{"id":4318,"date":"2017-10-03T01:00:59","date_gmt":"2017-10-03T05:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fornobravo.com\/pizzaquest\/?p=4318"},"modified":"2017-09-29T20:02:05","modified_gmt":"2017-09-30T00:02:05","slug":"interview-joe-beddia-pizzeria-beddia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fornobravo.com\/pizzaquest\/interview-joe-beddia-pizzeria-beddia\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Joe Beddia of Pizzeria Beddia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note from Peter: I grew up in Philadelphia, a city that takes its food pretty seriously. We always had a few great, iconic pizzerias (Tacconelli’s, Marra’s, Francoluigi’s, Caccia’s Bakery, Santucci’s and others) but, unlike New York City where pizza is a primary marker of cultural identity, it was really the cheese steak, hoagie, roast pork sandwich culture that gave Philly its culinary claim to fame. But, in the past few years, with the emergence of Osteria and Pizzeria Vetri, Pizza Brain, Bufad, Stella, W. Mulheri’s Sons, Celebre’s, Enjay’s at Smokey Joe’s, Nomad (and Nomad Roman), Barbuzza, Square Pie, and a number of others, the Philly pizza scene is exploding. Yet it was a just opened, tiny 6-seater in North Philly’s Fishtown\/Northern Liberties section of town, that garnered the most national attention when Bon Appetit Magazine<\/em> named Pizzeria Beddia the “best pizza in the country<\/em>.” The owner, Joe Beddia, does his own take on classic East Coast pizza (aka New York Style), with just a few menu choices, sauce made from Jersey tomatoes, and makes only 40 pies a day. My friend Mike Traud, Department Chair at Drexel’s Hospitality College, took me there a couple of years ago when I was in town for the Philly Chef’s Conference,<\/em> and, of course, I loved it and got to know Joe a little. A few month’s later the Bon Appetit<\/em> article hit and, what was already a “better get there an hour before he opens” situation turned into a “forget about it, hey, it’s like winning the lottery” chance of getting a pie there. The bad news\/good news is that Joe will be closing Pizzeria Beddia in the spring, but will, soon-after, open a much larger place in a location yet to be announced — so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you happen to be attending the Northeast Pizza and Pasta Show<\/em> in Atlantic City on October 17th, I will be interviewing Joe on the main stage at 10 AM, where we will explore his meteoric rise, future plans, and, also, to talk about his wonderful new book, “Pizza Camp: Recipes from Pizzeria Beddia,”<\/em> an Anthony Bourdainish-like recounting of Joe’s journey. In the meantime, he and I had a chance to sit down and preview some of the things we’ll be talking about in Atlantic City so, for the first time on Pizza Quest<\/em>, here’s the refreshingly iconoclastic Joe Beddia. Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Joe

Joe Beddia and his beloved Jersey tomatoes.<\/p><\/div>\n

Peter (PQ): You kind of burst on the pizza scene, seemingly from out of nowhere, when you were cited as making the best pizza in America by Bon Appetite Magazine<\/em> two years ago. But nobody is an overnight wonder, as you explained in the introduction of your new book. Can you give us a short summary of the journey that led to the creation of \u00a0Pizzeria Beddia?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe: <\/strong>I\u2019ve known from an early age that I wanted to work for myself.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s a control thing, but it\u2019s also a creative endeavor.\u00a0 It\u2019s complicated.\u00a0 I spent a good deal of time brewing beer professionally.\u00a0 Pizza started as a hobby and grew from there.<\/p>\n

PQ: You\u2019ve described Chris Bianco as one of your major role models. What is it about him, and maybe some others, and their visions that inspired you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe:<\/strong> Chris is definitely a hero.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t mince words.\u00a0 He\u2019s so passionate you can feel it.\u00a0 As far as pizza goes, the only pizzas that really struck a chord were from the people who were owner operators.\u00a0 They were truly the only pizzas I gave a shit about.\u00a0 Dom Demarco, Anthony Mangieri, Nick Lessins.\u00a0 Everything else was just okay.\u00a0 Everything else is just not for me.\u00a0 I want someone who cares to have a hand in it.<\/p>\n

PQ: \u00a0As a guy who grew up in Philly, I totally get why you chose Jersey tomatoes for your pizzas, but it\u2019s a somewhat unconventional choice compared to most pizzerias, who use either California or Italian tomatoes. Why those tomatoes and, also, some of your other ingredient choices? What cooking philosophy guides your choices?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Keeping

Keeping it simple and local.<\/p><\/div>\n

Joe:<\/strong> The Jersey Fresh tomatoes are great.\u00a0 They\u2019re sweet with good tomato flavor and they\u2019re grown close by.\u00a0 I don\u2019t really use Italian ingredients.\u00a0 I would if I lived in Italy of course, but I don\u2019t want some mozzarella that used to be great which sits around for an extra couple of weeks just so I can tell people that it\u2019s imported from Italy.\u00a0 That\u2019s bullshit.\u00a0 The most \u201cItalian\u201d thing to do is to use the best seasonal ingredients that I have at my disposal.\u00a0 It\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n

\"An

An unconventional book, for sure!<\/p><\/div>\n

PQ: Your book, like your ingredients, is also somewhat unconventional \u2013 a little punky, edgy, wild photos and design choices \u2013 it reminds me of Anthony Bourdain\u2019a Kitchen Confidential<\/em> when it first appeared. Tell us about your hopes and vision for the book.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe:<\/strong> I wanted the book, Pizza Camp,<\/em> to be very much me.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t interested in a straight conventional cookbook.\u00a0 That would be boring for me.\u00a0 If I can\u2019t do it my way then I wouldn\u2019t have done it.\u00a0 Who needs that aggravation?\u00a0 I\u2019m happiest while creating something.\u00a0 I wanted it to be fun, informative, weird, etc.\u00a0 Also it had to be a love letter to Philadelphia, a city that allowed me to be myself — and for that I\u2019ll always be grateful.<\/p>\n

PQ: \u00a0The word is out that you are going to soon retire the original Pizzeria Beddia, which has been compared to the minimalist, one-man band approach of Dom DeMarco and his DiFara Pizza in Brooklyn, and open a new place. What can you tell us about your upcoming plans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe:<\/strong> I\u2019m going to contradict myself here and say that I\u2019m planning on partnering with a very solid restaurant group and let them help me run a larger pizzeria.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have the drive to do it anymore but I don\u2019t want to throw it away.\u00a0 This is the only way for me to move forward with pizza.\u00a0 I want it to be an institutional-like place.\u00a0 Still simple, maybe a couple salads, like the Frank Pepe menu.\u00a0 A traditional pizzeria.<\/p>\n

PQ: \u00a0\u00a0You\u2019ve explored many culinary paths in your life, from beer pouring to beer making, and from busboy to being a stagiaire<\/em> in a number of great restaurants. You even went on your own version of a global pizza quest in search of inspiration.\u00a0 To me, it seems like you have the restless spirit of an artist, and this is what drives you, and has driven you, through your different expressive stages. So, where do you see yourself in five or even ten years from now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"High

High quality ingredients, fresh and local, is one key. “Be relentless. You either want it or you don’t.”<\/p><\/div>\n

Joe:<\/strong> I\u2019m planning on making wine right now, and maybe doing another book with Abrams Publishing.\u00a0 I need to keep creating.\u00a0 When I\u2019m stuck I feel dead.\u00a0 I just want to keep it fun and weird.\u00a0 I\u2019m not concerned with fame and money.\u00a0 But I do need to earn a living because I like to spend money.\u00a0 I really have no idea where I\u2019ll be.\u00a0 Hopefully still alive.\u00a0 That\u2019s always the goal. Hopefully I\u2019ll have a family <\/strong>or something.<\/p>\n

PQ: What advice would you offer to up and coming, young talented folks, or even to your fellow pizzeria operators?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe:\u00a0<\/strong> Do your research.\u00a0 Travel.\u00a0 Taste everything.\u00a0 Form your own opinions.\u00a0 Be relentless.\u00a0 You either want it it or your don\u2019t.\u00a0 I\u2019m very fortunate to be driven in that way.\u00a0 I\u2019m never happy with mediocre anything.<\/p>\n

PQ \u00a0Okay, the book teases this incident so I have to ask, what exactly was the daredevil stunt that you performed during your wild and crazy youth on the Howard Stern TV Show in pursuit of his $10,000 prize?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe:\u00a0<\/strong> I\u2019ll tell you over a glass of vino.\u00a0 Ha!<\/p>\n

\"Joe

Joe and his deck ovens.<\/p><\/div>\n

PQ:\u00a0 I was afraid you’d say that. Maybe we can have that glass in Atlantic City at the Northeast Pizza and Pasta Show.\u00a0 Until then, thanks so much for sharing all this with us Joe. It\u2019s been a wild, crazy ride and, obviously, it\u2019s far from over. Stay in touch and let\u2019s check in again after the next chapter \u2013 our followers here on Pizza Quest would love to track your progress and, hopefully, get to try your pizza someday or, at least, cook from your book. Continued best of success!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe:<\/strong> Peace and love and bababooey!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Joe<\/p>\n

\"The

The cover of “Pizza Camp: Recipes from Pizzeria Beddia,” published by Abrams Books<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note from Peter: I grew up in Philadelphia, a city that takes its food pretty seriously. We always had a few great, iconic pizzerias (Tacconelli’s, Marra’s, Francoluigi’s, Caccia’s Bakery, Santucci’s and others) but, unlike New York City where pizza is a primary marker of cultural identity, it was really the cheese steak, hoagie, roast pork sandwich culture that gave Philly its culinary claim to fame. But, in the past few…Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":348,"featured_media":4397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[356],"tags":[65,464,33,114,465],"class_list":["post-4318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-chris-bianco","tag-joe-beddia","tag-peter-reinhart","tag-pizza-quest","tag-pizzeria-beddia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInterview with Joe Beddia of Pizzeria Beddia - Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fornobravo.com\/pizzaquest\/interview-joe-beddia-pizzeria-beddia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Interview with Joe Beddia of Pizzeria Beddia - Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Note from Peter: I grew up in Philadelphia, a city that takes its food pretty seriously. We always had a few great, iconic pizzerias (Tacconelli’s, Marra’s, Francoluigi’s, Caccia’s Bakery, Santucci’s and others) but, unlike New York City where pizza is a primary marker of cultural identity, it was really the cheese steak, hoagie, roast pork sandwich culture that gave Philly its culinary claim to fame. 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