LAS VEGAS — The Worldwide Pizza Expo passed off March 28-30 in Las Vegas. The themes of breaking custom, offering shock and advertising sustainability dominated the expo flooring, all whereas staying centered on producing high quality, genuine pizza with actual and recent elements.
“You need to change with the trade and the purchasers,” stated John Area, proprietor of Metro Pizza, Henderson, Nev., a four-location chain with origins within the Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan. “I’m at all times attempting for a component of shock to offer the client.”
Metro Pizza’s sauce is formulated with three tomato varieties. As an alternative of mozzarella, the corporate makes use of sharp fontina cheese. Considered one of Mr. Area’s specialties is “The Zamboni,” which is described as a “slap shot” of taste with sausage, pepperoni and roasted purple peppers, all drizzled with Mike’s Sizzling Honey after it’s baked.
Candy warmth ideas have been plentiful on the present. Whereas quite a few sizzling honey corporations displayed their wares, it was the cheese entrepreneurs that showcased how peppers — every part from jalapeño to ghost — can elevate the pizza-eating expertise when the pepper is paired with the right cheese. That’s as a result of the milkfat in cheese mellows the pungency (measured in warmth items on the Scoville scale), enabling the flavour of the pepper to be tasted. Together with some fruit, every part from pineapple to peaches, provides a layer of sweetness. Suppose raspberry chipotle pepper salsa (because the sauce), topped with smoked mozzarella and recent arugula with a balsamic drizzle.
Odyssey Manufacturers, Monroe, Wis., debuted smoked feta cheese on the present. Company chef Allen Hendricks used it to create the Odyssey Pizza, a vegetable-forward pizza with a base sauce of tzatziki topped with shredded brick cheese and smoked feta crumbles.
“This cheese options simply the correct amount of smoky taste and colour,” Mr. Hendricks stated. “It has a barely salty contact and tanginess that comes by means of from the normal feta, and a creamy mouthfeel end. It melts nicely however by no means turns gooey.
“Added purple bell pepper, inexperienced onions and child spinach brings freshness to the construct. The ultimate contact is garlic-enhanced Greek yogurt swirled on the highest.”
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) used Pizza Expo to launch its Actual California Pizza Competitors during which cooks and culinary college students entered recipes in considered one of three classes. Twelve finalists will put together their creations on Aug. 2, 2023, on the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, Calif. All finalists win a money prize. Finalists who should not class winners will obtain $500 every. Class winners will every obtain $5,000. The grand prize winner — judged as the most effective total pizza — will obtain a further $10,000.
Contestants could select from a number of greater than 250 varieties and kinds of California cheese. The three classes are Cal-Mex (taste fusions that includes Hispanic-style cheeses), The Actual Californian (the wild card class) and Plant Ahead (taste mixtures of fruits, greens, nuts, beans, and so forth., together with cheese).
“This on-trend flexitarian pizza recipe will ship flavorful produce-centric toppings layered to enrich cheeses produced from California milk, the place meats or different non-cheese proteins are thought of an elective garnish or condiment,” stated John Talbot, chief government officer of the CMAB. “Because the main producer of mozzarella, in addition to Hispanic-style and originals like Monterey Jack, pizza is a key foodservice class.”
Shepherd’s Grain launched pizza makers to the advertising alternatives when utilizing regeneratively grown wheat in crusts. Picture: Donna Berry
Cheese dominated the numerous pizza creations accessible for sampling at Pizza Expo, even Past Pepperoni, which made its foodservice launch on the present, was featured on pizzas made with mozzarella. A vegan choice was accessible upon request.
Analysis from Past Meat, El Segundo, Calif., confirmed greater than half of the 600 customers polled in December 2022 would enhance visits to a restaurant if plant-based pepperoni was accessible. Past Pepperoni delivers an genuine pepperoni expertise with 50% much less saturated fats and 30% fewer energy than a number one beef and pork foodservice pepperoni, in line with the corporate. It cooks up like conventional pepperoni, with crispy, curled edges.
Past Pepperoni was co-developed by Past Meat and the culinary workforce at Pizza Hut, Plano, Texas. It was provided for a restricted time at choose places starting in August 2021.
The expo was greater than cheese and toppings. Firms comparable to Normal Mills Foodservice, Minneapolis, hosted boot camps to assist pizza makers “doughminate” in terms of creating signature pizzas and stopping crust catastrophes. The corporate showcased quite a lot of pizza flour choices, from untreated/clear label and natural flours to European-style flours.
Shepherd’s Grain, Portland, Ore., launched pizza makers to the advertising alternatives when utilizing regeneratively grown wheat to crusts. The wheat comes from farms in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and South Dakota, which have no-till practices and use crop rotations to eradicate erosion for a wholesome ecosystem. Each bag of flour could also be traced to the farmer and could be a part of the pizza maker’s story.
