The Hot Slice

Epizódok

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  332. REPLAY: Confiscated Ingredients, Broken Ovens, One World Championship Pizza with Carmela Williams 15.10.2026 39p

  Send us Fan Mail Listen to 2026 Crowned World Pizza Champion Carmela Williams of Antonio’s Italian Ristorante in Elkhart, Indiana, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today How do you win a world pizza championship with a pie you’d never fully made before? On this episode of The Hot Slice, presented by Pizza Today, we sit down with Carmela Williams of Antonio’s Italian Ristorante in Elkhart, Indiana, fresh off her world champion title in the Americana division at the Caputo Cup in Naple...
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  331. Giving Pizza in Times of Crisis 08.10.2026 29p

  Send us Fan Mail Listen to Brian Rock, Co-Founder and COO of Doughnate Pizza, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today When a powerful derecho tore through northwest Indiana on Aug. 12 and knocked out power to more than 600,000 people, Brian Rock didn't wait for the lights to come back on. He went 14 days without power himself. Still, the co-founder and COO of Doughnate Pizza, a 100% volunteer-driven nonprofit, rallied his network and hit the streets. Over 16 days, his team served more than ...
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  330. Columbus-style Pizza, Commissary Dough and Coming Full Circle 01.10.2026 27p

  Send us Fan Mail Sexton’s Pizza started in a trailer the size of a closet on Florida’s Gulf Coast a decade ago. Now, after building a multi-unit operation in Columbus, Ohio, the pizzeria is returning to where it all began. In this episode, we sit down with co-founder Joey Sexton ahead of Pizza Expo Columbus to talk dough science, growth and what it means to come full circle. You’ll learn about: Columbus-style Pizza: The square-cut, red-sauce, smoked-provolone tradition rooted in the city’s Fl...
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  329. Creating a Thoughtful Beverage Program Without a Liquor License 24.09.2026 37p

  Send us Fan Mail Sarah and Daniel Correa never planned on becoming beverage innovators. But when opening a full bar wasn’t the right fit for their community, they got creative instead. In this episode, we sit down with the Correas, owners of Fired Pizza in Stockton, California. What started as a mobile catering rig in 2018 grew into a food truck, then blossomed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant built on Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and a genre-bending beverage program that won them the 2025 P...
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  328. The Pizza Team Takes Over: A Special Hot Slice Episode 17.09.2026 27p

  Send us Fan Mail The whole gang is back! In this special Pizza Team edition of The Hot Slice, host Denise Greer, editor in chief of Pizza Today, sits down with Kate Lavin, Jeremy White and Josh Cowan for a lively, insider look at what's shaping the pizza business right now. From big news about Pizza Expo's leadership to what's driving independent operators to the top, this one's packed with takeaways you can bring straight back to your shop! The crew digs into the mindset behind one of the wo...
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  327. Ditching Bromate, Chasing Roman Pizza and Hiring for Heart 10.09.2026 34p

  Send us Fan Mail New York lawmakers voted to ban potassium bromate, and Rob Cervoni has thoughts. As the self-described “no bleach, no bromate guy,” Cervoni has spent years encouraging fellow operators make the switch to unbromated flour. Now that it’s the law, he says it’s time to pivot, not panic. In this podcast episode, Cervoni breaks down what happens to dough when you pull bromate out of the equation, why pre-ferments such as poolish and biga are the secret weapon for anyone short on wa...
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  326. Pizza, Hotels and Disaster Recovery at Soprana Rooftop Cucina 03.09.2026 41p

  Send us Fan Mail How do you keep serving your community when a hurricane devastates your town? In this episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we hear from Philip Bollhoeffer, vice president of food and beverage for Parks Hospitality Group. Bollhoeffer was the chef who opened the Soprana Rooftop Cucina concept in Asheville, North Carolina, in March 2024. Six months later, Hurricane Helene created deadly flooding in Asheville, and the pizzeria stepped up to help its community: serving as home to med...
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  325. Robots, Revenue and the Randazzo Award 27.08.2026 34p

  Send us Fan Mail In just a few years, MOTO Pizza has gone from a two-person operation to the highest-grossing food operator at T-Mobile Park, home to the Seattle Mariners. Lee Kindell, co-founder of MOTO Pizza, is back on The Hot Slice podcast to share how MOTO Pizza went from a standalone house in Seattle to what will be a 13-unit operation by the end of 2026. Kindell breaks down: · The P&L discipline that unlocked his growth. · ...
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  324. Crushing the First 100 Days 20.08.2026 37p

  Send us Fan Mail Mooney’s Pizza Tavern pulled in more than $1 million during its first 100 days in Long Beach, California, and owner Hal Mooney is sharing how he and his wife, Cindy, achieved this impressive feat. From a tailored menu and staff training to a bucket list beer program, Mooney is pulling back the curtain to share what goes into a well-executed opening. Plus: Learn how the Mooneys opted to redesign a vintage diner during the renovation, how they handle offering a large number of ...
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  323. Helping a Neighboring Pizzeria with Anthony Triolo, Chicago’s Triano's Pizza 13.08.2026 31p

  Send us Fan Mail Anthony Triolo, second-generation owner of Triano's Pizza in Chicago's Garfield Ridge, joins The Hot Slice to talk community, consistency and what really makes Chicago thin crust great. In this episode, we cover: How Triano's organized a dine-and-donate just two days after a fire closed neighboring Obbie's Pizza, raising more than $3,000 for displaced employeesWhy Anthony sees neighboring pizzerias as community, not competition, and how that mindset inspired other local shops...
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  322. Slow Food and Sustainability 06.08.2026 33p

  Send us Fan Mail Listen to Gerardo Moceri Jr., co-owner of Gerardo’s Pizzeria in Sedona, Arizona, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today. What does it look like when the second generation of a pizzeria learns about the Slow Food movement and brings sustainable practices back to the family business? In the case of Gerardo Moceri Jr., it means stone-milled flour made from ancient grains, house-made mozzarella and a Snail of Approval. In this episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we sit down with...
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  321. Great Pizza Isn’t Enough. Building a Business with Michael Androw 29.07.2026 31p

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Hot Slice Podcast, Michael Androw, owner of E&D Pizza Company, in Avon, Connecticut, gets honest about what it actually takes to open and survive in this industry. He shares the hard lessons that recipes and passion can't teach you, from the financial traps that can cost you your home to the relationships that can save your doors from closing. If you own a pizzeria or dream of opening one, this conversation delivers the "down and dirty" reality most...
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  320. Timber Pizza Co., Building the Biz from Food Trucks to 10 Locations 23.07.2026 33p

  Send us Fan Mail Twelve years ago, two guys in a baby blue 1967 Chevy truck were blasting 90s hip-hop at a D.C. farmers market and slinging wood-fired pizza to anyone who'd listen. Today, that operation is closing in on 10 locations and building a national franchise. In this episode, we sit down with Chris Brady, co-founder and president of Timber Pizza Co. Chris and his partner Andrew Dana traded tech sales careers for a pizza oven in 2014, opened their first brick-and-mortar in D.C.'s Petwo...
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  319. Improving the Employee Experience 16.07.2026 33p

  Send us Fan Mail Like many family-owned businesses, Jasons NY Pizza had a moment of reflection during the COVID pandemic. If they wanted to continue to grow and expand, the leadership team would have to create more management positions and solidify a processes for employee pay structures and raises. Chief Experience Officer Zachary Black joins The Hot Slice podcast to share how these changes have allowed Jasons to double the number of stores it operates in Maine and permitted the owners...
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  318. Weight Loss Journey Sparks Top 50 Pizzerias with Arpan Patel, Lucky Dough Pizza, Pensacola, FL 09.07.2026 27p

  Send us Fan Mail What does it take to go from a 120-pound weight loss journey to landing on the 50 Top Pizza list in your very first year of business? In this episode of The Hot Slice, hosts Kate Lavin and Denise Greer sit down with Arpan Patel, the owner behind Lucky Dough Pizza in Pensacola, Florida, for a conversation packed with hard-won lessons every operator can use. Arpan's story starts with a personal transformation. After losing 120 pounds, he discovered that clean eating wasn't abou...
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  317. Confiscated Ingredients, Broken Ovens, One World Championship Pizza with Carmela Williams 02.07.2026 42p

  Send us Fan Mail How do you win a world pizza championship with a pie you'd never fully made before? On this episode of The Hot Slice, presented by Pizza Today, we sit down with Carmela Williams of Antonio's Italian Ristorante in Elkhart, Indiana, fresh off her world champion title in the Americana division at the Caputo Cup in Naples, Italy. It was Carmela's first time competing internationally, and almost nothing went according to plan. Airport officials confiscated her ingredients. Her hot...
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  316. Opening an Upscale Pizzeria in a Historic Building 25.06.2026 35p

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Hot Slice, we sit down with Mike Dew, the man behind one of the most intriguing pizza concepts in Northern Kentucky. Dew walks us through the realities of a longer-than-expected build-out, the quirks of a historic building and the creative ways he repurposed original wood flooring at Wayfarer Tavern in Dayton, Kentucky. Beyond a pizzeria menu he likens to a steakhouse, Dew shares how a thoughtfully curated, value-driven wine list turned his spot into an...
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  315. Gen-Z Operator: How Joe Powers Took the Helm of an Award-Winning Pizzeria at Age 22 18.06.2026 27p

  Send us Fan Mail What happens when a 19-year-old tastes life-changing pizza at a Buffalo Bills game? For Joe Powers, it sparks an obsession that transforms a college freshman into the owner of Jay’s Artisan Pizza by age 22. In this episode of The Hot Slice podcast, Powers shares his remarkable journey into the world of award-winning Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizza. Powers currently operates one of the most celebrated pizzerias in the country: 50 Top Pizza recently named Jay’s the No....
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  314. Grilled Pizza, Seasonal Menus & Profit Sharing 11.06.2026 28p

  Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we chat with Armando DiMeo, owner of Houston-based Coastline Pizzeria. In addition to 12-inch Neapolitan pies, Coastline specializes in grilled pizza. DiMeo explains that he “wanted to create another style of pizza that would … be the opposite of a Neapolitan pizza.” He threw some dough on the grill, and the rest is history … almost. DiMeo tells The Hot Slice that it took him five years to perfect the pizza style, which us...
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  313. Dishing Dough Science with Pizza Chefs at National Restaurant Show 04.06.2026 36p

  Send us Fan Mail Recorded live at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago, this episode of Pizza Today puts Editor in Chief Denise Greer in conversation with two pizzeria pros shaping how modern pizza operations run. Juan Robles, corporate chef for Triple Beam Pizza in Los Angeles, California, breaks down the commissary model powering their five-location Roman-style pizza program — covering conveyor oven customization, high-hydration dough at 96%, par-baking strategy, and why three locations ...