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Menu Development
Detroit Style Pizza: A Guide to Detroit Pizza
Discover Detroit-Style Pizza Detroit style pizza is a square, deep dish pizza that is known for its racing stripes sauce on top, cheese crust crown and light crust. Whether you call them red tops or square pizza, Detroit-style pizza is a unique pizza style that hast become one of the hottest pizza styles and one […]
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Menu Development
Dough Doctor: Roll with it
The old-fashioned way still works Q: What are your thoughts on rolling pins? A: Some time ago I was in on a conversation between a number of individuals lamenting the cost of a dough roller for their shop. The discussion moved from single-pass...
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Menu Development
Bacon Pizzas — You’re bacon me crazy
The king of all pork products Bacon is tops in pizzerias As my wife and I watched a competitive cooking show a few months back, one of the judges tasted a certain dish and said, “Chef, I loved your dish but you cheated.” “Uh, excuse me? I don�...
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Menu Development
Trending Recipe: How To — Anna’s Carbonara
By Brian Weavel, Anna’s Pizza & Pasta, Winnabego, Illinois At Anna’s, we don’t do a traditional carbonara. This is our twist on the original. Give it a try. I hope you like it! Watch my how-to video on this dish. Anna’s Spinach...
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Menu Development
Know When to Fold ’Em
Calzones are a no-brainer If you are thinking about adding calzones to your menu, now is the time to do it. Calzones bring diversity to your lineup without getting off base from your menu theme. It’s the perfect spinoff from pizza — and it...
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Menu Development
The World is Flat
Flatbread sales heat up — are they right for you? In my region, Northern Illinois, Flatbread pizzas are becoming popular. This is a trend that is worth investigating for every pizzeria owner. Some have perfected it already, but I think many ...
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Menu Development
Big and Beefy
Italian Beef — the Chicago staple is gaining popularity I’ve been fortunate to have worked in and traveled to many fantastic places around the country and I just love the fact that many different areas have unique specialty dishes that are...
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Menu Development
Respecting the Craft: Pizza Romana
One of my favorite styles of pizza is pizza Romana. Some people can get confused because, like New York-style, there are sub-categories. For example, there’s Pizza in Teglia (pizza in the pan), Pizza al Taglio (pizza by the slice), Pizza a Etro (pi...
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Menu Development
Dough Doctor: Cut it out
What slicing tool is best for your operation? Q: I’m putting together an equipment list for a pizzeria that I plan to open soon and I’m trying to decide between using a pizza wheel or a rocker knife to cut my pizzas. Are there any advantages or d...
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Menu Development
No weigh? No way!
If you aren’t weighing ingredients, you are throwing money away Anything worth doing is worth doing correctly, right? Your pizza is no exception. Your goal with every pizza should be two-fold: Make a profitable pizza. Make a consistent pizza...
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Menu Development
Digital Menu Boards
Walk the average commercial block and you may notice a lot more digital signage about.The retail sector, including restaurants, has seen a surge in digital displays. Raf Vanreusel, managing partner at TelemediaVision in Baltimore, Maryland, says reta...
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Menu Development
Primo Pasta
Get those garden-fresh veggies into a versatile primavera sauce It’s summer, and that means a bounty of fresh vegetables are at every corner farm stand and are at their best price through your vendors. Some say there is a primavera phenomeno...
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Menu Development
Big Dave Ostrander talks dough consistency
Q: Dave, I make my dough fresh every day. Some days it’s perfect and others it’s either too soft or too firm. Since I hand stretch, this is a big deal. What am I doing wrong? Tony S. via e-mail A: Hey Tony! Early on, I also suffered from this dou...