Janet Duran envisioned opening her own pizzeria the first time she made pizza. Even a pandemic didn’t get in her way of fulfilling that dream. Launched with carryout only in June, 550 received instant community-wide support that she continues to return tenfold. While waiting out the initial blow of COVID-19 in the spring, Duran says, “I became a ‘woman on a mission,’ delivering my pizzas to everyone in town who was doing their part to keep our community together—from nurses, to physicians, to teachers—I made hundreds of pizzas and delivered them every day to say thank you for all they do. Eventually, I was able to open and the response has been amazing! I have sold out on doughs many days now, and have had to add lines to my phone just to keep up with the demand. I truly believe the extra time I was given—be it because of the pandemic—not only helped me to prepare for my opening, but also gave me a sense of purpose in what I do that I now infuse into every pizza I make.” One of the best sellers is The Ghost with pepperoni, Italian sausage, smoked ham, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan and Gorgonzola cheese. “A customer for many years (Mr. Resendez), he loved the combination and asked us to put it together” she says of a regular at the pizzeria she worked at for many years. Another local favorite is The Chicken Chori-Queso with tomatillo sauce, Roma tomatoes, onions, chicken and cilantro.
New kid on the Portland pizza scene, Pop has brought its Detroit-style pizza to the competitive market. For now, the shop is open limited hours (4-9 p.m), and closed Monday and Tuesday. Pop is focused on selling six specialty whole pies and salads. Customers can order the square pie regular or gluten free. The pizza menu is straight forward with a choice of Triple Cheese, Pepperoni, Veggie, Sausage, Pineapple or Kale pizzas.
Congratulations to Nick & Vito’s. The Southside Chicago pizza landmark has turned 100. Rose George continues the tradition her family started a century ago, serving up its famous cracker thin crust pizza. The pizza institution still maintains its roots with its wide menu of sandwiches, pizza, pastas, dinners and sides. There are four pizza menu options (sausage, half sausage/half cheese, cheese or cheese and egg), plus a build to order with premium ingredients like ground beef, sliced beef and shrimp. The pizzeria also offers pizzas par-baked.
Let’s have the biggest Pizza Expo ever! We’re expecting more than 9,000 pizzeria owners and operators to converge on the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center on March 28-30. With so much packed into the week, we’re here to get you ready
Fill your February Calendar with Key Dates, Observances and Food Holidays February may be the shortest month of the year. It is also packed with observances, food holidays and one of the biggest pizza sales days of the year. Let’s look at some key
A few weeks ago, I ran into a friend who makes pizza for a living. She got her start about five years ago and has been busy running pop-ups at bars and events ever since. She told me about plans to shift up from running spotty pop-ups to something mo
A guide to the versatile Italian Flat Bread Focaccia Oh, focaccia! How I love thee. Focaccia holds a lot of meaning for me. In the last two years, focaccia has been the one thing that has taught me the most. It has been the one item that I have gone
Super Bowl Sunday is coming this month. I’m sure you’ve already marked your calendars for February 12th. When the NFL’s biggest day hits television screens across the nation, sales of pizza and wings skyrocket. You know the drill, so I’m conf
Don’t blame others for a bad hire. Look in the mirror. We all know the saying about subpar employees: One bad apple ruins the barrel. But if that’s true, why do we as pizzeria owners tolerate the bad apples on our staffs? Obviously, no one wants
What you need to know before your restaurant’s next health inspection It’s coming, though few pizzerias know when. The health inspection is a regular event on every restaurant’s calendar and while some of the nation’s restaurant operators
Pizzeria owners can still sell alcohol for takeout and delivery if they follow regulations Sales of beer, wine and liquor to-go helped many restaurant operators stay in business during the pandemic. These sales were made possible when state governmen
MOTO Seattle, Washington Concept: MOTO “OddPizza” is a combined expression of all my pizza making experience, mostly inspired by my travels to the night markets in Asia and Europe, where I found unique, quality food from fast, efficient op