Pizza Taglio Back for One Day Only, Pizza Expo Recap from Tom Tallarico
Tony Giaramita is coming back to Pittsburgh and will be making pizzas alongside Dave Anoia at DiAnoia's Eatery on April 10. Plus my dad worked out some of his technical difficulties.
Hi there!
Hope your April pizza isn’t too soggy and sloppy. Or, maybe you want it to be soggy and sloppy? Soggy pizza…is that possible? Wouldn’t the oil protect the pizza from getting soaked? Something a pizza scientist can figure out. Up in their saucy lab, dissecting pizzas and putting them in all sorts of rancid liquids to see what bubbles up.
There’s some exciting pizza developments on the horizon. Most exciting among them is that Tony of Pizza Taglio fame is popping up at Pizzeria Davide for one night only!
Dave & Tony’s Pizza Pop-Up, April 10th Starting at 4pm at Pizzeria Davide
You see that menu? You see that magic word? Yes, the Greenpointer. Possibly the greatest pizza to bless this sleepy steel town. It flew under the radar during Tony’s tenure here, but anyone that visited Pizza Taglio would walk away pondering the sweet and spiciness of the Greenpointer. How can it be so comforting, so warm? How did it melt in my mouth? Is that what love and passion taste like in pizza form? A mesmerizing pizza that any pizzaiolo would love to have in their inventory. Like an unhittable knuckleball. It addles the mind with its balanced perfection.
If you’re around on Monday definitely plan to stop by Pizzeria Davide to try a couple of pizzas. Who knows when Tony will grace us with his presence. You can follow him on Instagram for any pizza updates about the event.
Pizza Taglio was a staple in my diet. It was the foundation of my hierarchy of needs. Most activities revolved around how I could finagle a visit to Pizza Taglio. I chronicled every time I got to visit Pizza Taglio here if you’re interested.
Tommy T Pizza Expo Recap
What follows is an unedited report from Editor-at-Large, Tom Tallarico. He was sent to cover the Pizza Expo on behalf of Pizza Walk With Me. While he faced a myriad of technical difficulties, the best tech support is working around the clock to untangle his woes. There may be more updates in the future, but enjoy these reports and apologies in advance about the photo quality. If you missed last week’s edition where I recapped the Pittsburgh winners check that out.
It’s that time again after a 4 year hiatus to get back to the Pizza Expo. Dan, of course, has already provided a preview & I’ll be following up with on site reporting. And due to “technical difficulties” this past week reporting has been delayed & is now Leftover Pizza. Make sure Leftovers go to the Oven; never Microwave.
Day “0”:
Arrived in Las Vegas the day before the Convention start.
At the Hotel: Getting a big Pizza dose already. ALL AT the Hotel. A reminder of a most popular food. There’s even a dedicated Expo!
Day 1:
Curious as I enter the convention Center for the meeting start, I see 2 attendees who operate 49th State Brewery. In from Alaska.
Opening session Keynote Speaker:
Quite a fortunate delight to start the meeting with Tony G as the Keynote. As my daughter commented, “The One and Tony”. (Apologies to the marquee above.) Most know of his Pizza accomplishments but most interesting were the adventures experienced during his journey. Before all that, I found Tony has some of the most inspiring comments. One of the most impressive is “My Biggest Success is Your Success”. There is genuine interest & satisfaction as he sees others succeed. He mentions that in the Pizza community, there is much Collaboration; “We learn from each other”. I’ve always been a student & enjoyed famous quotes from accomplished people. That said, here are his other quotes & comments that I find worth mentioning:
Respect the Journey
Respect the Craft
Don’t be afraid to try.
Fear can be one’s worst enemy.
Teaching someone will make you great.
Not forward thinking; but forward progress.
Reinvent yourself.
The last comment illustrates innovation & self-motivation. Two keys to giant success. Most know about Tony’s various Awards including 13 World Titles in various events. One of his 1st awards was from High School when he won the school Home Economics Award. In addition, he was a Track Star & Musician among other activities. Then first job:
The Journey proceeded to various kitchens & also a stint at Disney as well as working in Apricot farms & as a photographer. Destiny led to Italy to study Neapolitan. As was suggested, he was never taught but practiced. In fact, when he won his 1st Pizza competition, the feeling was he could make it better. There exists the continual exploration of types of flour, tomatoes & style. Recent & future creations include the Dago Bagel, new concepts & connections with major Sport entities. Truly creative. The evolution continues.
Day 1 Afternoon: Pizza Myths-Science & History
There are many presentations throughout the days. On Day 1 afternoon this session caught my attention; Pizza Myths? Scott Weiner is a well known Pizza maven. He conducts Pizza Tours throughout NYC & does the same in Las Vegas during the week of the Expo. More than that, I find he is quite the Pizza historian. I was quite curious about the 5 Myths.
MYTH #1: It’s all about the New York tap water
NYC is generally considered the best locale for Pizza. In fact, this week when I mentioned Pizza Expo to someone outside the Expo, they went on to ask if I ever had NYC Pizza. Water is important as it is the catalyst for ingredient interaction & spurs fermentation. But is NY H2O OR the Pizza better than other areas? Probably not. In fact, a survey of US States showing best Pizza did not include NYC in top 10. NYC is generally considered best as it is a media & pedestrian center with neighborhoods & multiple shops. A bigger factor is wheat sourcing. It differs throughout the US & is a bigger difference than Water.
MYTH #2: Sourdough starters are Magical. While Sourdough mixtures are good as they break down complex sugars, another top factor is type of yeast in use in conjunction with bacteria & the impact on release of gases. Top key is to maintain a stable bacteria culture.
MYTH #3 San Marzano is magic. The plum tomato is low seed, high flesh & considered the “Gift from a King” as it made it’s way from Peru to Italy in the 1700’s. The fruit was used for canning in the late 19th century. It is picked by hand as it’s grown vertically in particular regions based on soil composition. It is a top tomato (considered DOCG) but not exactly “magical”.
MYTH #4: America’s 1st Pizzeria was in 1905 (but the PIC was actually taken in 1908) by Lombardi & Pero.
This is a long convoluted story but the actual date seems to be in the 1890’s by Pero’s Uncle.
MYTH #5: Coal ovens have been outlawed. Not true. Not sure where this started but Coal Ovens have always been allowed. In fact, with Anthracite coal common in Northeast US, gas appliances in use were switched to Coal.
Besides touring the exhibits & sampling copious samples of food, those were my highlights of Day 1. More to come on the exhibits & sampling along with Doughscape & the Pittsburgh Dough Masters.
It’s like I was in Vegas at the expo myself! Looking forward to the next report.
I hope you found it interesting. If you made it this far I’d really appreciate you sharing the article to help grow the pizza audience.
Thanks and pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist