All Things Pizza

On September 21, 2015, Matt Little was heading home from a comedy club in New York City's East Village when he noticed a little creature making its way down the steps of a subway station, gnawing on a oversized slice of pizza. He filmed a short video of the rat and posted it to YouTube. The 15 second clip took the world by storm, breading thousands of memes and solidifying its place in pop culture, even a decade later. Matt joins the All Things Pizza podcast to give listeners a behind the scenes account of that evening -- sharing untold tales about how this unexpected encounter went viral. This is the story of Pizza Rat.

"Is New York's Best Pizza in New Jersey?" was the headline of a 2017 New York Times review of Razza, a pizzeria owned and operated by Chef Dan Richer. The 3-star rating changed the trajectory of the Jersey City restaurant, with many more accolades to follow. I sat down with Dan -- a 5-time James Beard Award Nominee and author of "The Joy of Pizza" -- to discuss his journey, menu development, expansion plans, and what truly sets Razza apart.

With a Michelin Star under her belt, Donatella Arpaia has been a one of the most well regarded restauranteurs over the past 30 years. These days you may know her best as a Food Network judge on shows like Iron Chef America. Donatella joins the podcast to talk about her judging criteria, being a trailblazer in a male-dominated industry, and the one endeavor that has eluded her throughout an illustrious career: sharing a pie with Donatella Versace. 

Totonno's is an iconic Brooklyn pizzeria that has been operating in Coney Island for 100 years. Although it's founder, Anthony Pero (who was one of America's first pizza makers) passed away in the 1960s, his family has continued to run the pizzeria since then -- through floods and fires and most recently the COVID pandemic. But the pizzeria faces an uncertain future after it was recently put up for sale. Pero's granddaughter, Antoinette Balzano, joins the podcast to discuss the family's decision to sell and reminisce about some of the highs and lows from the past century.

New Jersey resident and pizza lover Telina Cuppari holds the coveted honor of having the world’s largest collection of pizza-related items, which was recently certified by Guinness World Records. Telina joins the All Things Pizza podcast to discuss her growing collection and take listeners through the process of getting her world record documented and recognized. 

Dom DeMarco made his way to the United States in the 1950s. And soon after his arrival opened a pizzeria (Di Fara) which -- over the next half century -- went from a non-descript local spot in Midwood, Brooklyn to a nationally renowned food institution and destination for hungry diners from around the globe. Dom recently passed away at the age of 85. His daughter, Margaret DeMarco-Mieles joins the podcast to discuss her father's legacy and what the future holds for the beloved pizzeria. 

During a routine pizza delivery, a Domino’s driver outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin noticed a woman in distress. After he saw her mouth the words "help me," he called 911 and his quick thinking likely saved her life. This heroic act went viral, even capturing the attention of Taylor Swift. Joey Grundl joins the All Things Pizza podcast to talk about his effort to thwart a kidnapping and the aftermath of that night. 

Dan Carney and his brother Frank founded Pizza Hut in Wichita, Kansas back in 1958. In a rare interview, Dan reflects on his brother's recent death and shares memories about opening the initial shop with a small $500 loan from his mother, the decision to ultimately sell the company to Pepsi, and his involvement with the company after it was acquired. 

Dragontail Systems is a technology company that is helping restaurants optimize every step of the food preparation, delivery, and customer contact process. The company is also developing solutions for what the future of the food industry might look like, including a drone delivery test that was recently launched in conjunction with Pizza Hut. CEO Ido Levanon discusses how his company is disrupting the way that some of the world’s largest pizza chains have operated for decades.

Ben Berman, a Philadelphia based graduate student, has been giving away homemade pizzas in exchange for charitable donations since the start of the pandemic. After being featured by Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports, his “pop-up pizzeria” has become one of the city’s most coveted food destinations. Nearly 1,000 people enter a weekly lottery for 20 pies, each of which is lowered out of his apartment window via a pulley system. So far, Ben has raised $30,000 – and he’s just getting started.