Pizza Expo 2018 - Tom Tallarico Bids Farewell to the Expo Hall and Meets Pizza Celebrities

Hi folks! This is Dan Tallarico, Editor at Pizza Walk With Me, with another recap from our columnist, Tom Tallarico. This is his third and final dispatch from the 2018 Pizza Expo. While we won't hear about the rest of his Vegas trip rest assured it included a number of buffets and hunks of meat! If you'd like to start at the beginning you can read his prequel/first day recap of Pizza Expo here. His second day recap is available here!

Day 3 continues with the International Pizza Challenge & the World Pizza Games along with informative seminars & cooking demos; most documenting the Evolution of Pizza.  I’ll first mention that the convention seems to be getting bigger every year. The exhibits (food, food, food) have been documented in the past. This year’s array of foodstuffs is more opulent than ever.  And it seems there are more local Pittsburgh Pizza Makers here than ever. Good to see. 

Attended a morning seminar; “New Twists on Old Appetizers” conducted by frequent contributors Glenn Cybulski & Mike Bausch.  The new “twists” involve Garlic Knots which are fried instead of baked to reduce prep time, utilizing Portabella Mushroom Caps stuffed as you wish & ingenious Eggplant Parm where Eggplant is sliced, covered with Panko & deep fried. Slices are then lined up with alternating Mozz slices, covered with sauce & sprinkled with Parm/Romano. 

Pizza Expo Appetizers

A big kick for me was having a chat with Nick Coniglio from Brooklyn & Williamsburg Pizza.  

Williamsburg Pizza

Nick was Pizza Maker of the year in 2016 & Brooklyn all the way. He is a colorful character with a witty sense of humor along with an intelligent passion for Pizza making. He actually spent some significant time in Pittsburgh in his formative years before returning to Brooklyn to become a Pizza hero. Actually got a picture taken with him. He seemed pleased to hear that it was going on my “Celebrity Wall” between Ditka & Jon Stewart. He then repeated Ditka, Ditka, Ditka with the typical Chicago emphasis. Look forward to visiting on next visit to NYC. He conducted the seminar “My Champion Pizzas”.  I documented last year’s seminar. I recall his key points along with his delightful presentation style; much humor with even more valuable information: 

Nino’s Pizza rules include:

  • Put ingredients on evenly (very, very important).
  • Don’t overload the pie.
  • NO Dried Rosemary (not sure if this is a rule or a pet peeve).

By Day 3, the Pizza Challenge is at its peak. Following are examples of the competitive Pies in various categories.

The Big News today is that also competing & Winning is Eric Von Hansen from Caliente’s. Today, Eric won Northeast title for the Non-Traditional Division.

Pizza Expo Non Traditional Division Results
Eric Von Hansen Caliente Pizza

Of course, as documented, Eric won the overall title of Champion/Non-Traditional Division in the finals on the following day. Congratulations, Eric! That makes 2 overall Championships in 3 years; Champion in the Pan division in 2016. Very exciting & quite an achievement. 

Day ended with another stroll through the Exhibit Hall for final snacks. I believe a Steak dinner is in my immediate future before one last day at the Expo tomorrow. 

Pizza Expo Pizza Challenge
Pizza Expo Pizza Challenge

Pizza Expo 2018 - Tom Tallarico Explores Buffets and Meets Pittsburghers on the Show Floor

Hi folks! This is Dan Tallarico, Editor at Pizza Walk With Me, with another recap from our columnist, Tom Tallarico. After this article I now have about 12 photos of buffets saved to my desktop! If you'd like to start at the beginning you can read his prequel/first day recap of Pizza Expo here.

With Day 2 of the EXPO comes the opening of the Exhibit Hall including Food
Suppliers, Equipment Manufacturers and to the crowd’s delight, samples that
their products produce, i.e. pizza, charcuterie, macaroni, olives and food, food, and
more food. Yesterday, as we were checking the progress of the Exhibit Hall set-
up, the security guard suggested, “Don’t bring your lunch”. A new attendee asked
“Why?” This is why:

Buffet Pizza Expo.png
Buffet 3.png
Buffet 4.png
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Even Jersey Mike made it this year. Where’s Jimmy John’s? Next year?

The first Demo I attended showed the relatively new, popular Pizza al Taglio or
Roman-style pizza; a classic type from Italy. Conducted by Christopher Anitnucci
and Giulia Colmignoli, a couple which grew up in Rome. They relocated to San
Diego and operate Napizza, specializing in the Roman-style.

The key ingredient is a unique flour which is rich in protein, made in small batches & cold stoned milled such that the germs survive. This flour type is very difficult to find domestically.
The result is an airy, light, crunchy crust which is easy to digest. Dough ferments
for 72 hours; massaged lightly to retain and redistribute CO2 bubbles and bakes
before final toppings are added, then re-baked. For toppings, they suggested “the
Sky’s the Limit”. Great Advice!


The result at different stages:

Taglio Expo 1.png
Taglio Expo 2.png
Taglio Pizza 3.png

 

Truly excellent taste & texture!


Earlier in the day, I could tell Dan was quite impressed with the scope of the
EXPO. I remarked that perhaps sometime in the future, he might be a panel
speaker. Well guess what? Later that afternoon:

Danny T 2.png
Danny T.png

Dan was invited at the end of the session, “Make Yourself a (Social) Media
Magnet conducted by Scott Anthony. Dan was asked to speak to the impact of
on-line advertising in various forms. Generated quite a bit of interest from the
audience trying to find ways to promote the business.


In addition, a very nice outcome of the session was being approached by Pizza
makers that were originally from Pittsburgh and now reside in Charleston, SC.

Steel City Pizza.png

Still involved in multiple Pizza shops, Steven Carb of SERG Restaurant Group, the
gentleman on the right grew up in Squirrel Hill and started working at Mineo’s in
High School. Having some background at Mineo’s myself, we both had a great kick
from reminiscing about the owners and especially THE MAN there at the time, Joe
Aiello, a top Pizziola in the city for years. I got to know Joe very well, way back when and Steve remarked that Joe got him off the ground with his first shop in
California years ago.

A very nice touch to end the day. Tonight, we’re having
dinner at Pizza Rock, Tony G’s place in downtown Vegas. Very much looking
forward to that.

Pizza Expo Correspondence - Day 2: Bring the Feed Bag, NEW Pizza & Pizza Trends

 

HI, this is Dan, editor at Pizza Walk With Me. I've sent Tom Tallarico, my father, to Pizza Expo to cover the event on my behalf. When he isn't scoping out buffets he's working on getting hot scoops and details from the Pizza Expo show floor. Here's his summary of day 2 of the expo. He somehow found a treasure trove of hot dogs. Imagine that! You can read his Pizza Expo Day 1 recap here.

Tom Tallarico, Pizza Walk With Me Associate Journalist.

Day 2: So today was the opportunity to view the exhibits & attend seminars. I’ll first mention that this show is as big as it gets. I’ve attended various Corporate Conventions & this EXPO takes a back seat to no one.

Half Eaten Hot Dog from Pizza Expo. Photo by Tom Tallarico

Half Eaten Hot Dog from Pizza Expo. Photo by Tom Tallarico

The exhibits include food vendors, shop owners & equipment manufacturers. What sets this convention apart from others are the exhibitors not only show or demo the products but actually use them. The benefit is a large array of tasty samples of all kinds that are available. Anything from various pizza types, charcuterie, desserts & even America’s #2 favorite: Hot Dogs along with burger sliders.

Bring the feed bag.

In addition, the unique  attractions of the various Pizza competitions (Pizza Challenge, best pies in different categories along with Pizza skill competitions) is quite entertaining. Then include the various demos for new pizza styles along with seminars with a wide range of topics & you have a well-rounded, comprehensive, entertaining Convention.  

Glenn Cybulski talking new pizza, old in

Glenn Cybulski talking new pizza, old in

The seminars I attended both touched on a similar topic, i.e. new Pizza trends as the craft continues to evolve. The first with speaker, Glenn Cybulski, a Pizza guru in his own right was titled New Pizza, Old Ingredients which focused on creative ways to develop & kick up new Pizza tastes using common  ingredients already in the kitchen.

The focus was substituting the typical tomato sauce with other inventive sauce types. The examples demonstrated were a Cilantro sauce (Serrano peppers, honey, balsamic & EVOO), a Pepperoni sauce (Genius!!; using pepperoni, yellow peppers & mayo) & a Peppadeaux sauce (using the pepper & mayo). Adding some cream or butter to the blended contents completes the tasty sauce.

Now, add preferred toppings which appeals to the eye & you have a NEW PIZZA.  Another benefit here is a premium charge can be justified. Glenn left the group with the comment, “That’s what the Pizza Expo is all about: Come, Create & Share Ideas”. 

Pizzas at Pizza Expo. Photos by Tom Tallarico

Pizzas at Pizza Expo. Photos by Tom Tallarico

The next session “Pizza Trends 2016: Hot foods & Flavors” & Unique Dining Experiences in Nontraditional Settings” was presented by Nancy Kruse, a reviewer of food & marketing trends. Opening comments included the fact that Pizza is “surging”; is America’s #1 Comfort Food & while Pizza shops account for 10% of restaurant types, Pizza menus are the 2nd most popular menu type. 

Reasons include:

1. The American public prefers real food; fresh toppings & sauces with rich flavors.

2. Fresh MTO preparation; daily dough prep. 

3. Use of seasonal & local ingredients.

4. Clean foods; non-processed, hormone free, Organic.

5. Improved Marketing;”Tell your Story”.  This was actually started & perfected sometime ago by ARBY’S.  

A lot of this relates back to Glenn’s presentation defining “New Pizza”. Tomorrow’s session, Day 4, starts with  7:45 keynote speaker with Tony G. 

Look forward to that. Will need to stay out of the casinos after 11 PM.

Pizza Expo Correspondence - Day 1: Nostalgia, Common Pizza Mistakes & the Wynn Buffet

HI, this is Dan, editor at Pizza Walk With Me. I've sent Tom Tallarico, my father, to Pizza Expo to cover the event on my behalf. When he isn't scoping out buffets he's working on getting hot scoops and details from the Pizza Expo show floor. Here's his summary of day 0 and day 1 of the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.


Tom Tallarico, Pizza Walk With Me Associate Journalist. 

Day 0: As the Expo nears, I recall early on how Pizza was always a part of growing up. Of course, Amato’s in downtown Etna was a constant destination. A Friday treat was always going out to a restaurant for Pizza. And during the high school years, the gathering place after games was always some pizza shop. So anticipation for the Expo not only generated a high degree of excitement but memories of Pizza days past as well.  

The top mission on Day 0 was to obtain the media pass. So once settled in the hotel, it was off to the Convention Center. Getting the pass was simple so mission accomplished early on.

pizza expo press pass

 

Some initial seminars were an hour or so from starting so I decided to check out the Exhibit Hall. With 16 hours before the official open, activity was high as setup looked to be about 60% completed. That documented, the opportunity to attend some initial seminar sessions was taken.

The 1st related to marketing of the Pizzeria; & not just the product.

The 2nd session was a panel discussion with the topic  “Common Pizzeria start-Up Mistakes & How to Avoid Them.” This was most interesting with the crowd fully engaged. The moderator was Jeremy White, editor of Pizza Today & the panel included luminaries Tony G., Pizza Godfather, 2 successful shop owners from Colorado & Scott Anthony from Punxsutawny. This was quite exciting with my roots also from Pa & with distant ties to Punxy. I had recently talked to a Punxsutawney native. We somehow started talking Pizza. He suggested there were many shops in Punxsy but only 2 or 3 of any quality. I’m betting Punxsy Pizza was one of them. Needless to say, the session was quite interesting as the panel shared their growing pains & the steps taken to overcome them.

pizza expo flyer

 

Day 1: Well, some weeks ago the editor of PWWM wondered aloud why his Dad often emphasized the beauty of the buffet. He then went on to write about the wonders of the Spirit Sunday brunch buffet. Well, due to prior commitments the closest I came to the subject of Pizza was this: 

Wynn Buffet Pizza

This was just a small part of the Wynn buffet which included Prime Rib, Roast Turkey, a full Asian station, Charcuterie, Quail & Duck dishes, extensive shellfish entrees, etc. etc. And the Pizza wasn’t bad at all.

Unfortunately, wasn’t able to attend the sessions. Was looking forward to attending a Panel discussion on Wood-Fired Mobile Pizzerias & a session on “Maximizing Your Ingredient List”.  However,  that speaker, Glenn Cybulski, has a session tomorrow titled “New Pizza, Old Ingredients” which I plan on attending along with sessions “Pizza Trends 2016: Hot foods & Flavors” & Unique Dining Experiences in Nontraditional Settings”. The day concludes with the Pizza Expo Block Party & World Class Pizza Games Finals. Stay tuned.