Attendees will have the opportunity to tap General Mills’ dedicated dough experts, attend Pizza Crust Boot Camp and learn about ready-made solutions from TNT Crust.
MINNEAPOLIS (March 20, 2023) — General Mills Foodservice is stepping up its presence at this year’s International Pizza Expo to help pizza makers “doughminate” when it comes to creating signature pizzas and preventing crust catastrophes. In addition to expanding access to its popular Pizza Crust Boot Camp featuring the Doughminators™, General Mills will feature dough demonstrations throughout the expo (booth #807) and showcase its newly acquired line of high-quality frozen pizza crusts from TNT Crust (booth #1353).
General Mills and its Doughminators, a distinct group of individuals with a deep knowledge of flour and technical baking expertise, have been a staple ingredient at Pizza Expo for more than 25 years. Taking place March 28-30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Pizza Expo is the largest event of its kind and draws thousands of pizza makers from independent and chain pizza restaurants from around the world.
Pizza Crust Boot Camp, a highlight of the Pizza Expo, is a free seminar featuring both technical and practical information covering ingredient functionality, formulation, signature crusts, troubleshooting, and dough-making steps and methods. In addition to Pizza Crust Boot Camp, the Doughminators will host free dough demonstrations at the General Mills’ booth and be available to help operators identify the best flour options for their needs.
“We are excited to have a much bigger space to host Pizza Crust Boot Camp this year, which will allow us to interact with more pizza makers and discuss common dough dilemmas and how to achieve the perfect crust—the foundation of any great pizza,” said Tom Santos, who serves as a Doughminator and has seen just about every type of dough issue throughout his long career as both a bakery owner and field sales rep at General Mills. “Our entire team will also stand ready to serve pizzerias and pizza makers at our booth throughout the expo, helping identify the right flour for consistent results every time.”
Pizza Expo attendees who stop by the General Mills’ booth will find information, resources and expertise to spice up their pizza game, including:
- Details on a wide variety of pizza flour options, from untreated/clean label and organic flours to Di Prim’ Ordine Farina, a European-style flour available in operator-friendly, 27.5-pound bags.
- Information on the Pizza Professional program—an immersive, hands-on, three-day event taking place in September, for those who are passionate about taking their pizza to the next level and want to connect with pizza makers from around the country.
- A new interactive component that allows attendees to scan QR codes onsite to access extensive information on flour and troubleshooting resources at their fingertips.
- The Pillsbury Doughboy will be onsite throughout the expo along with a variety of giveaways including bowl scrapers, pizza cutters and fun Pillsbury Doughboy swag.
Doughminators Schedule at Pizza Expo:
Dough-Making Demonstrations (Booth #807):
- Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29: 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
- The Doughminators will be available to dish about dough, conduct demos and answer questions.
Pizza Crust Boot Camp (Room W211-212):
- Tuesday, March 28: 9:30-11 a.m.
- During Part I (technical), attendees will learn about basic dough formation along with the interfunctionality of ingredients and applications of specialty ingredients.
- Wednesday, March 29: 3:30-5 p.m.
- Part II (practical) covers the dough-making process and discusses various dough-processing methods as well as how to make “emergency” dough.
TNT Crust
Attendees are also encouraged to visit booth #1353 to learn about parbaked crust options and Readi-Rise dough from TNT Crust, which General Mills acquired in 2022. There will be giveaways, including pizza cutters, and an opportunity to sample recipes made with TNT Crust products.
“General Mills is excited to expand our offerings and give pizza makers even more options to grow their business based on their back-of-house needs,” said Garren Hamby, director of Custom Commercial for General Mills Foodservice. “From our extensive line of flours to the par-baked, self-rising and custom crusts from TNT, General Mills is eager to partner with pizzerias and position them for success.”
Pizza Expo attendees can inquire about making an appointment with a member of the General Mills sales team for a product consultation and visit at their own operation. For those who can’t make it to the Pizza Expo, General Mills’ website for pizzerias offers helpful resources including dough troubleshooting tips and dough-making video demonstrations. Click here for more information.
About General Mills Foodservice
General Mills Foodservice serves the foodservice and bakery industries by providing quality products from time-trusted brands along with culinary, nutrition education and marketing resources to help operators succeed. Its distinguished brand portfolio includes Big G Cereals, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, Bugles, Gardetto’s and Annie’s. For more information, please visit www.generalmillsfoodservice.com.