Women's History Month - Women in Pizza!
Enjoy some video content from Pizza Expo 2018 where I chat with some of the trail blazing women in the world of pizza.
There's a 99% chance the last time you bought a pizza you encountered only men. The pizza industry is dripping with men as much as it's dripping with grease. I grew up working in pizza kitchens and the women in those kitchens were few and tortured. They had to put up with a boy's club full of dick jokes and abuse. It's not pretty.
But that's all changing. As Ann Kim, owner of , says, "Women are having their moment now."
At the 2018 Pizza Expo I had the opportunity to talk with a number of women in pizza who are absolutely killing it. Giorgia Caporuscio is one of the very few certified women pizzaiolos. She's turned her focus on teaching other women how to make great pizza and break into the industry,
Nicole Bean operates shops in Texas with her family and is dead-set on hiring more women workers.
Ann Kim, a keynote of the 2018 Pizza Expo and owner / executive chef at Lola pizzeria, is leading by example. She's making great pizza, opening up shops and diving into this industry head first. Her pizzeria in Minneapolis is considered one of the best in the world.
The problem, as they see it, is that women have been driven away from pizza shops. Hostile, maybe, but definitely gross. There's also a stigma that this is a job for guys - but why? It's baking, cooking, precision and tasting. Skills anyone can develop and hone over time.
Hopefully as more women get into the industry it becomes easier for others to follow.
Shorty of a newsletter today thanks to a busy week. It’s always fun to look back on the 2018 Pizza Expo content. What an adventure! Pizza Expo is coming up at the end of this month - maybe we’ll see the Pittsburgh contingent will come back with more hardware.
Pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist