“We the Pizza: Slangin’ Pies and Saving Lives” from Philly’s Down North Pizza

Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi’s and Michael Carter’s new book, “We the Pizza,” just came out this week. They join us from their restaurant, Down North Pizza, in Philadelphia’s Strawberry Hill Neighborhood, to tell us all about it. The subtitle of the book, “Slangin’ Pies and Saving Lives” is really what makes Down North Pizza unique among the many great pizzerias we feature here. The restaurant represents a larger mission, including the hiring of formerly incarcerated individuals, providing housing subsidies for those in need, and a number of other neighborhood and community projects that we discuss in this conversation with Muhammad and Michael, all designed to elevate the quality of life for the locals and to also serve as a model for, hopefully, other Down North’s across the country.  It’s a work-in-progress but the launching pad for it all is the amazing and creative square-style pan pizza menu created by head chef Michael Carter and his team of cooks.  The creativity on display is beautifully captured in their new book, written by Muhammad, along with co-author David Joachim, as well as beautifully energetic photos by Amurri Lauren. As you will hear here, all of the good works envisioned by Muhammad, who has been a community activist for years in Philadelphia, are made possible by the success of Down North Pizza. Join us as we discuss how to make a vision of community transformation come true, in this week’s episode of Pizza Quest.