Sarah Minnick, award-winning chef/owner of Portland’s Lovely’s Fifty Fifty delivers inspirational Keynote address at Pizza Expo 2025
Sarah Minnick, co-owner and operator of Portland, Oregon-based pizzeria Lovely’s 50-50 says her career path has not always been linear. For one thing, Minnick never imagined she’d be pizza maker at Lovely’s Fifty Fifty. Part historical narrative, part motivational speech, Minnick’s keynote address at Pizza Expo 2025, outlines her journey from art student moonlighting at a student-run café to being named a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards.
“At a young age, I realized I really liked working in restaurants, and so that part was not so surprising. But I didn’t see myself being over in the kitchen like I do now,” Minnick says. “Finding the love for that was a big surprise.”
Watch Sarah Minnick’s full Keynote Address at Pizza Expo 2025 here:
Minnick says Lovely’s has evolved since it opened around 15 years ago with a different chef running the pizza-making program. Today, Minnick’s vision is everywhere: from grain selection to fermentation practices, fresh ingredient sourcing and oven selection. One of her favorite parts of the process, she says, is visiting her hometown’s robust farmers market and selecting “the really special stuff” grown in small enough quantities that the 10 farmers she works with might not deliver it to restaurant accounts.
“In Portland, we have a really amazing, world-class farmers market,” she says. “It’s good to be the first one there, and it’s good to bring a big bag.” Or, in Minnick’s case, ride a bicycle outfitted with several hard-sided storage containers.
Minnick changes the menu daily, with selections varying based on the fresh produce delivered to Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, which serves up between 100 and 160 12-inch pies per day. The restaurant’s name reflects Minnick’s commitment to serving half pizza and half ice cream, which features flavors such malted barley sprouted and flaked by Minnick herself. She also is in regular touch with a cheesemonger who suggests pairings for the fresh herbs and vegetables.
The result, she says, is a community effort that reflects the culinary ecosystem of the Northwest. “At this point, I’ve made a lot of personal friendships with farmers in Portland,” she says. “I always felt a kindred spirit there.”
Eric Redfield of Camporosso Wood-fired-Pizzeria will be giving a second keynote address Wednesday, March 26 at 8:15 a.m. Visit PizzaExpo.com to see a full list of exhibitors and educational offerings.
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