The Hot Slice

The Hot Slice brings you inspiring stories, strategies and lessons learned from successful pizzeria professionals and top experts. This podcast is hosted by the team at Pizza Today, the premier network for pizzeria professionals. We’re bringing our award-winning interviewing and 37 years as a trusted pizza restaurant partner to the airwaves with real, in-depth conversations with pizzeria owners, champion pizza makers, industry pros and others to help make your business better.

The Hot Slice is a arts podcast hosted by Pizza Today, with 329 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Pizza Today hosts The Hot Slice, a arts show with 329 episodes published.

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  Episode #330

  330. Columbus-style Pizza, Commissary Dough and Coming Full Circle

  Sep 30, 202628 min

  Send us Fan Mail Sexton’s Pizza started in a trailer the size of a closet on Florida’s Gulf Coast a decade ago. Now, after building a multi-unit operation in Columbus, Ohio, the pizzeria is returning to where it all began. In this episode, we sit down with co-founder Joey Sexton ahead of Pizza Expo Columbus to talk dough science, growth and what it means to come full circle. You’ll learn about: Columbus-style Pizza: The square-cut, red-sauce, smoked-provolone tradition rooted in the city’s Flytown neighborhood. Dough Evolution: How a deep dive into long-fermented New York-style dough transformed Sexton’s signature product. Building a Commissary: Why centralizing dough production took three months to dial in but changed everything for consistency. The Portnoy Effect: What happened in the 12 hours after an 8.1 review and how Sexton’s kept up with demand Sexton’s Burger Bar: Why a smash burger with a lace edge earned its own concept instead of a spot on the pizza menu. Return to Florida: Why opening a location in the state where Sexton’s started feels like closing the loop on a 10-year journey. Tune in to the full episode of The Hot Slice Podcast to hear it all! Show Notes: Sexton’s Pizza: sextonspizza.com Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026 Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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  Episode #329

  329. Creating a Thoughtful Beverage Program Without a Liquor License

  Sep 23, 202637 min

  Send us Fan Mail Sarah and Daniel Correa never planned on becoming beverage innovators. But when opening a full bar wasn’t the right fit for their community, they got creative instead. In this episode, we sit down with the Correas, owners of Fired Pizza in Stockton, California. What started as a mobile catering rig in 2018 grew into a food truck, then blossomed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant built on Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and a genre-bending beverage program that won them the 2025 Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE) Award for Best Beverage Menu. Here’s what Sarah and Daniel get into: Why they intentionally chose to operate on a beer and wine license instead of pursuing full liquor, and how that decision shaped their entire brand. Crafting cocktails with agave wine and infused syrups that rival traditional spirits, without a drop of vodka or whiskey in sight. How relationships forged with local breweries and wineries during COVID became the backbone of a rotating, story-driven beverage menu. The strategy behind an eight-tap draft system built around community loyalty, plus the sorbet seltzer customers refuse to let go. Pricing wine by the glass to build trust with guests and move volume instead of sitting on bottles. Standing out in a market full of New York-style legacy pizzerias by committing fully to something different. Show Notes: Fired Pizza: fired-pizza.com Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026 Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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  Episode #328

  328. The Pizza Team Takes Over: A Special Hot Slice Episode

  Sep 16, 202627 min

  Send us Fan Mail The whole gang is back! In this special Pizza Team edition of The Hot Slice, host Denise Greer, editor in chief of Pizza Today, sits down with Kate Lavin, Jeremy White and Josh Cowan for a lively, insider look at what's shaping the pizza business right now. From big news about Pizza Expo's leadership to what's driving independent operators to the top, this one's packed with takeaways you can bring straight back to your shop! The crew digs into the mindset behind one of the world's most acclaimed pizza makers, previews everything happening at Pizza Expo Columbus and celebrates a shift that puts mom-and-pop shops in the spotlight. Whether you own one location or a handful, there's plenty here to fire you up. Grab a slice and settle in! Key Talking Points: Big leadership news: Jeremy White announces he'll step in as the new Pizza Expo show director when longtime director Bill Oakley retires in about six months. Pizza Expo Columbus is bigger this year: The show moves to Hall B with an expanded show floor and more exhibitors. Seven competitions: The Great American Pizza Challenge returns with divisions from best dessert pizza to America's best pepperoni slice and Young Pizza Maker of the Year. Hot Slice goes live: The podcast will broadcast from a quiet suite overlooking the show floor, plus a freshly redesigned Pizza Today booth and a Sunday happy hour with wings and drinks! Independents are winning: Top distributors report independent pizzerias now outpacing chains at the top of their sales charts. Value-driven spending: With tighter wallets, customers are choosing local independents for experience, relationships and community connection. Make your voice heard: Complete the operator survey to help shape Pizza Today content and Pizza Expo education sessions! Show Notes: Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026 Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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  Episode #327

  327. Ditching Bromate, Chasing Roman Pizza and Hiring for Heart

  Sep 9, 202635 min

  Send us Fan Mail New York lawmakers voted to ban potassium bromate, and Rob Cervoni has thoughts. As the self-described “no bleach, no bromate guy,” Cervoni has spent years encouraging fellow operators make the switch to unbromated flour. Now that it’s the law, he says it’s time to pivot, not panic. In this podcast episode, Cervoni breaks down what happens to dough when you pull bromate out of the equation, why pre-ferments such as poolish and biga are the secret weapon for anyone short on walk-in cooler space, and how time itself is one ingredient you can’t shortcut. He also digs into why Roman-style pizza struggled to catch on the first time around, what he did differently to make Taglio’s version stick and why he thinks the style is finally having its moment. Here’s what Cervoni shares on The Hot Slice podcast: Potassium bromate speeds up fermentation, but it’s possible to replicate that effect without the chemical. How is a poolish different from a biga, and when should you use each one to master your pizza style? Cervoni blends four flours for his New York-style dough. What does each add, and what is the benefit of malted dextrose? The first wave of Roman-style pizzerias failed in the U.S. because they sold pizza like they do in Europe. Find out how Cervoni adapted the practice for a New York crowd. Growing up in a pizzeria from age 15 shaped the way Cervoni interviews staff and what he looks for when hiring. Show Notes: Taglio Roman Style Pizza: taglioromanpizza.com Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026 Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards

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  Episode #326

  326. Pizza, Hotels and Disaster Recovery at Soprana Rooftop Cucina

  Sep 2, 202641 min

  Send us Fan Mail How do you keep serving your community when a hurricane devastates your town? In this episode of The Hot Slice podcast, we hear from Philip Bollhoeffer, vice president of food and beverage for Parks Hospitality Group. Bollhoeffer was the chef who opened the Soprana Rooftop Cucina concept in Asheville, North Carolina, in March 2024. Six months later, Hurricane Helene created deadly flooding in Asheville, and the pizzeria stepped up to help its community: serving as home to media briefings, feeding hungry neighbors and housing employees whose homes were damaged by flooding. Soprana Rooftop Cucina’s efforts to help the community during a disaster earned it the Community Impact Award from the Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards sponsored by Pizza Today. The business also took home the Pizzeria of the Year award for the Southeast region. On this episode, Bollhoeffer shares: •How masons painstakingly crafted a brick pizza oven on the eighth floor of a hotel. •Why local sourcing matters to the pizzeria’s menu and the mission. •How the operation saves money by utilizing shared services as part of a hospitality group. •How the team kept serving during disaster recovery – and what it meant to their community. •Why it’s important to build your merchandise program around products fans actually want. We cover all this and more on this episode of The Hot Slice podcast. Show Notes: Pizzeria Operator Survey: Be Counted! Pizza Today wants to hear how economic factors and consumer trends are impacting your business. Take our quick survey to ensure your responses will be part of our December 2026 cover story and special report. Pizza Expo Columbus: Celebrate National Pizza Month with your community Oct. 11-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. We’ve got a trade show floor specific to pizzeria operators; seminars, demos and workshops led by successful pizzeria owners, The Great American Pizza Challenge and more. PIE Awards: We’ve raised the bar for the 2027 PIE Awards, and nominations are open now. Winners will appear in Pizza Today magazine, be honored during a live ceremony at Pizza Expo 2027 and get the chance to join a special episode of The Hot Slice. Don’t miss the early-bird entry price, available through Oct. 15.

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