Sarah Minnick, Chef and Owner of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty to be Tuesday Keynote Speaker at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas

In the past, Pizza Expo keynote speakers have included some big names in business and food. This year is no exception: Sarah Minnick will jump-start the tradeshow day on Tuesday, March 25 with her 8:15 opening keynote address. Sarah is an award-winning chef in Portland, Oregon, where she has operated the Lovely Hula Hands and Lovely’s Fifty Fifty restaurants.

Sarah has received many prestigious accolades, including being nominated by the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Chef in 2024 and being a semi-finalist in the Best Chef Northwest and Pacific category in 2020, not to mention being featured on the Netflix Series ‘Chefs Table: Pizza’.

Photo Courtesy of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty

Lovely’s Fifty Fifty opened in 2010, specializing in pizza and ice cream that’s made with seasonal produce and foraged ingredients. Along the way Sarah has developed a national reputation and following for her pizzas, particularly for how she incorporates Oregon-grown fruits and vegetables into spectacular artisan pies that change week to week depending on what’s available.

Lovely’s Fifty Fifty has seven pizza options available on their menu, including four seasonal pies. The pizzas are considered virtual masterpieces in terms of beauty and taste, highlighting bright and unusual flavors (which isn’t surprising, since most of the pizzas don’t have sauce, so the vegetables and other ingredients always take centerstage). Many of the these are not commonly associated with pizza. All her pizzas are made with whole wheat sourdough that typically utilizes five flours that are locally sourced from Camas Country Mill. The crust has a little sourness to it and a lot of flavors. It’s crispy on the outside, and a little like bread dough on the inside.

Not surprisingly, the ice cream flavors are nontraditional as well, such as Mint Stracciatella, Buckwheat Honey Toffee, Anise Hyssop Stracciatella, and Vanilla Bean Bourbon. She sources the organic custard base they use for their decadent ice cream from the Srauss Family Creamery, adding berries and fruit from local farmers along with more exotic flavorings from the leaves of peach, fig and bay.

I like to think that attending Pizza Expo will be one of, if not the best, investments of time and money that you’ll make. The bottom line is there’s always something new at Pizza Expo that can improve your restaurant. Remember, attending Pizza Expo is a tax-deductible working vacation. For more information on attending International Pizza Expo 2025, please visit PizzaExpo.com.

It’s all pizza and it’s all for YOU!

Kind regards,

Bill Oakley
Group Show Director