Pizza Today - June 2017 - 12

expo spotlight
with BILL OAKLEY

"Best Pizza in
America" Creator
Joe Beddia
is Coming to
Pizza & Pasta
Northeast

Photo courtesy of Abrams Books.

W

hen in 2015 Bon
Appétit magazine
placed its stamp on
Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia
as the home of the "Best Pizza
in America," the reputation of its
founder, Joe Beddia, was
immediately elevated to star
status. Up until that time he had
been operating under the radar,
but never again.
Beer brewer turned master
pizzaiolo, Joe Beddia is one
of our featured headliners for
the Pizza & Pasta Northeast
tradeshow, which will take place
at the Atlantic City Convention
Center October 17-18, 2017. A
good portion of the five years of
research he did took place in his
home kitchen, where he explored
the science of dough making and
developed his uncompromising
approach to sourcing only the
finest cheeses and toppings. He
also honed his pizza making
skills and expanded his knowledge base with job stints at Tria,
Osteria, South Philadelphia Tap
Room and Madison, Wisconsin's
Pizza Brutta before landing in
Philadelphia at Zavino. Then
he opened his small namesake
Fishtown storefront pizzeria
in March 2013 and the rest is
history.
What makes his pizza so
special is his complex dough
recipe founded on technique and
a long-fermentation period, as
well as his signature sauce and
top-shelf artisan toppings. In a
world of limited production cars
and one-of-a-kind fashions, it's

somehow apt that he only makes
enough of his special 36-hour
dough for 40 pies each day that
he's open for business, which is
still just four nights a week. Better yet, he stays open only until
the 40th pie is sold, which is
usually prior to closing time. His
pizzas are reputed to be a mindblowing gastronomic adventure
for his loyal customers and fans,
even if they have to put up with
a few inconveniences...cash only,
no phone and no bathroom.
His pizzas are in such demand
that a line starts to form at least
an hour ahead of the 5:30 p.m.
opening.
Beddia followed few conventions of pizza royalty, including
bake time and temperature -
opting for 10 minutes at
600 degrees in a gas brick-lined
Montague deck oven. Yet his
pizzas became a sensation. He's
now written a book on pizza
making, Pizza Camp (Abrams),
and is planning a new venture
after Pizzeria Beddia.
On opening day, Tuesday,
Oct. 17 at 10 a.m., Peter
Reinhart, a bread-baking expert,
instructor at Johnson & Wales
University and the founder of
the Pizza Quest video and blog
site, will conduct an in-depth
interview. Peter has visited many
of the nation's top pizzerias and
learned how they handle dough,
ingredients and ovens. He'll talk
shop with Joe and try to uncover
a few of his secrets during this
Pizza & Pasta Northeast kickoff session.

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Pizza Today - June 2017

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