Pizza Talk, Season 2, Episode 9: Ken Forkish and The Elements of Pizza

Written By Peter Reinhart

Thursday, 23 September 2021 Pizza Talk

Welcome back to Pizza Talk!

Portland has recently been feted in the national press for being the best pizza city in America (hey, don’t kill the messenger, but I’ve long advocated for Portland as being the best, per capita, so count me in). And Ken’s Artisan Pizza is one of the reasons why. Ken Forkish made the leap from famous artisan bread baker to, now, famous artisan pizza maker by studying the craft and science of bread and then applying it to his pizzas, along with the Portland ethic of supporting and showcasing local ingredients. His two award winning books show us how he does it and, in this episode, Ken takes us on a tour of his restaurant and tells us all about his long journey from tech world nerd to baker of iconic pizzas and breads. His secret: a combination of knowledge, craft, and simply working harder than everyone else around him.

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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.