Guest Bloggers
Tomato Pie, Rocky Ford, and Me, Part 2
Note From Peter: Bob’s first installment has drawn a record number of great responses, so I’m excited to offer you Part Two in his ongoing saga. We’ll keep Bob’s story going for as long as he keeps sending us his terrific writing. Enjoy!! PART TWO. A GOOD PIE NEEDS A GOOD CRUST. So, “what the heck is a Tomato Pie?” you ask. My seasoned reply is simply that “pizza…Read More…
Tomato Pie, Rocky Ford, and Me, Part One
Note from Peter: Bob Radcliffe is, like me, a North Carolina transplant from Philadelphia and, as you will see, also from Trenton, New Jersey, where at least two things of great historical import have occurred. The first was George Washington crossing the Delaware and turning the tide of the Revolutionary War (not an inconsequential thing). The other is the existence of DeLorenzo’s Pizzeria. Bob has regaled me with stories of…Read More…
Don Antonio by Starita opening in Atlanta
I haven’t been to Atlanta, where my brother lives, for quite awhile. But, I just got word that Roberto Caporuscio is opening a new Don Antonio by Starita there. I have been lucky enough to meet Roberto and even luckier to have eaten a number of his pizzas in NYC! I think I now have a new excuse to go visit my family in Atlanta. I thought I would spread…Read More…
Wood + Fire
What is it that makes a great pizza? I’ve been on a personal quest searching for the answers to this question for some time. I’ve traveled and eaten more than my share of pizza. I’ve also spent many hours slinging my own pies in and out of my home oven in all in an attempt to further understand and expand this quest. I’d say I’ve even gotten pretty good at…Read More…
Soccer, Coffee…Pizza?
When trying to pick the great pizza cities of the world there are a few places that I call the “usual suspects.” Naples, for many reasons, is often considered number 1, followed by a chorus of voices shouting about New York, Chicago and, for the real pizza fans, New Haven. All of these places can make a legitimate claim to pizza supremacy but if you are serious about pizza you…Read More…
John’s Vollkornbrot
(Note from Peter: John O’Hanlon, a serious home baker and long time correspondent, sent me this story of his recent quest to make a killer vollkornbrot (translation: 100% whole grain, German style rye bread). His passion and determination inspired me to ask his permission to share his story and his recipe with you, so here it is. Let us know if you try making this bread — we’d love to…Read More…
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Isaac Newton has long been one of my science heroes—my earliest life journey was as a science and math geek. Now he is my newest baking hero. Most everyone knows that Newton developed his theory of gravity after seeing an apple fall from a tree. Every high school physics student learns of his three laws of motion. He built the first practical reflecting telescope, confirmed the accuracy of Kepler’s…Read More…
Keste – Mini Quest Part 3
Dave Wilson and I set out about 7-8 hours earlier on a mini pizza quest, where we started at Di Fara Pizza and were now just leaving Roberta’s — both in Brooklyn, NY. You can read about these stops in Part I and Part II of this series. Links: Part I, Part II As we staggered out of Roberta’s for the second time that night, after running into the…Read More…
Are You Ready to Turn Pro? Part 5
Note from Peter: If you’d like to read all five of John’s columns on this subject you can go to the Guest Columns section instead of scrolling down the home page. There, you will find them all in one place. Either way, please do read them; it could make all the difference between success and failure. And even if you’re not thinking of opening a place, this is great, universal…Read More…
The Baking Steel
Note from Peter: We’ve been writing about this new Baking Steel for a couple of months, so I asked its creator, Andris Lagsdin, to tell us more about it in his own words. I love his inspirational story, one that exemplifies what Pizza Quest is all about, and am thrilled to be able to share it with you now. Enjoy! Although for my day job, I work for a family-owned…Read More…