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It was Carmela’s first time competing internationally, and almost nothing went according to plan. Airport officials confiscated her ingredients. Her hotel had no prep space or refrigeration. The competition ovens swung wildly from 320 to nearly 600 degrees. So, she improvised, blending mozzarella with scamorza she’d never worked with and leaning on instincts sharpened by her restaurant’s 70-year-old Blodgett ovens.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• How she built a winning pizza on the fly under real pressure
• Dough and cheese decisions that held up when conditions didn’t
• Why her family legacy (father Paul and sister Gemma are also world champions) shaped her competitive mindset
• With 14 years in the industry, Carmela also breaks down the operational philosophy behind Antonio’s: open four days a week, no reservations, first-come, first-served. It’s a candid look at craft, grit, and running a pizzeria your way.

Show Notes:
Check out a fun look at her competition attempt: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZx3TUiJQ4J/

Follow Antonio’s Italian Ristorante at https://www.antoniositalian.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/antoniositalianelkhart/

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Listen to Brian Rock, Co-Founder and COO of Doughnate Pizza, on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today

When a powerful derecho tore through northwest Indiana on Aug. 12 and knocked out power to more than 600,000 people, Brian Rock didn't wait for the lights to come back on. He went 14 days without power himself. Still, the co-founder and COO of Doughnate Pizza, a 100% volunteer-driven nonprofit, rallied his network and hit the streets. Over 16 days, his team served more than 6,000 meals, and on their biggest day they served 1,000! In this episode, we sit down with Brian to talk about how partnerships with Chicago staple Aurelio's Pizza and World Central Kitchen made it all possible, and why he sees pizza as one of the best tools around for doing good in your community. 🍕

Here's What Brian Gets Into:

• The storm that sparked it all: How the derecho left communities like Lake Station without power for weeks, and why Brian's first call went to the county's emergency management team to find out where help was needed most
• How to serve 1,000 meals in a day: Leaning on Aurelio's conveyor line to turn out 75 to 150 pizzas daily, packing 100 pies into a Subaru and serving two slices, a salad, a piece of fruit and a water from a simple tent setup, all coordinated by cell phone
• The Doughnate Pizza model: How the 100% volunteer-driven nonprofit has delivered more than 70,000 meals since 2022 by working out roughly 50% discounts with pizzerias instead of asking for free food, so every donated dollar goes straight to feeding people
• Teaming up with World Central Kitchen: How years of outreach finally paid off when WCK brought Doughnate Pizza on as a restaurant partner during this deployment
• From military vet to pizza for good: Brian's journey from his first pizza job at 14 to the military, slinging slices for 8,000 to 9,000 festivalgoers a day, serving 350 meals after a 2020 derecho in Iowa and teaching pizza classes to fellow veterans
• Advice for operators who want to help: Why Brian says you should spend the $500 or $1,000 on dough, cheese and sauce, show up for your neighbors and trust that your community will give it back tenfold

Tune in to the full episode of The Hot Slice Podcast to hear it all!

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Sexton’s Pizza started in a trailer the size of a closet on Florida’s Gulf Coast a decade ago. Now, after building a multi-unit operation in Columbus, Ohio, the pizzeria is returning to where it all began.

In this episode, we sit down with co-founder Joey Sexton ahead of Pizza Expo Columbus to talk dough science, growth and what it means to come full circle. You’ll learn about:

• Columbus-style Pizza: The square-cut, red-sauce, smoked-provolone tradition rooted in the city’s Flytown neighborhood.
• Dough Evolution: How a deep dive into long-fermented New York-style dough transformed Sexton’s signature product.
• Building a Commissary: Why centralizing dough production took three months to dial in but changed everything for consistency.
• The Portnoy Effect: What happened in the 12 hours after an 8.1 review and how Sexton’s kept up with demand
• Sexton’s Burger Bar: Why a smash burger with a lace edge earned its own concept instead of a spot on the pizza menu.
• Return to Florida: Why opening a location in the state where Sexton’s started feels like closing the loop on a 10-year journey.

Tune in to the full episode of The Hot Slice Podcast to hear it all!

Show Notes:

Sexton’s Pizza: sextonspizza.com

Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com

Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026

Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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Sarah and Daniel Correa never planned on becoming beverage innovators. But when opening a full bar wasn’t the right fit for their community, they got creative instead.

In this episode, we sit down with the Correas, owners of Fired Pizza in Stockton, California. What started as a mobile catering rig in 2018 grew into a food truck, then blossomed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant built on Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and a genre-bending beverage program that won them the 2025 Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE) Award for Best Beverage Menu.

Here’s what Sarah and Daniel get into:

• Why they intentionally chose to operate on a beer and wine license instead of pursuing full liquor, and how that decision shaped their entire brand.
• Crafting cocktails with agave wine and infused syrups that rival traditional spirits, without a drop of vodka or whiskey in sight.
• How relationships forged with local breweries and wineries during COVID became the backbone of a rotating, story-driven beverage menu.
• The strategy behind an eight-tap draft system built around community loyalty, plus the sorbet seltzer customers refuse to let go.
• Pricing wine by the glass to build trust with guests and move volume instead of sitting on bottles.
• Standing out in a market full of New York-style legacy pizzerias by committing fully to something different.

Show Notes:

Fired Pizza: fired-pizza.com

Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com

Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026

Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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The whole gang is back! In this special Pizza Team edition of The Hot Slice, host Denise Greer, editor in chief of Pizza Today, sits down with Kate Lavin, Jeremy White and Josh Cowan for a lively, insider look at what's shaping the pizza business right now. From big news about Pizza Expo's leadership to what's driving independent operators to the top, this one's packed with takeaways you can bring straight back to your shop!

The crew digs into the mindset behind one of the world's most acclaimed pizza makers, previews everything happening at Pizza Expo Columbus and celebrates a shift that puts mom-and-pop shops in the spotlight. Whether you own one location or a handful, there's plenty here to fire you up. Grab a slice and settle in!

Key Talking Points:

• Big leadership news: Jeremy White announces he'll step in as the new Pizza Expo show director when longtime director Bill Oakley retires in about six months.
• Pizza Expo Columbus is bigger this year: The show moves to Hall B with an expanded show floor and more exhibitors.
• Seven competitions: The Great American Pizza Challenge returns with divisions from best dessert pizza to America's best pepperoni slice and Young Pizza Maker of the Year.
• Hot Slice goes live: The podcast will broadcast from a quiet suite overlooking the show floor, plus a freshly redesigned Pizza Today booth and a Sunday happy hour with wings and drinks!
• Independents are winning: Top distributors report independent pizzerias now outpacing chains at the top of their sales charts.
• Value-driven spending: With tighter wallets, customers are choosing local independents for experience, relationships and community connection.
• Make your voice heard: Complete the operator survey to help shape Pizza Today content and Pizza Expo education sessions!

Show Notes:

Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com

Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026

Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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New York lawmakers voted to ban potassium bromate, and Rob Cervoni has thoughts. As the self-described “no bleach, no bromate guy,” Cervoni has spent years encouraging fellow operators make the switch to unbromated flour. Now that it’s the law, he says it’s time to pivot, not panic.

In this podcast episode, Cervoni breaks down what happens to dough when you pull bromate out of the equation, why pre-ferments such as poolish and biga are the secret weapon for anyone short on walk-in cooler space, and how time itself is one ingredient you can’t shortcut. He also digs into why Roman-style pizza struggled to catch on the first time around, what he did differently to make Taglio’s version stick and why he thinks the style is finally having its moment.

Here’s what Cervoni shares on The Hot Slice podcast:

• Potassium bromate speeds up fermentation, but it’s possible to replicate that effect without the chemical.
• How is a poolish different from a biga, and when should you use each one to master your pizza style?
• Cervoni blends four flours for his New York-style dough. What does each add, and what is the benefit of malted dextrose?
• The first wave of Roman-style pizzerias failed in the U.S. because they sold pizza like they do in Europe. Find out how Cervoni adapted the practice for a New York crowd.
• Growing up in a pizzeria from age 15 shaped the way Cervoni interviews staff and what he looks for when hiring.

Show Notes:

Taglio Roman Style Pizza: taglioromanpizza.com

Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com

Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026

Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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How do you keep serving your community when a hurricane devastates your town? In this episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we hear from Philip Bollhoeffer, vice president of food and beverage for Parks Hospitality Group. Bollhoeffer was the chef who opened the Soprana Rooftop Cucina concept in Asheville, North Carolina, in March 2024. Six months later, Hurricane Helene created deadly flooding in Asheville, and the pizzeria stepped up to help its community: serving as home to media briefings, feeding hungry neighbors and housing employees whose homes were damaged by flooding.
Soprana Rooftop Cucina’s efforts to help the community during a disaster earned it the Community Impact Award from the Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards sponsored by Pizza Today. The business also took home the Pizzeria of the Year award for the Southeast region.
On this episode, Bollhoeffer shares:
•How masons painstakingly crafted a brick pizza oven on the eighth floor of a hotel.
•Why local sourcing matters to the pizzeria’s menu and the mission.
•How the operation saves money by utilizing shared services as part of a hospitality group.
•How the team kept serving during disaster recovery – and what it meant to their community.
•Why it’s important to build your merchandise program around products fans actually want.
We cover all this and more on this episode of The Hot Slice podcast.

Show Notes:
Pizzeria Operator Survey: Be Counted! Pizza Today wants to hear how economic factors and consumer trends are impacting your business. Take our quick survey to ensure your responses will be part of our December 2026 cover story and special report.
Pizza Expo Columbus: Celebrate National Pizza Month with your community Oct. 11-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. We’ve got a trade show floor specific to pizzeria operators; seminars, demos and workshops led by successful pizzeria owners, The Great American Pizza Challenge and more.
PIE Awards: We’ve raised the bar for the 2027 PIE Awards, and nominations are open now. Winners will appear in Pizza Today magazine, be honored during a live ceremony at Pizza Expo 2027 and get the chance to join a special episode of The Hot Slice. Don’t miss the early-bird entry price, available through Oct. 15.

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In just a few years, MOTO Pizza has gone from a two-person operation to the highest-grossing food operator at T-Mobile Park, home to the Seattle Mariners. Lee Kindell, co-founder of MOTO Pizza, is back on The Hot Slice podcast to share how MOTO Pizza went from a standalone house in Seattle to what will be a 13-unit operation by the end of 2026.

Kindell breaks down:

· The P&L discipline that unlocked his growth.

· Creating custom “iPhone” pans and a color-coded pizza box system that employees and customers appreciate.

· How a chance meeting at the original MOTO location got him into a professional sporting stadium.

· Why he launched his own robotics company and why robots and AI do not replace human connection.

· Expanding from Washington state into California.

· What it felt like to win the Shawn Randazzo Best Detroit-style Pizza Award at Pizza Expo and how he's preparing to come back even stronger.

Learn about Kindell’s plans for an end-to-end pizza-making robot and how systems and efficiency are key to scaling your pizza business.