti with Meatballs This recipe is very close to how my mother did her meatballs, but there are as many recipes for meatballs as there are Italians. This recipe makes 18 meatballs, each about 2 inches in diameter. Makes 6 servings (scale up in d...

Adam Goldberg, owner of Fresh Brothers in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, California, was slammed — on a Monday. The restaurant’s volume was up way more than normal. The lunch rush had extended to 3:30 p.m., leaving staff only one hour to prep...

Oil is a truly multi-functional ingredient in pizza dough production. It can affect everything from the crispiness to flavor of the crust, as well as the way the dough handles during shaping. The type of oil used can influence the flavor of the finis...

Cooking with wood has been around since the dawn of civilization, so there’s no singular revelation attached to that method of cooking. On the other hand, cooking pizza in a wood-fired oven has been going on only since the turn of the century in th...

On a February evening in 2007, a Boston computer programmer named Jascha Franklin-Hodge received a call on his cell phone. He noticed the caller ID displayed a Chicago number. He was asked to create a robust, Web-based communication strategy for some...

If I had to choose between the best counter and phone person or the best pizza maker, I choose the best customer service rep. Pizza makers are made through a mentoring training program. You make and shape them into pizza assembly machines. On the oth...

Todd Parent has a good thing going. As founder and CEO of Extreme Pizza, this San Francisco businessman has found a way to grow a concept in lean times. While his company has taken a hit during the recession, Extreme Pizza’s boomtime marketing effo...