Pizza Today - February 2019 - 14

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MEET THE MAKER

Q&A WITH ERIC VON HANSEN
EXECUTIVE REGIONAL CHEF / CALIENTE PIZZA & DRAFT HOUSE, PITTSBURGH, PA

Q: How long have you been
making pizza?
A: I have only been making pizza
for four years in the industry with
Caliente Pizza and Draft House.
Before pizza, I was a fine dining
Chef. I did French, Italian, German
and American Cuisine all over the
United States.
Q: Why pizza?
A: For me, pizza is that one food
that brings every family member to
the dinner table: Sunday dinners
at Grandma's, Friday night pizza
at Mom and Dad's house or a
Saturday watching College Football
game with your older brother. Pizza

can be round or square like a
dinner table.
Q: What's your favorite
pizza style to make and why?
A: Grandma-style pizza.
They're so fun to make and all the
different toppings you can use
- and the pizza holds up to its
name. It takes me back to a time
in my life when I was learning
new smells, tastes.
Q: How did you learn your
craft?
A: I learned my craft from my
mother and grandma. They are
both Italian and would make fresh
breads, pizzas, pastries, pastas,
tomato sauces and soups. They
were always in the kitchen, so
I would watch them and ask
questions ... and one day it all
helped when I went to College for
Culinary Arts.
Q: With so many pizzamaking accolades, how did you
get to this caliber of maker?
A: I'm a self-taught pizza chef.
Most off my training has come

from Nick Bogacz and Matt Hickey.
My background in fine dining has
influenced my pizza creations. I
experiment with different flavors
and textures often served in a fine
dining setting and use them when
creating my award-winning pizzas.
Q: What's been your biggest
challenge with pizza dough and
how did you solve it?
A: My biggest challenge with
pizza dough was creating a recipe
that could be used universally. Our
dough is used for hand tossed,
grandma, pan and Brooklyn-style
pizzas. I overcame it by researching
various baking books and my
background in bread making.
Q: How does your culinary
background influence the pizza
menu at Caliente?
A: Utilizing the finest, local
and seasonal ingredients in all
our products - including pizzas,
subs, wings and salads - keeps
Caliente ahead of culinary trends
that come and go yearly.

#PIZZATODAYREADER

FACEBOOK DISCUSSION

***It's time to brag.***
What accolades has your
pizzeria received in the
past year?
My pizzeria Cascadia Pizza
Co. Won Best pizza on the
Plateau (includes 4 cities)
as a food truck serving in
the area 3 days a week. We
are now geared up to open
our first brick and mortar in
a month.
Pierce Christian Buck

We were recently named the
official pizza of the Goonies.
Alex Morgan
Totally 80s Pizza
Best Pizza, for the 5th time,
Best Wings for the 1st time!
And to think before we
opened 8 1/2 years ago, we
had never made commercial
pizza!
Colin Masters
Bluegrass Pizza & Pub
We're in Amarillo TX. Just
under 1 year with a dining
area and won best dining
experience, with finalist
spots for wings and craft
beers. Before that we were
only take out and delivery.
Jim Dewitz
La Bella Pizza on Olsen

Ryan Walker Just reading
through an issue of PIzza
Today whilst eating breakfast.
#pancakesandpizza

@mobcitypizza There's nothing
like diving into a hot and fresh new
issue of Pizza Today magazine.

1 4 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 9

@enfieldhouseofpizza How much
reading do you do of your industry's
publications? I read them AND keep
them. #pizzatoday @pizzatoday ...
going all the way back to 2008 in
this stack over a foot high!

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Pizza Today - February 2019

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