Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter's
Pizza News
          May, 2006      

"I used  Fleischmann's before they became a sponsor
of pizzatherapy.com,
I will use Fleischmann's after they are no longer a sponsor."
Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter's, The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book

Read Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter's Pizza Notes blog here.

Contents

1. What's New: Legends of Pizza ® are Coming

2.A Peel With Appeal: The Fender Stratocaster Pizza Peel

3. The Big Green Pizza Truck Part 2:
 The Exclusive Interview Continues

They each agreed to let me tape our conversation.

I am extremely excited to announce Legends of Pizza ® Volume 1 is almost ready for release. This CD is unlike anything that has ever been done at pizzatherapy.com.

 Understand, these are home-made recordings. This is not studio quality. There is a bit of snap, crackle, and pop on the CD. The content is, however, incredible. Consider these sessions, "The Other Pizza Tapes." Legends of Pizza ® Volume 1 is like a home-made pizza. It may be a little rough around the edges, but it is extremely satisfying.

Each of these pizzaiolo, (Legends of Pizza ®), were forthcoming and conversational. They shared their philosophies and ideas about making pizza. Although, they each discussed some pizza techniques and tricks, that was not the intent of these sessions.

I was more interested in the person in front of the pizza oven. I wanted to discuss what makes them do what they do. I wanted to explore other areas of pizza. I wanted to know about Spiritual Pizza®.

Peter Reinhart explained his journey as a restaurant owner, author and teacher. He shared some of his favorite pizzerias and the future of pizza. Gary Bimonte discussed his grandfather, Frank Pepe, and the birth of the legendary Pepe's Clam Pizza. Chris Bianco, clarified his own pizza philosophy, and why he and his brother mix all of their pizza dough by hand.

Legends of Pizza ® Volume 1 will be unlike anything you have ever heard. You will learn, and explore hidden areas of pizza beliefs and knowledge. Never before have these Legends of Pizza® been given such a forum. You will be inspired. You will smile. You will gain pizza power. You will be engaged. You will discover things about pizza you never knew or imagined.

(I had a conversation about Legends of Pizza ® with noted pizzaiolo Jon F.
 He said: "You need pizza music, Albert. Maybe a bonus track at the end..."
"OK, Jon" , I gasped, "I'll try...")

Finally as an added bonus, there will be pizza music added to the Legends of Pizza ® Volume 1. I am currently in negotiations to include my personal favorite, pizza party tune of all time, at the end of the CD. If I can pull this off, it will be spectacular!

Look for Legends of Pizza ® Volume 1 coming soon...

You will need to claim your copy...

Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter's
"The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book"
from pizzatherapy.com
Learn how to make great pizza!
(You also get my exclusive "Pizza Book List Mailings"!)

Ron wrote: "I too am somewhat of a pizza fanatic. I use an 18" Weber kettle
grill with a 16" Old Stone Oven stone and fire it with a 185,000 BTU
Cajun cooker. I also made a pizza peel fashioned to look like a
 Fender Stratocaster guitar..."

The pictures were so incredible I immediately
created a separate web page:
Click Here to See The Stratocaster Pizza Peel
 and Read the Rest of the Story...
(Link will open in a new window...)

3. The Big Green Pizza Truck Part 2:

I kept hearing stories, about the big green pizza truck, a mobile pizzeria, with a full on, wood fired pizza oven, in the back. I knew I had to track down the truck and owner . I finally found Douglas Coffin, through a post he made in a pizza forum. He not only agreed to do the interview but he was very forthcoming about the Pizza Business and his pizza truck
 The Exclusive Interview Continues...

If you missed Part 1 of  The Big Green Pizza Truck Interview 
Click Here to Read it Here...

Albert: Now you have an entire pizza operation on the back of a
truck, is that right? I understand this is a pretty old truck. Are you
worried the pizza truck will break down on the side of the road?

Douglas: Funny you should ask...When I first started thinking about this I was not to concerned about this aspect of the operation. I assumed that if I broke down all I
would have to do is get a tow.

I have discovered that getting a tow for a
vehicle that weighs 12,000 is not as simple as calling AAA. Well, it is
but there are not as many tow operators who can handle larger rigs and
some of them get scared dealing with an antique. I also was not thinking
about having multiple jobs lined up and needing to have a tow truck
transport you from one to another all weekend long.

I find the problems of operating an old restored truck are not
any greater than operating a newer model. A mechanical system is a
mechanical system and if it is working within its limits then it should be fine.

What is a problem is that when something goes wrong, parts are not
available immediately and the expertise to diagnose the problems is
getting in shorter supply. Most mechanics at this point in time have not
ever seen a set of points, let alone have any experience adjusting them.

There was a period last year when the engine was running really poorly
because it was burning up spark plug wires and it took a while to figure out
what was going wrong. I also snapped an axle about a quarter mile from
home en route to a party.

Since the party was half way across the state it wouldn't have paid to get a tow so we re arranged the menu on the spot, grabbed different gear out of the kitchen and made sure all the guests  were fed something. That is the only time we have been unable to deliver
because of truck failure.

Heavy rain is another problem. The rig can operate in a light rain, but a heavy rain with driving winds makes  everything too wet.

Once we had to cancel an upcoming job because of forecasted big storm. I have not found a weather proof way to cook outdoors.

One thing that is amazing to me: arriving on a tow truck does not seem to
discourage future bookings. I arrived at one party an hour late on a two truck and at the end, guests were still looking to book jobs. I thought to myself, do they not get it, we almost didn't make it here. They  thought that only added to the charm. Go figure.

Albert: In the book "Everybody Love's Pizza" New Haven is
mentioned as one of 4 pizza zones in the country. I must say, where you run the
pizza truck, pizza competition is awful stiff. How do you stand up against
Pepe's, Sally's and Modern Apizza? We are talking some Legends of Pizza ® , here. Is it the same pizza or have you developed your own spin?

Douglas: What's neat is that we are the only mobile pizzeria. When Sally's or Modern take to the road, then I will have to worry, but right now our markets are different.

When someone wants to do a party at their house they can either order take out pizza which is what most of the world does, or if they want a completely different experience, they call us. We are in an area that knows good pizza and we would not be able to get by if the pies weren't good, but this was not a rig put together to deliver mediocre pizza - we took a lot of time and money to make sure we could deliver top notch pizza to our clients. According to many of the guests it is the best pizza they have ever had.

As to the pies themselves we do thin crust pizza cooked in a wood fired
oven at high heat (750-800 degrees). We bring a wide assortment of toppings and play to the crowd. We serve the pizzas buffet style alongside the truck which allows us to experiment and offer a wider selection of pies than most people would order.

Few people going out with a group would order an artichoke, caramelized onion and fresh mozzarella pizza, but if it is out there on the table many will try a slice. It is one of our more popular pies.

In general, I am more interested in white pies that red, and prefer vegetable toppings to meats, but that is just my preference. My son likes New Haven style plain - tomato sauce and Romano, no mozzarella. Actually he prefers parmesan but New Haven style is roman rather than parmesan.

Albert:  What kind of prep work goes into going out for a job.
How many pizzas can you make? What services does the pizza
truck offer? What do you charge for your services?

Douglas: We charge $950 for groups 50 people and under. That includes
all the pizza they want, a green salad, homemade ice cream for dessert, cappuccino and
espressos, and all the paper goods. They supply beverages. For some groups who are not offering alcoholic beverages we can provide sodas and bottled water. For a group of about 50 we make about 30 pizzas. (14")

Most summer weeks we have a packed weekend - dinner on Friday, lunch Saturday, dinner Saturday night, lunch Sunday and sometimes a dinner on Sunday night. That schedule can get grueling and leaves little time for prep. Friday we might not get back in until 2 and then need to be out the door on Saturday by 9 to get to a lunch gig half way across the state.

We try to make up dough for the entire weekend on Thursday. We try not to make dough any later than the night before a job - the more time it has to rest and develop flavor the better. We prepare our ice cream bases, sauce and pizza toppings on Thursday and Friday morning.

 There is a long check list of stuff we need to do to the truck before we head out-
empty the waste water and fill fresh water tanks, check paper goods and clean up supplies, fill up the fire wood, check coffee supplies, check  ice cream machines and supplies, check the oil and gas for the generator and engine, stock aprons and green shirts. It can take two hours to get the truck ready for a weekend.

People ask us what else we offer and I always say I can cook them whatever they want. In reality though, pizza is the main attraction; those who ask either are not really pizza fans or are nervous about just having pizza somehow that's not quite fancy enough. We've never had a party where just having pizza has been a problem and when you think about it,
few people go into Sally's and ask them what else they make.

End of Part 2.

 Look for Part 3 in the next issue of Pizza News....

If you missed Part 1 of  The Big Green Pizza Truck Interview 
Click Here to Read it Here...

Read Part 3 Here

Special Deals
 (for example, Legends of Pizza ® Volume 1)
 and Life-time updates:
Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter's
"The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book"
from pizzatherapy.com
Learn how to make great pizza!
(You also get my exclusive "Pizza Book List Mailings"!)
 

4. Grandmother's Easter Pie (Pizza Rustica),
from my Cousin Joyce

I had asked my Cousin Joyce for any recipes she had to share.

( If you do not know the story, of connecting again with Cousin Joyce,
Read Pizza News June 2005  See # 2. It's A Small World, After All... )

She immediately sent me the following.

Cousin Joyce writes, : Hi Al...Here are the directions for making my grandmother's
Easter Pie (Pizza Rustica).  Now bear with me because I don't
actually have a recipe...we always just made it from memory. 
Here goes:

Ingredients and Directions:

In a large bowl, dice the following Italian Cold Cuts (about
1/4 lb. of each.   Italian Ham, Salami, Mortadella, Capicola,
Pepperoni, Dried Italian Sausage.

Next, add diced Fresh Mozzarella, Grated Romano Cheese, grated
Parmigiano Cheese, Dried Ricotta.

Feel free to add any additional cold cut or cheese you may like.

In another bowl Scramble 12 extra large eggs, add 2 lbs fresh
Ricotta, 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley and Chopped
Fresh Basil  (Mixed) and  a little black pepper to taste.  Mix
well and add all the diced cold cuts and mix well again.

Do not add any salt or other spices...the cheeses and coldcuts
contain plenty.

Pie Crust Recipe
The pie crust can be any recipe you like.  Grandma always used
the recipe for egg biscuits.  This gives you a combination of
sweet and savory and is really good.  Do you have the egg
biscuit recipe?  Here is the one I use:

            16 ounces of Cream Cheese
            2 Sticks of Butter
            5 Eggs
            5 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
            1 Teaspoon of good Vanilla
            1 Cup of Sugar
            5 Cups of Flour

Roll out the pie crust thinly and line a spring form pan with
the dough.  Add the filling, and make a lattice top for it. 
Egg wash and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 1/4
hours.  The crust should be golden...the filling should not be
baked too firmly (still a little wet in the center).

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 1 hour.  Remove from
spring form pan and the Pizza should have a very rustic look to
it.  This recipe feeds many.  Good luck and let me know how it
comes out.

If you have not read the Cousin Joyce story, go here:
Pizza News June 2005  See # 2. It's A Small World, After All...

"Pizza on Earth, Good Will to All"

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