Pizza Today - November 2021 - 74

EXPO SPOTLIGHT B I L L OA K L E Y
MARCH 21 - 24, 2022
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER
James Beard Award Winning Author and Restaurateur
Ken Forkish is Coming to Pizza Expo 2022!
that he would be back when it was
safe to do so. He now only runs the
two businesses that share his name:
Ken's Artisan Bakery and Ken's Artisan
Pizza.
Ken's Artisan Pizza, which was
A
fter a 20-year career in
the tech industry, Ken
Forkish decided to leave the
corporate world and become a baker.
He relocated to Portland, Oregon,
and opened Ken's Artisan Bakery in
2001. Ken's Artisan Pizza opened fi ve
years later in 2006. He authored his
fi rst book, Flour Water Salt Yeast: Th e
Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and
Pizza in 2012, which won prestigious
awards from James Beard and the
International Association of Culinary
Professionals. His second book, Th e
Elements of Pizza, is a cookbook for
anyone who loves pizza - particularly
pizza afi cionados who have a real
appreciation for the crust. He also
previously owned Checkerboard Pizza,
a NY-style pizza and slice shop that he
recently sold.
Unfortunately, during the pandemic
Forkish had to close them all down,
although Ken's Artisan Bakery
continued to off er takeout for
16 months. He told his patrons and
employees that it was temporary and
74 / PIZZATODAY.COM / NOVEMBER 2021
grossing more than $1.5 million
annually prior to the pandemic, began
as an off shoot of the bakery that is
located just a few blocks away. His chef
and business partner, Alan Maniscalco,
started making pizzas out of the bread
oven on Monday nights. Th ey called
it 'Monday Night Pizza' and it's still
going on at the bakery. It went over
so well that they decided to open a
pizzeria.
With just 60 seats and an extra 16
outside, Ken's has become a destination
for locals and tourists. And much of
their success is a result of their hightemperature
pizza oven, which is a
focal point of the restaurant design and
experience. Th e 800 F oven can bake
four to six 12-inch pizzas at a time
in two minutes - upwards of 60 an
hour. Pizza sales accounts for 40 to 50
percent of their total revenue each day.
Th e menu is inspired by the pizza
Ken enjoyed during visits to Italy and
Europe. Baked in the intense heat of
a wood-fi red oven, his pizzas feature
blistered crusts and are topped with the
fi nest ingredients Forkish can source.
In addition to great pizza, they off er
a variety of fresh salads and starters
featuring local, seasonal produce
delivered by a network of local farmers.
Th e restaurant also off ers four beers on
tap, and a 100-bottle wine list featuring
local wines.
All dough, signature sauce and
deserts are made in-house, and even
the sausage is ground on premise. Ken's
typically employs around 20 people,
and most of the kitchen staff is crosstrained
on at least two of the three
stations. With so much being done
in-house, keeping a handle on food and
labor costs is imperative.
Operating in a " foodie " town is
challenging. Th ere's pressure to keep
up not only in the pizza industry but
against other restaurant concepts
that seem to be opening on a weekly
basis in Portland. Ken will bring to
his keynote an undeniable passion for
pizza and baking, knowledge of the
craft and tales of his successes.
I like to think that attending Pizza
Expo will be one of, if not the best,
investments of time and money that
you'll make. Th e bottom line is there's
always something new at Pizza Expo
that can improve your restaurant.
Remember, attending Pizza Expo is
a tax-deductible working vacation.
For more information on attending
International Pizza Expo 2022, please
visit PizzaExpo.com.
It's all pizza and it's all for YOU!
Best regards,
Bill Oakley
Show Director
BILL OAKLEY is the
Group Show Director for
International Pizza Expo and
Pizza & Pasta Northeast
http://www.PizzaExpo.com http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - November 2021

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