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Pizza²
Taking Pizza to Unexpected Places
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October is National Pizza Month
When you have an industry that is estimated at $30 billion and has significantly grown from the tiny eatery on the corner to a mass market level, you know that you’ve found yourself a winner. If you find franchise owners saying the news is good and even Wall Street taking notice, you know pizza’s popularity is increasing.
Reaching this level of success, the natural occurrence is the realization that we have to celebrate and need a National Pizza Month, which turns out coincidentally to be October, a perfect time for crunching and munching the innovative pizza slices that are being produced by pizzerias today.
I know you want to know who did this. Gerry Durnell, who owned and operated a small local pizzeria in Santa Claus, Indiana, realized that there wasn’t any periodical or tradeshow publications to support his business. Creating a national magazine and introducing a national pizza month was one smart business decision that he made. So back in 1984, Gerry Durnell, the publisher of Pizza Today magazine, created National Pizza Month.
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History of Pizza
. I couldn’t help thinking how this tiny slice of pizza made its way through history from ancient times when Greeks, Egyptians, Armenians, Israelis, and Babylonians were baking flat bread in mud ovens. I’m sure the bakers, just like our businessmen today, wanted to use up their leftover dough and found a great way to do this.
Around 1522, Peru’s tomatoes entered the European scene and then joined the pizza parade too. In Naples Italy, pizza was a quick, nourishing and cheap meal for the working class, but when Raffaele Esposito mixed up his pizza with tomato, cheese, seasonings, and toppings in Port Alba in Naples, it became the “in-thing” to have.
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US Pizza Team Develops
US Pizza Team Logo
In a country where there are estimated 63,000 pizzerias and 94% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month, you just know that there would be lots of competition.
The natural progression would be to have pizza makers and bakers face each other in a pizza challenge, and that is exactly what happened. The Groupon U.S. Pizza Team was founded in 2000, and the culinary experts faced each other in dough tossing acrobatics, pizza making skills, and make as well as bake creative new pizzas in regional, national, and even international competitions, like the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy.
The entertainment industry like Food Network, CNN, and Good Morning American and Live with Regis and Kelly were quick to follow these pizza making champions as they won top honors in this World Pizza Challenge.
I remember seeing them on a Food Network Special and being captivated by their speed, athletic ability, and creativity. In fact, my meager attempt at pizza flipping left my pizza looking like a protozoa laying dead on the kitchen floor.
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World Champion Pizza Maker – Dave Sommers
Welcome Caricature at Mad Mushroom Pizzeria – West Lafayette, IN
I was absolutely amazed when I discovered that a World Champion was almost in my back yard at the Mad Mushroom Pizzeria in West Lafayette, Indiana. So it didn’t take us long to contact him.
World Champion Pizza Maker – Dave Sommers removing pizza from oven at Mad Mushroom Pizzeria
Dave Sommers is the owner of two Mad Mushroom Pizzerias in Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana. He competed in all the acrobatic categories and even holds the records for fastest pie maker and fastest box folder. He even competed in the culinary competitions at the International level in Parma, Italy.
Goodtaste Cutting Pizza under Dave Sommers Supervision
We could hardly contain our enthusiasm when he agreed to share his experiences with our listeners.
http://uspizzateam.com/team_member/dave-sommers/
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Innovative Pizza Ideas
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Jack-o-Lantern Happy Face Pizza
Jack-o-Lantern Happy Face Pizza
About the Recipe: Let’s celebrate October with a Jack-o-Lantern Happy Face Pizza. Make an Italian sausage filling flavored with onions and green pepper and top it with a crisp pastry smiling pumpkin. Let everyone scoop up some crust and filling, and pass around some shredded cheese. Then listen to the oohh’s & aahh’s and watch the smiles.
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Easy Cheesy Pizza Soup
Easy Cheesy Pizza Soup
About the Recipe: Warm your spirit with some hot pizza soup, flavored with Italian sausage and pepperoni. Richly seasoned with Italian herbs and spices, the Italian farm fresh tomatoes are topped with spoonfuls of melting cheese. Add some crunchy bread sticks and you’ll never miss the crust.
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Super Pizza Salad Bowl
Super Pizza Salad Bowl
About the Recipe: Do you have a craving for a pizza taste that is light and healthy? Then serve up some lettuce wraps with all the pizza trimmings. This fun recipe lets everyone dig into the salad bowl and design their own fresh salad pizza.
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Granola Apple Coffee Cake Pizza
Granola Apple Coffee Cake Pizza
About the Recipe: It’s perfect to serve as a breakfast coffee cake, topped with juicy apples, cheddar cheese, and crunchy granola topping. The added benefit is that it also makes a perfect dessert with a touch of whipped cream.
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Macaroni Souffle Pizza in a Mug
Macaroni Souffle Pizza in a Mug
About the Recipe: When you make this recipe, serve it right away since it starts to lose its lofty height quickly, just like a traditional soufflé. The delicious pizza sauce spooned on top takes macaroni ‘n cheese to a new level. How elegant is that.
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Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwich
Grilled Cheese Pizza
About the Recipe: What is better than a grilled cheese sandwich? It’s a Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwich, flavored with Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, melting Mozzarella cheese, and spirited pepper cheese. Italian tomato salad with basil adds that fresh country flavor to the crunchy Italian bread sandwich.
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Pizza Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Tomatoes
Pizza Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Tomatoes
About the Recipe: The chicken is stuffed with all the goodness of a pizza. Melting cheese, pepperoni, fresh basil leaves, and tomatoes are inside, creating a flavorful surprise. The roasted tomatoes form a chunky tomato topping.
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Italian Spaghetti Squash ‘n Meatball Pizza
Italian Spaghetti Squash ‘n Meatball Pizza
About the Recipe: I know it’s hard to believe but the squash does form a delicious crust. The filling is loaded with sweet Italian meatballs and vibrant fresh tasting pizza sauce. Yes – It’s meatballs and veggie spaghetti!
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“Amo la Pizza” Cocktail
“Amo la Pizza” Cocktail
About the Recipe: If you just love the taste of tomato drinks and pizza, then you need to try this one. Make sure you season it for your own taste. Above all, have fun with it.
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Roman Hot Chicken Pizza
Roman Hot Chicken Pizza
About the Recipe: Be ready to enjoy a new flavor, hot sauced spicy chicken with black olives, pickled red peppers, and tangy pepperoncini, all smothered in pizza sauce and yummy melting mozzarella cheese. Make it as hot as you like. A drizzle of chilled ranch dressing adds a cool surprise.
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Popover Pizza
Popover Pizza
About the Recipe: This pizza inspired recipe is easy to prepare and packed with flavor. The batter puffs up into a light puffy crust covering the Italian turkey sausage underneath. Serve with a large crisp Italian salad. This is a “popping up” fun pizza recipe that the whole family will love.
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Candied Apple Nut Cookie Pizza
Candied Apple Nut Cookie Pizza
About the Recipe: If you love butter cookies or shortbread, you will love this recipe. It’s flavored lightly with bits of shredded apples and topped with crunchy candied mixed nuts. A light lemon glaze adds that final touch of sweetness. There’s only one problem, you “just can’t eat only one piece.”
It’s that good !
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