I thought it would be fun to end the pizza conversation for the month with some recaps of the different kinds of nostalgia we can have for pizza. One of the points of my project is to lay out that we are truly all different because of the things we have nostalgia for and it’s why we all think some things are better than others. A goal of mine is to get all of your taste buds on the same page and hit the notes that each and everyone of you is craving. So to recap I interviewed a pan pizza maker, a world champion all kinds of pizza maker, a New Haven pizza maker, a deep dish pizza maker and more. Here are their responses to the question of what is your pizza nostalgia.
New Haven Nostalgia, Andy Gambardella, Craig Murli
It hits different when you are physically in New Haven between Sallys and Frank Pepe’s. “Pizza is the hardest thing to be consistent within the realm of cooking” The dough changes everyday and I feel it with my hands and I know whether it’s right from that point on. There can still be pretty amazing pizza that doesn’t have to be Nostalgic so to sum up Andy’s point here, try new pizza, try New Haven pizza at least once, give pizza you’ve never had a chance. Don’t go your whole life eating the same pizza from the same place. There are plenty of pizza places out there in your neighborhood who need help. Eat pizza whenever you want and don’t let anyone tell you differently. - Andy
Dad would drive 45 minutes out of the way for this rustic, primal Frank Pepe’s pizza, that feels like the first pizza ever made. It has light nuanced flavors, with well seasoned tomato sauce, a little bit of mozzarella, but also the white clam pie is one of the most monumental things that you can eat. - Craig
Lake Tahoe Nostalgia, Leah Scurto
Leah best summed it up as all I want is cheese pizza. In a world where both her and I were fighting our siblings for what kind of pizza we wanted and where did we want to get it from, it was fun to see someone with a shared experience of just wanting what they thought was best and most delicious. Leah’s drive to have the most delicious pies was evident while I tasted three of her pizzas. She wants to keep it simple, but it has to be perfect. She described her first experience as watching the pizza cooks through the glass window at a local pizzeria. This made her nostalgic on her first job interview where she saw the same thing. Now with me stepping foot into her kitchen I can fully say that I have new nostalgia for creating pizzas. I’ll never forget the time I spent in her shop.
Pittsburg Nostalgia, Sharon Ardiana
Pizza is like Sex, even when its bad it good. A line from Mel Brooks that Sharon used in her opening line with my on the podcast. I knew I was in for an awesome call. With cracker thin crust at Gialina, Sharon has some of the best Neapolitan in town. Sharon grew up in Pittsburg where she described what seemed to be a hooker and butcher type of situation with a medieval caldron that somehow produced delicious, amazing pizza. One of the best conversations I’ve had with a stranger!
Nostalgia from a Chef with Chef Parents, Laura Meyer
Laura is a certified pizza genius who served me one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten in my life. Laura grew up with chef parents and had a totally unique upbringing when it comes to pizza. Her dad is a driving force in how she competes at competitions to this day. She also talked about how her parents have influenced even the way she cooks for herself and just wants that taste of home in all of her work. It’s fun to be able to look back at a childhood and try to match what you tasted as a kid. It’s very difficult to get something to taste like something you remember. It’s the hardest part of a professional cook’s day.
LA Nostalgia, Brian Sadigursky
Brian looked back on his early pizza days, and I think he realized that the pizza he grew up with wasn’t that good but the memories he has along with eating that not so great pizza are priceless. Brian is an extremely humble guy managing multiple restaurants in one of the busiest cities in the world. He doesn’t have much Nostalgia to offer at the table at this time but his pizza speaks for itself. The best iteration of deep dish that I’ve had yet.
Thank you for listening to me talk pizza for an entire month it has been a pleasure. Next time on The Nostalgia Podcast we talk with James Beard winning chef Jason Stanhope. We talk about what makes the super bowl Nostalgic. Later in the month we move on to my next topic which will be breakfast sandwhiches. I can taste the sausage already. Stay tuned and keep eating. #belly2belly
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