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
This week, we chat with champion pizza maker and industry leader Lars Smith. Lars co-owns State of Mind Pub and State of Mind Slice House in Palo Alto, California.
Fresh off his recent trip to Italy, Lars competed at the Sigep World in Rimini. His finishes include 2nd place in Pizza in Teglia, 11th place in Pizza alla Pala and 25th place in Pizza Classica. He highlighted his winning pizza, a seasonal winter squash and...
On this week’s episode, we’re chatting with Marvin Kinney, the owner of R Town Pizza, who set out to bring Detroit-style pies to Reno in 2022. Kinney isn’t just thoughtful about making pizzas, he’s hoping to reform restaurant culture into a place of growth and mutual respect.
We ask Kinney how he keeps food waste under 1% and why he believes in collaboration over competition. From growing up in a pizzeria with parents...
This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we chat with Robert Marek. He is Director of Business Development at Cosmo’s Pizza, a growing independent Colorado-based pizza brand with six locations and a commissary. He’s also coming to Pizza Expo in March to share his expertise in our powerful, industry-led education program.
A seasoned restaurant industry professional with a degree in Restaurant Management, Robert has extensiv...
This week, we catch up with Scott Wiener to chat all things pizza. Scott started Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City 17 years ago. And his pizza enthusiasm has only grown. As Josh says on the podcast, “no one knows probably more about the pizza business than Scott.”
Scott has been a frequent speaker at Pizza Expo and contributor to Pizza Today. He judges the International Pizza Challenge and other global pizza compet...
When most people think of Chicago pizza, they picture a deep-dish behemoth, a cheesy beast you need a fork and knife to conquer. But locals know the real MVP of the region is Chicago Thin – and it’s finally getting the love it deserves.
We sat down with Tony Troiano of J.B. Alberto’s Pizza, a 60-year-old Chicago institution and recent winner of the Great American Pizza Challenge for Best Traditional Thin Pizz...
Join us for this special New Year’s Day edition of The Hot Slice Podcast. The new year is full of new opportunities. The Pizza Today team gathers to commemorate the New Year with 2026 thoughts and reflections.
We highlight goals we have to help the pizza community. Denise highlights priorities in her first full year as Editor in Chief. We look at pizza trends and share our forecasts for the upcoming year.
Don’t miss as ...
Listen to George Gilliam, owner of Uncle G’s Pizza in Birmingham, Alabama on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today
Merry Christmas from all of us at Pizza Today and Pizza Expo. This week on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today, we are replaying one of the most popular episodes of 2025 with George Gilliam, owner of Uncle G’s Pizza in Birmingham, Alabama. George reached out to us to do a story on how he has doubled an...
From handing out menus before she could even reach the tables to taking the reins as owner of Pino’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria in Farmville, Virginia, Marilena Lentini’s journey is inspiring at every turn.
In this episode, we talk about the terrifying yet rewarding transition from employee to boss. Lentini opens up about the importance of maintaining positivity, and how she earned the respect of her staff. We a...
The Hot Slice Podcast is back with one last episode from the Pizza Today booth at Pizza Expo Columbus in October with in-person conversations with pizzeria operators. We’re continuing our Pizza Expo Columbus episodes. You’ll hear riveting stories of entrepreneurship, growth, competition, struggles and ever a lesser-known pizza style.
Let’s end the special sessions with pizza pros who share how they’ve found their nich...
The Hot Slice Podcast is back at the Pizza Today booth at Pizza Expo Columbus in October with in-person conversations with pizzeria operators. We’re continuing our Pizza Expo Columbus episodes. You’ll hear riveting stories of entrepreneurship, growth, competition, struggles and ever a lesser-known pizza style.
Let’s continue the sessions with pizza pros who are growing in their own unique ways, from purchasing an exis...
Happy Thanksgiving! Today we’re replaying one of our favorite 2025 episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today. It features an inspiring conversation with Matthew and Hengam Stanfield, the engineering-minded power couple behind Mattenga’s Pizzeria. Fresh off their monumental achievement of being named Pizza Today’s 2025 Pizzeria of the Year, the Stanfields shared the strategic insights and systematic approaches...
The fun continues this week, as we conduct quick interviews from the Pizza Today booth during the inaugural Pizza Expo Columbus. This episode of The Hot Slice features discussions with three mobile pizzeria operators at various stages of business development – starting with lessons from the first year in business through how to innovate during the 15th season of running a mobile pizza operation.
During this episode, w...
We had a blast at Pizza Expo Columbus connecting with listeners and bringing them on the podcast. The Pizza Today crew hosted The Hot Slice Podcast from the Pizza Today booth at Pizza Expo Columbus in October with in-person conversations with pizzeria operators. For the next several episodes of the podcast, you’ll hear riveting stories of entrepreneurship, growth, competition, struggles and ever a lesser-known pizza s...
Join hosts Denise Greer and Kate Lavin as they sit down with Jen Strickland and Jeff Mettler from Home Slice Pizza to celebrate an incredible milestone—20 years of serving authentic New York-style pizza in Austin, Texas.
In this episode, Jen shares the origin story of Home Slice, born from her love of New York pizza and frustration with Austin's lack of quality slices. She takes us back to November 2005, when she ...
October isn’t just National Pizza Month, it’s also National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Brewability is a pizzeria founded by Tiffany Fixter, a former special education teacher. We speak with Fixter and pizzeria marketer and manager Jess Runge about how they are serving up pizza and opportunities in their community of Englewood, Colorado.
Brewability proudly employs 26 adults with intellectual and development...
Before we jump into last-minute prep for Pizza Expo Columbus, happening this Sunday and Monday, we have HUGE news share!
Jeremy has been appointed as Brand Director of International Pizza Expo, while Denise steps up as the new Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today magazine. We talk promotions and what they mean for Pizza Today and Pizza Expo.
Onto the show, we are days away from the inaugural Pizza Expo Columbus. Jeremy, Denis...
Tempe-based Spinato’s Pizzeria has embarked on an ownership structure that only 7,000 businesses around country and only one percent of Arizona companies offers, an Employee Ownership Stock Plan (ESOP).
Since opening 51 years ago, Spinato’s has grown to six Phoenix-area locations with more than 420 employees. The pizza company is the Official Pizza of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury (NBA and WNBA basketball teams)...
When you are looking for an added revenue source, have you ever considered a state fair? This week’s guest, Nick Sanford went all in at the New York State Fair. Nick owns Toss & Fire with three locations and a fleet of food trucks around Syracuse, New York.
This is the third year Toss & Fire has had a presence at the New York State Fair, but this year, Sanford took over a prime location. From fair-exclusive pi...
This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we chat with a visionary young operator who bought her first Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza franchise as while she was still in high school.
Lily worked at a local Papa Murphy’s before jumping at the opportunity to become a franchisee. Though savings and a loan from a family friend, Lily and her family made the purchase. Lily is the majority owner and runs the day-to-day operation...
Listen to Liane Varipapa Page, owner of Big Green Truck Pizza in Connecticut, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today.
Big Green Truck Pizza made history this month by serving more than 4,500 people at the 10th annual Apizza Feast in New Haven. The company’s lead dough maker prepared 750 dough balls ahead of the event, which served 10,000 slices and was recognized by Guinness World Records for the largest pizza party...
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