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Pizza Quest Webisodes

The Basta/Bruery Pairing Dinner Prep

Written By Peter Reinhart
Wednesday, 13 February 2013 Webisodes

We are moving now closer to the showdown between Kelly Whitaker, Al Henkin, and me on pizza versus Patrick Rue on beer.  It all began at, and was inspired by, this dinner at Basta – Wood Fired Eatery and Pizzeria, where Kelly and Al came up with a wonderful tasting menu inspired by some of the beers from Orange County artisan brewery, The Bruery.  In this segment you will see…Read More…

Spectacular Sous Vide Short Ribs at Basta

Written By Peter Reinhart
Tuesday, 22 January 2013 Webisodes

In this installment of the Basta series, as we inch closer to the big pizza/beer throw down, Kelly Whitaker takes us through his process for making one of the most amazing meat dishes I’ve ever had. A few years ago very few people knew of the cooking method called sous vide, which means, “under vacuum.” Now, because of high profile chefs like Thomas Keller, as well as exposure on television…Read More…

A Pairing of Beer and Cheese at Basta

Written By Peter Reinhart
Saturday, 29 December 2012 Webisodes

As our story progresses, we’ve already introduced you to Kelly Whitaker in the previous two segments and now we meet Alan Henkin, the co-owner (with Kelly) and also the Beverage Director of Basta, in Boulder CO.  In this webisode segment, Alan and Kelly take us through a virtual master class of beer and cheese pairing, as well as showing how it compares to more familiar wine and cheese pairings. In…Read More…

More About Coffee and Obsession at Basta

Written By Peter Reinhart
Wednesday, 21 November 2012 Webisodes

In this, the second in our newest webisode series, we continue our conversation with Kelly Whitaker, chef/partner at Basta in Boulder, CO.  You’ll notice a few breakaway shots to some of his menu items, such as a sous vide short rib dish that is phenomenal, cooked under pressure at a precise temperature for 48 to 72 hours, and then fire-charred just before serving. We will have a whole episode on…Read More…

Basta — A Beginning

Written By Peter Reinhart
Tuesday, 06 November 2012 Webisodes

We are beginning with this posting of a new webisode story arc featuring our friends at Basta, the wonderful wood-fired restaurant in Boulder that we’ve featured here in the past. This short opening segment re-introduces you to Kelly Whitaker, the visionary chef/owner of Basta and, in later segments we’ll meet other members of his team and then, over time, we’ll follow his trail all the way to Southern California and…Read More…

Margherita Pizza with Mozzarella di Bufala

Written By Peter Reinhart
Friday, 27 January 2012 Webisodes

  We’ve been wanting to share this webisode with you for quite a while, so here it is. Last year, when we were at the Fire Within Oven Owners Conference, we taped a number of demo’s in the beautiful mobile ovens built by Joseph Pergolizzi and his team of masons and metal craftsmen. Among those in attendance was Andres Salazar, who was just on the verge of releasing his first…Read More…

Final Webisode, Tony Gemignani, Respect the Craft

Written By Peter Reinhart
Saturday, 17 December 2011 Webisodes

It’s fitting that we wrap up our first year of PizzaQuest.com with the final segment of our series with World Champion pizzaiolo, Tony Gemignani. We did it in grand fashion, climbing to the top of a hill above the Golden Gate Bridge, looking back on Tony’s new “kingdom.” It looks almost like the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz, and the view was truly majestic, as you will see…Read More…

Harvesting Tomatoes with Tony

Written By Peter Reinhart
Thursday, 01 December 2011 Webisodes

This is one of my favorite webisodes of all time. Tony Gemignani took us on a field trip to Stanislaus County, to the town of Westley (near Modesto, CA), where we met Steve Rouse, the marketing director for the world famous Stanislaus Food Products company. We arrived just a week or so before the peak of the harvest, but found a few vines that were, nevertheless ripe and ready, as…Read More…

Special Webisode: The Italian-American Experience

Written By Peter Reinhart
Thursday, 17 November 2011 Webisodes

While we were filming at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana we met Marti Casey, the editor-in-chief of Salute’ Magazine, a publication dedicated to celebrating the Italian-American experience. Of course, there we were, in the heart of San Francisco’s Little Italy section, North Beach, eating amazing pizza at Tony’s, surrounded by quintessential Italian-American focaccerias, pork shops, bakeries, and classic spaghetti and meat ball trattorias, so what better place to discuss the immigrant experience….Read More…

Tony Makes a Traditional Italian Pizza

Written By Peter Reinhart
Thursday, 03 November 2011 Webisodes

Here’s another in the extremely informative sessions we had with Tony Gemignani at his landmark restaurant, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in North Beach, San Francisco. In this websode, Tony shows us the difference between what he calls a “traditional Italian pizza” and the Napoletana/Neapolitan pizzas he made in previous segments. I think we might also more accurately think of this as “traditional Italian-American” pizza. This style is baked in a gas…Read More…

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Vision Statement

Pizza Quest is a site dedicated to the exploration of artisanship in all forms, wherever we find it, but especially through the literal and metaphorical image of pizza. As we share our own quest for the perfect pizza we invite all of you to join us and share your journeys too. We have discovered that you never know what engaging roads and side paths will reveal themselves on this quest, but we do know that there are many kindred spirits out there, passionate artisans, doing all sorts of amazing things. These are the stories we want to discover, and we invite you to jump on the proverbial bus and join us on this, our never ending pizza quest.

Peter’s Books

American Pie
Artisan Breads Every Day
The Bread Bakers Apprentice
Brother Junipers Bread Book
Crust and Crumb
Whole Grain Breads

...and other books by Peter Reinhart, available on Amazon.com