Peter’s Blog, January 10th, 2012

I’m still having trouble believing it’s already 2012. I still recall back in 1970 how long the run-up seemed to take to the Bi-Centennial in 1976 and I wondered what it was going to be like for me to be, amazingly 26 years old — an adult!– when it happened. Then, all of a sudden, it did happen, and then so many other things happened and the years just kept coming and adventures kept unfolding and then, hey, how did it suddenly get to be 2012?!! I’m in denial, what can I say, but I’ll get over it by simply going on more quests and pretending that I’m still waiting to turn 26 and will maybe live until the Tri-Centennial.

I keep getting great e-mails from people all over the place, and not just from the USA, telling me about these fabulous pizzerias where they live and how we should film a Pizza Quest webisode there. I can tell you, I’d like nothing better but I still have to do my day job (which I love, teaching at Johnson & Wales Univ.), finish my book on gluten-free baking (yes, it will have some great pizza and focaccia recipes in it), and keep working on the material we already have in the can. But I know there are dozens, maybe more, of Pizza Quest worthy places to check out and capture on video. All I can say is, we’re trying; Lord knows, we’re trying (see what Tim Tebow has got me saying now…). Speaking of Tebow, what’s happening in Denver reminds me of the Bible story about the people who asked Jesus to perform some miracles so that they might believe and he said, (and I paraphrase), “He already sent you Moses and the Prophets and that didn’t seem to be enough so what makes you think you’ll believe now?”  It’s just that miracles don’t seem like miracles when they’re happening, but they do later, when we tell our kids and grand kids about what once upon a time happened. Now, I’m not saying he’s going to win the Super Bowl or anything; to do that he’d have to beat some of the other players who have also been referred to as the “son of God” by their fans, like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees.  But what  I can say is this: watch and enjoy — these are the days of miracles and wonders….

…But I digress. Getting back to Pizza Quests, let me share this link with you, especially for those who want us to do a Pizza Quest to their favorite place .: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/italys-best-pizza-town

This article was written by Anya von Bremzen, a long time favorite food writer of mine, and it recounts her own pizza quests in Naples and Rome, where she met some of the “next generation” future pizza legends as well as visiting some of the classic golden oldies that still make a mean pie. This lady has some serious questing chops, so I want to go on one of hers the way some of you want to go on one with us. The good news, I guess, is that there are a lot of us who really want to get out there and do it — and so we shall.