Pizza Today - December 2021 - 3

COMMENTARY
JEREMY WHITE
Contributors
Pizzeria of the Year
O
ur 2021 Pizzeria of the Year
is Razza, a Jersey City-based
operation that is super impressive.
I enjoyed visiting owner Dan Richer
for the interview and photo shoot in
October. What I did not expect was to
enjoy Jersey City as much as I did. It was
my fi rst time really being there. Usually, I
don't venture out from NYC when in the
region. (Th at will change.)
But a dozen years ago I did. I crossed
over to Hoboken to sit with the legendary
Patsy Grimaldi. He made me a pizza
that I still crave to this day. While on that
foray, I went through Jersey City to check
it out. It didn't impress me. I didn't stay
long. Hence my earlier statement about
seeing it for the fi rst time in October.
Let's just say a lot has changed in Jersey
City in the last decade. It has grown. It
has turned into a world-class restaurant
destination. Some New Yorkers may laugh
at that, but I assure you they shouldn't.
Anyway, back to Razza. It's been a long,
long time since I've had pizza so good
that I wanted to cry. Hey, I've been locked
away during a pandemic and therefore not
able to visit all the great pizza establishments
we're accustomed to checking out
through the course of a year!
Razza has set a very high bar, as a Pizzeria
of the Year should.
Check out the cover story on Razza on
page 44. And then visit PizzaToday.com
and listen to our podcast interview with
Richer. After that, head to PizzaExpo.
com and register to attend Pizza Expo
2022 in Las Vegas, where you'll get to
learn from Richer in person!
Lastly, another year in pizza is coming
to a close. Some good things happened
in 2021, including a major vaccine
rollout that is helping our nation crawl
out from under the weight of the pandemic
and that also helped us stage Pizza
Expo against all odds. So, there are many
reasons to think 2022 is going to be even
better. And that makes me smile. Cheers
to a new year!
Best,
DENISE GREER
Executive Editor
(Grated Cheese, pp. 40-42)
People love that grated cheese
sprinkled atop their pizzas. But
does it have to be Parmesan?
We look at four hard cheeses
that are just perfect for grating
and a few recipe ideas to get you
started in your test kitchen.
DANIEL P. SMITH
Freelance Writer
(Staff Appreciation, pp. 30-32)
In any environment, but especially
today's challenging labor market,
employee appreciation is so
important because employees
are the ones who give life to the
business plan and the brand. While
important to show employees
appreciation throughout the
year, even in small ways like
compliments and genuine
gratitude, the close of the
calendar year certainly creates
a natural opportunity to show
employees how much you value
their contributions.
VOLUME 39 * NUMBER 12
DECEMBER 2021
JEREMY WHITE
Editor In Chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com
Photo: Josh Keown
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Pizza Today - December 2021

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