Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

Every now and then we are fortunate to welcome back the legendary John Arena, who I refer to as the Yoda of Pizza. Often, Brian Spangler of Portland's Apizza Scholl's, also joins us and we refer to the two of them as The Pizza Yodi's. It's one of our most popular series and always a lot of fun for me. Well, Brian couldn't make it this time but we are fortunate to have a new member of the Pizza Yodi pantheon, Leo Spizzirri, the Director of Education at Pizza University, and a certified master teacher extraordinaire (aka Maestro) who is recognized throughout the world. In this episode, John tells us about his upcoming trip to Naples for a ceremony in recognition of the top 50 global pizzerias (including 10 from the USA), and shares his own thoughts on some who did and didn't make the list, as well as those who he values as the national treasures of the American pizza universe. Leo adds his own views on the mentors in his life and pays tribute to John's legacy of mentoring the next generation of pizza luminaries. Listen to two of the great ones, right here in this week's episode of Pizza Quest.

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Welcome back to Pizza Quest for another new season of conversations with very interesting people.

Ellen King, whose bakery in Evanston, Illinois, Hewn, has become legendary for its beautifully crafted breads and pastries using regionally specific flour and local grains. Ellen explains the vision behind the bakery's name and she shares the story of her long and winding journey to fulfill that vision, which emerged over time, to marry her love of art with her love for bread. This episode is for those of us bread geeks who never tire of drilling down deep in our quest for beauty, especially as found in a loaf of bread. Look for her book, “Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Made With Artisan Flour From Hewn Bakery” at your favorite book seller.

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Garrett McPerry fell down the sourdough rabbit hole about eight years ago, started selling loaves at his local farmers market and, fueled by the public's enthusiastic response, just kept drilling deeper until, two years ago, when he and his wife Lauren opened a brick and mortar bakery cafe called Tommy & Atticus, where the lines are often around the block, the sandwiches sell out by 1:30, and then the pizzas fly out of the oven and are gone by 3 PM. To hear how they got that name, how he finally gave up his day job as an accountant and went all in, and everything else about their phenomenal success story, join me in this lively conversation with Garrett McPerry of Tommy & Atticus.

Also, to see the entire menu, go to their website at https://www.tommyandatticus.com/ Their journey has been a wild and crazy ride and one that will inspire you all.

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