Pizza Quest: KID, Manhattan’s New Slice Cafe, with Chefs Ian Coogan and Max Blackman-Gentile

Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

NYC is a treacherous place to open a new pizzeria.  The competition is fierce and public is vocal and not always diplomatic. But the lure of reaching for holy grail of pizza is hard to resist, and now Chef Ian Coogan, formerly of Eleven Madison Park and the Jean George lineage of great chefs (among other top-tier mentors), and currently the culinary director at the popular Motel Morris in Chelsea, has taken the plunge a few blocks away with the opening of KID.  To assure success, Ian brought in Roberta’s and Tartine alumnus, Max Blachman-Gentile to nail down the dough and the fermentation game plan. In this episode we are graced by having them both here to share with us the rest of the story, including their creative process that resulted in a highly inventive yet relatable menu and whimsical ambience. They also share the how-to’s of training their team to deliver the KID experience on the highest level on a daily basis. It’s all here on this week’s episode of Pizza Quest!