Saturday Afternoon Pizza Posts

Homemade Pizza Tips, Rants, Raves, News & Nonsense--All At Free The Pizza

For a free sample of the Free The Pizza book, click here

A homemade pizza influencer long before anyone needed the word “influencer--” Talking to Albert Grande of Pizza Therapy.

6/24/2023

Albert Grande with pizza peel and magazine

I’ve known about Albert Grande even longer than I’ve been making pizza, which is over 20 years. We became personally acquainted about a year ago.

In a LinkedIn post from about that same time, I commented on Albert’s glowing review of my silly little book, Free The Pizza. (And by the way, I did not ask him to write the review. I merely asked him if, as a respected pizza pro, he’d be willing to give me a blurb for the cover. But he went all in, delivering the whole eight slices.) In my subsequent LinkedIn post, I thanked Albert and referred to him as “a world-famous pizza god.”

Pizza guru Peter Reinhart commented on that post: “Albert is a pizza god because his contribution to the pizza world is all about heart, charitableness, and genuineness. A true role model for all of us.” Peter Reinhart speaks the truth.

A few weeks ago, I asked Albert a question. Would he be willing to do an interview for this scrappy and questionable little pizza blog? He agreed immediately. I was beyond thrilled.

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“What's the home pizza cooking mistake that cost you the most failures before realizing what it was?”

6/17/2023

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Earlier this week, a bunch of people I don't know went nuts for something I said about pizza. It was so surprising, that I’ve changed the plan for today's "Saturday Afternoon Pizza Post."

I was lurking around Quora, the “social question-and-answer website and online knowledge market.” That’s how Wikipedia describes it. I call it a social-media dogpile for people with the patience to read and write.

Someone asked, “What's the cooking mistake that cost you the most failures before you realized what it was?” Oh, is that an easy question to answer.

There are many cooking failures I’ve experienced, but none greater than pizza. I answered the question with about 600 words and one photograph.

And the dogpile began. It was unbelievable. People were going nuts for the answer. I have no idea why, other than it maybe it touched a nerve that they all understood. So I’ve decided to share that answer here. (Cleaned up and better edited, of course, for your Free The Pizza inner-circle reading enjoyment.)

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Careful! If there’s no gluten, it’s not pizza—but it might taste like it, and it’s a pain in the butt to make.

6/10/2023

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WARNING: This blog post does not constitute medical advice or any dietary recommendations regarding celiac disease, gluten intolerance or wheat allergies. It is for entertainment purposes only.

I have eaten gluten-free pizza, and it was fantastic. Unfortunately, it was not a pizza that I had made. With 20 years of pizza making and over a thousand pizzas under my belt, I’m still trying to make gluten-free pizza myself. I keep trying these things, in fact, so that you don’t have to. Once I can get it down and it’s easy to do, I offer it to you. So if you wish, you can leave right now. There’s nothing to see here unless you enjoy a tale of woe—and if you’re interested how a gluten-free fail unfolds.

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Winning hearts and minds with fantastic homemade pizza: Simple tips from Hollywood's "Architect To The Stars."

6/3/2023

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When the Free The Pizza book first came out last summer, there was a flood of enthusiastic email from all kinds of people, offering photos of their exciting new pizzas. But nobody was sending pizza pics as frequently and with as much enthusiasm as David Applebaum.

In Los Angeles, David has a reputation as an architect to the stars. His client roster features a diverse range of names, from Cuba Gooding, Jr. to Hiro Yamagata to Brad Grey. You may also have seen David on TV, hosting Nat Geo’s Inside American’s Mansions.

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Author

Blaine Parker is the award-winning author of the bestselling, unusual and amusing how-to pizza book, Free The Pizza. Also known as The Pizza Geek and "Hey, Pizza Man!", Blaine is fanatical about the idea that true, pro-quality pizza can be made at home. His home. Your home. Anyone's home. After 20 years of honing his craft and making pizza in standard consumer ovens across the nation, he's sharing what he's learned with home cooks like you. Are you ready to pizza?

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Saturday Afternoon Pizza Posts

Homemade Pizza Tips, Rants, Raves, News & Nonsense--All At Free The Pizza

A homemade pizza influencer long before anyone needed the word “influencer--” Talking to Albert Grande of Pizza Therapy.

“What's the home pizza cooking mistake that cost you the most failures before realizing what it was?”

Careful! If there’s no gluten, it’s not pizza—but it might taste like it, and it’s a pain in the butt to make.

Winning hearts and minds with fantastic homemade pizza: Simple tips from Hollywood's "Architect To The Stars."

Author

Archives

Categories

​Saturday Afternoon Pizza Posts

Homemade Pizza Tips, Rants, Raves, News & Nonsense--All At Free The Pizza

A homemade pizza influencer long before anyone needed the word “influencer--” Talking to Albert Grande of Pizza Therapy.

​“What's the home pizza cooking mistake that cost you the most failures before realizing what it was?”

Careful! If there’s no gluten, it’s not pizza—but it might taste like it, and it’s a pain in the butt to make.

Winning hearts and minds with fantastic homemade pizza: Simple tips from Hollywood's "Architect To The Stars."

Author

Archives

Categories

Saturday Afternoon Pizza Posts

“What's the home pizza cooking mistake that cost you the most failures before realizing what it was?”