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Pizza is baked into America'southward national zeitgeist and rooted in its local communities, making it a surefire hit across all demographics. And although the comfort and craveability of pizza remain a constant, the category has never been more than dynamic. The pandemic was a significant driver in recent changes hither for a few reasons. Off-premise pizza served equally savior, swooping in night after night to rescue families from commitment-choice dilemmas when indoor dining options were scarce or nothing. About everyone tin hold on pizza, and it's certainly a proven choice in the to-go world. To gain share in this now very of import off-premise market place, pizzerias upped their game, and many other restaurants with the power to add together pizza to their get-to bill of fare mix—or to spin off ghost kitchens specializing in pizza—seized that advantage. Competition, an engaged customer base of operations and necessity fueled innovation. Anafre's Pizza Pop-Upward in Washington, D.C., offers a great example. Chef/owner Alfredo Solis pivoted his coastal Mexican eatery to a Mexican-inspired pizzeria equally a ways of weathering the pandemic, offer both takeout and dine-in with trend-forward pizza options like El Sol Chicharrón, featuring slow-braised pork, guajillo sauce, Chihuahua cheese, cactus, onion and cilantro.

Another driving strength behind today'due south pizza innovation stems from enthusiastic pizza makers who got serious nearly their craft during quarantine days, tinkering with doughs, sauces and toppings at dwelling house and trying their hand at fashioning artisan pizzas. Some moved their creations into neighborhood pop-ups or nutrient trucks and then kept the entrepreneurial spirit burning by carving out their own piece of the pizzeria business with brick-and-mortar restaurants. Although small in footprint, collectively they're injecting a fresh energy of community spirit, passion for the segment, and keen exploration of flavor combinations and pizza styles.

Examples abound, including thriving restaurants like TnT Pizza in San Diego, which started life in the home kitchen of Kevin Gist, who, while laid off from his job at a New York-fashion pizzeria, started experimenting with Detroit-style pizzas. He offset offered samples to friends, then sold them at a pop-up, and now menus them at TnT's brick and mortar, which he co-owns. Its offerings include the Eggplant Parm Detroit, with eggplant, roasted red peppers, ricotta, "Detroit sauce" and breadcrumbs.

Of course, larger, established pizza concepts are innovating, likewise, reacting to evolving consumer behavior and market weather condition. Equally restaurant brands navigate through this shifting mural, and with the pizza category cycling through an incredible era of inventiveness, information technology'due south an ideal time for a temperature check. A few savvy operators share their perspectives on sustaining pizza trends, operational learnings and the flavor combinations that inspire them.

Great Expectations

Perhaps the most common theme in the mod pizza narrative is consumer expectations. They're fix high. Spoiled for choice, savvy customers are at present as well demanding new levels of accessibility. Over the last ii years, speed of service and convenience in delivery, curbside and contactless ordering accept moved into peak priorities, so operational features that were once a luxury or bonus are now normative. In the pizza universe specifically, the defining factor is that the expectation of quality runs parallel to these convenience and speed of service expectations.

Credit: Cassandra Stiltner

Mici Handcrafted Italian, with offerings similar this Caprarola Pizza (pepperoni, sausage, green pepper, onion, mushroom, mozzarella), has streamlined its pizza production in order to meet today's need for speedier service.

For us to compete with speed of service merely give consumers the kind of pizza we think they actually desire, we had to piece of work on improving kitchen menstruation, streamlining stations, developing labor workarounds and implementing smart technology. It'south allowed us to be very, very quick with a really expert product. And that's a rare combination in the pizza world.

—Matt Stanton, Mici Handcrafted Italian

Mici Handcrafted Italian, a Denver-based fast casual that specializes in New York-mode pizza, wanted to dial up the convenience factor without trading down on the quality of its artisan pies. Jeff Miceli, founder and president of Mici, and Matt Stanton, partner and principal growth officeholder, fabricated key operational innovations to tighten up ticket times. "Luckily for the states, we've been doing this a long time, more than than 18 years. Our New York-mode pizza travels actually well," says Miceli. "The biggest change for us was a push toward convenience and speed," says Stanton. The lightning-fast ovens that pervade the fast-casual infinite generally serve up Neapolitan-style or other thinner crust pizzas that require minimal wait times. "For the states to compete with speed of service but give consumers the kind of pizza nosotros remember they really want, we had to work on improving kitchen flow, streamlining stations, developing labor workarounds and implementing smart technology," says Stanton. "It's immune usa to exist very, very quick with a actually good product. And that's a rare combination in the pizza world." Mici's pizza options are Italian-inspired and family-oriented, and they include offerings like the Molto Carne, with hand-rolled, "family-recipe" sausage meatballs, nitrate-free pepperoni and mozzarella.

Credit: Jeff Minton

Brad Kent is betting on the popularity of pizza slices, opening up Bagel + Slice in Los Angeles.

This movement toward the slice is driven past quality, passion and the engineering science that allows chefs to put out artisan pizza, even with limited kitchen space.

—Brad Kent, Blaze Pizza / Bagel + Slice

As the co-founder and chief culinary officer of Pasadena, Calif.-based Blaze Pizza, one of the fastest-growing chains in history, Brad Kent understands the balancing act of quality and speed of service. Freshly made dough, incredible customization and a 3-infinitesimal melt time rocketed Blaze into success years agone, but a perceptive read of its marketplace keeps it in the spotlight. Kent has observed a few shifting behaviors amid pizza consumers. "Blaze has seen a decline in the demand for its keto cauliflower crust and a greater need for our loftier-rising chaff. So, I think people are less concerned about diet overall," he says. Kent also serves equally chef/possessor of Olio Forest Fired Pizzeria in Los Angeles. There, he'south seeing an uptick in pepperoni sales, peradventure mirroring the 'roni cup craze that has captured the hearts and minds of pizza lovers across the state. "I'thousand seeing more than pepperoni orders because I think people today want more flavor, more than fat, more comfort. Pizza offers that overall, simply the selection of toppings is definitely skewing more toward indulgence than before."

Playing To Your Audience

Chef and cookbook writer Pecker Kim offers real-time consumer research on flavor preferences, serving upwardly pizza for both an urban market place and a higher campus. Chef Bill Kim's Pizza & Parm Shop, originally launched equally a ghost kitchen during the pandemic, menus Detroit-style pizza and craven Parmesan sandwiches, currently with a pick-up/delivery location in Chicago plus an on-campus location at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., operated in partnership with Aramark, the higher's foodservice provider.

Credit: Chef Beak Kim's Pizza & Parm Shop

Chef Bill Kim'south Pizza & Parm Shop serves Detroit-manner pan pizza in Chicago and on Purdue University'due south campus. Classics like the Pepperoni Slice (left) notice favor with college kids. Urban diners love bolder choices like Kim'due south Korean BBQ Ground Beefiness & Kimchi Pizza (correct).

We are finding at the Purdue location that our guests desire more traditional toppings like pepperoni and sausage. Our guests in Chicago wait something different, similar the BBQ Chicken Katsu Pizza.

—Bill Kim, Chef Bill Kim's Pizza & Parm Shop

The Chicago menu runs adventurous builds, similar the BBQ Chicken Katsu Pizza with spicy Asian charcoal-broil sauce and the Korean BBQ Ground Beefiness & Kimchi Pizza. "The flavors in that one are spicy, sweet and tangy," says Kim. "And the barbecue sauce introduces the flavors of tamarind, pomegranate molasses, tomato, brown sugar and sesame. Kimchi adds texture, with its earthy, funky, rich and full-umami flavour."

At Purdue, specialty slices include BBQ Chicken and Mushroom Ricotta, with three classics anchoring the menu: cheese, pepperoni and sausage. "We are finding at the Purdue location that our guests want more traditional toppings similar pepperoni and sausage," says Kim. "Our guests in Chicago expect something different, similar the BBQ Craven Katsu Pizza."

Of all the pizza styles to menu, Kim chose Detroit-style, with its rectangular shape and frico edge, that craveable caramelized cheese chaff. "I wanted both worlds of sparse and thick, plus I wanted light and airy, so that is why I picked Detroit-style," he says. He's certainly non alone. The allure of crispy bottoms, frico crusts and airy middles is powerful. Detroit-fashion also travels and reheats well, making information technology especially appealing for these times.

Two other rectangular pizzas are showing up on menus across the state, too: Sicilian (thick-crusted and pan-cooked, sometimes topped with strong-tasting cheeses) and Grandma Pizza (homestyle, sparse pizza hailing from Long Island, N.Y.).

"Today, there's this race to come up up with the almost cute frico on the edges of your square or rectangle slice," says Blaze's Kent, pointing to a large opportunity in enhancing craveability and modernizing pizza offerings.

The Slice Is Right

The classic slice ordered at the mall on a first engagement does non immediately trigger thoughts of leading-edge builds, but it'due south worth taking another await. The slice is perchance the pizza trend that serves up the about opportunity in bill of fare evolution today. It offers portability, snackability, value and low commitment, all with the hope of high quality and great flavour.

As evidence, look to Sauce Pizzeria in New York, where each pizza slice is served with a side of "Grandmother's Tomato Gravy" for dipping. Customers can order either a classic wedge or a square slice, and season options include trend-forward profiles similar the Al Pastor, with love apple sauce, pineapple sauce, mozzarella, pecorino, roasted pork, pickled red onion, jalapeño and cilantro. At Corner Slice in the Gotham West Market, too in New York, pizza squares are on the menu, showcasing the adroitness that's behind this tendency. This site uses artisan flour to ensure a flavorful chaff and ferments the dough for 60 hours, building both strength and flavor. Slices on offer include Tomato Pie, with tomato plant sauce, garlic, Sicilian oregano, pecorino and Grana, and White Pie, with seasoned ricotta, fresh mozzarella, black pepper, parsley, pecorino and Grana.

Credit: American Lamb Board

Cindy Pawlcyn uses pizzas at Mustards Grill to help comport seasonal specials. Her Lamb Merguez Pizza packs big flavour, with ground lamb (seasoned with chile pulverisation and sweet paprika), sheep'south milk pecorino and mozzarella, tapenade and a low-cal tomato sauce.

"I recall that more pizza slice places are going to come into the market," says Kent. "And I call up that the trend is going to go along for the next five-ish years or so. This motility toward the slice is driven by quality, passion and the applied science that allows chefs to put out artisan pizza, even with limited kitchen infinite." Kent'southward banking on the pizza slice'southward popularity, opening Bagel + Slice this year, a true-to-its-name pizza-by-the-slice and bagel shop, adjacent to Occidental Higher in Los Angeles. Bill of fare items run the gamut, from a slice of pepperoni pie to 1 with yellow teardrop tomatoes and basil, along with vodka-cashew foam and spicy tomato sauce.

Applied science is helping the cause here, says Kent, giving chefs the ability to respond today'south demand for wood-fired quality with an electric oven. "You can create the loftier quality of a wood-fired pizza with equally much nuanced heat intensity that a chef would appreciate," he says. "At the stop of the day, information technology's a slice, but it's an upgraded slice. Giving diners the best possible pizza experience is what information technology'southward all about."

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Source: https://www.getflavor.com/2022-march-april-todays-pizza-game/

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