.png)
The Hot Slice
The Hot Slice brings you inspiring stories, strategies and lessons learned from successful pizzeria professionals and top experts. This podcast is hosted by the team at Pizza Today, the premier network for pizzeria professionals. We’re bringing our award-winning interviewing and 37 years as a trusted pizza restaurant partner to the airwaves with real, in-depth conversations with pizzeria owners, champion pizza makers, industry pros and others to help make your business better.
Episodes
328 episodes
328. The Pizza Team Takes Over: A Special Hot Slice Episode
The whole gang is back! In this special Pizza Team edition of The Hot Slice, host Denise Greer, editor in chief of Pizza Today, sits down with Kate Lavin, Jeremy White and Josh Cowan for a lively, insider look at what's shaping the pizza busine...
327. Ditching Bromate, Chasing Roman Pizza and Hiring for Heart
New York lawmakers voted to ban potassium bromate, and Rob Cervoni has thoughts. As the self-described “no bleach, no bromate guy,” Cervoni has spent years encouraging fellow operators make the switch to unbromated flour. Now that it’s the law,...
326. Pizza, Hotels and Disaster Recovery at Soprana Rooftop Cucina
How do you keep serving your community when a hurricane devastates your town? In this episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we hear from Philip Bollhoeffer, vice president of food and beverage for Parks Hospitality Group. Bollhoeffer was the chef w...
325. Robots, Revenue and the Randazzo Award
In just a few years, MOTO Pizza has gone from a two-person operation to the highest-grossing food operator at T-Mobile Park, home to the Seattle Mariners. Lee Kindell, co-founder of MOTO Pizza, is back on The Hot Slice podcast to share how MOTO...
324. Crushing the First 100 Days
Mooney’s Pizza Tavern pulled in more than $1 million during its first 100 days in Long Beach, California, and owner Hal Mooney is sharing how he and his wife, Cindy, achieved this impressive feat. From a tailored menu and staff training to a bu...
323. Helping a Neighboring Pizzeria with Anthony Triolo, Chicago’s Triano's Pizza
Anthony Triolo, second-generation owner of Triano's Pizza in Chicago's Garfield Ridge, joins The Hot Slice to talk community, consistency and what really makes Chicago thin crust great. In this episode, we cover:How Triano's organiz...
322. Slow Food and Sustainability
Listen to Gerardo Moceri Jr., co-owner of Gerardo’s Pizzeria in Sedona, Arizona, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today.What does it look like when the second generation of a pizzeria learns about the Slow Food movement and brings sus...
321. Great Pizza Isn’t Enough. Building a Business with Michael Androw
In this episode of The Hot Slice Podcast, Michael Androw, owner of E&D Pizza Company, in Avon, Connecticut, gets honest about what it actually takes to open and survive in this industry. He s...
320. Timber Pizza Co., Building the Biz from Food Trucks to 10 Locations
Twelve years ago, two guys in a baby blue 1967 Chevy truck were blasting 90s hip-hop at a D.C. farmers market and slinging wood-fired pizza to anyone who'd listen. Today, that operation is closing in on 10 locations and building a national fran...
319. Improving the Employee Experience
Like many family-owned businesses, Jasons NY Pizza had a moment of reflection during the COVID pandemic. If they wanted to continue to grow and expand, the leadership team would have to create more management positions and solidify a processes ...
318. Weight Loss Journey Sparks Top 50 Pizzerias with Arpan Patel, Lucky Dough Pizza, Pensacola, FL
What does it take to go from a 120-pound weight loss journey to landing on the 50 Top Pizza list in your very first year of business? In this episode of The Hot Slice, hosts Kate Lavin and Denise Greer sit down with Arpan Patel, the owner behin...
317. Confiscated Ingredients, Broken Ovens, One World Championship Pizza with Carmela Williams
How do you win a world pizza championship with a pie you'd never fully made before? On this episode of The Hot Slice, presented by Pizza Today, we sit down with Carmela Williams of Antonio's Italian Ristorante in Elkhart, Indiana, fresh off her...
316. Opening an Upscale Pizzeria in a Historic Building
In this episode of The Hot Slice, we sit down with Mike Dew, the man behind one of the most intriguing pizza concepts in Northern Kentucky. Dew walks us through the realities of a longer-than-expected build-out, the quirks of a historic buildin...
315. Gen-Z Operator: How Joe Powers Took the Helm of an Award-Winning Pizzeria at Age 22
What happens when a 19-year-old tastes life-changing pizza at a Buffalo Bills game? For Joe Powers, it sparks an obsession that transforms a college freshman into the owner of Jay’s Artisan Pizza by age 22. In this episode of The Hot Slice podc...
314. Grilled Pizza, Seasonal Menus & Profit Sharing
On the latest episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we chat with Armando DiMeo, owner of Houston-based Coastline Pizzeria. In addition to 12-inch Neapolitan pies, Coastline specializes in grilled pizza. DiMeo explains that he “wanted to create anot...
313. Dishing Dough Science with Pizza Chefs at National Restaurant Show
Recorded live at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago, this episode of Pizza Today puts Editor in Chief Denise Greer in conversation with two pizzeria pros shaping how modern pizza operations run.Juan Robles, corporate chef f...
312. Gabriel Baldinucci of Baldinucci Pizza Romana on Roman-Style Pizza, Culinary Travel to Italy
Gabriel Baldinucci, along with Salvatore and Patricia are second-generation owners at Baldinucci Pizza Romana in Austin, Texas, Gabriel’s family has built one of the most talked-about fast premium dining concepts in the country, anchored by Rom...
311. Pizza Passion with Purpose | Special Pizza Expo Series
This week, The Hot Slice Podcast continues its Special Pizza Expo Series exploring how pizza stretches beyond the pizzeria. First up, we chat with Chef Dr. Junnie Lai, MBA, PhD (Natural Medicine), founder of Global Cuisine Consulti...
310. Slices of Maryland: Brick Ovens and Brews
In this episode taped live during Pizza Expo, we explore the Maryland pizza scene – plus some of its craft brews. First, we sit down with Brett and Bailey Robison of Maryland-based Mosaic Pizza and Silver Branch Brewing Co. to answer a question...
309. Introducing Your Audience to New Pizza Styles
On this week’s episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we speak with Mario LaPosta and Dario Paone about what it’s like to introduce your pizzeria’s customers to pizza styles they might not have tasted before. Mario LaPosta learned the c...
.png)
308. Secrets to Midwest Pizzeria Profitability
When it comes to meeting customers where they are at, this episode of The Hot Slice podcast has it all. And, we’re doing it from the show floor of Pizza Expo 2026 in Las Vegas. Pizza Expo speaker Dana Hokin of Robert’s Pizza & D...
307. Catering to Customers | Special Pizza Expo Series
On this episode of The Hot Slice, we hear from Eric Sublett, co-owner of Firehouse Pizza in Kentucky. After his first pizzeria was damaged by a tornado, Eric and his wife used the opportunity to redefine their mission. They put their ideas into...
306. Succeeding with a Mobile Pizza Business | Special Pizza Expo Series
This week, The Hot Slice Podcast continues its Special Pizza Expo Series exploring what it takes to succeed with a mobile pizzeria. In the Pizza Today Village studio, Senior Editor Kate Lavin talks with two experienced mobile operators. They br...
305. 50 years of Goat Hill Pizza | Special Pizza Expo Series
This week, we continue to bring you interviews from The Hot Slice Podcast Studio in the Pizza Today Village at Pizza Expo. Senior Editor Kate Lavin had an engaging conversation with Philip De Andrade, founder of San Francisco-based Goat Hill Pi...
304. Wylie Dufresne -- Creative Crust: Guide Your Menu With Curiosity | Special Pizza Expo Series
We are just back from Pizza Expo, where the staff of Pizza Today welcomed the industry for the inaugural Pizza Today Village. We recorded episodes of The Hot Slice live on the show floor and will be rolling them out over the next several weeks....
