Pizza Today - September 2019 - 12

Meet The Maker

Q &A WITH
PETE TOLM AN
IRON BORN PIZZA, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

How long have you been making
pizza?
I've been cooking about 13 years
but only in pizza the past few years. In
the three and a half years, we closed
our original Iron Born Pizza location to
build a larger format restaurant in the
strip district in Pittsburgh. We opened a
take-out shop in Millvale, a small town
just north of the city and Pittsburgh
really gave us a warm reception to open
and be successful.
Why pizza?
I wanted to reach a larger audience
and try to make an impact with highquality ingredients and processes.
Everyone can generally agree on a good
slice of pizza, so I thought it was the
perfect food to hit home with people.
I thought we could give Pittsburgh a
surprise, in how delicious this type of
pizza can be.
What's your favorite pizza style to
make and why?
Detroit-style pizza - it was the first
pizza that had shocked me in a very long
time. I think the contrast of textures
and the way you can add any type of
flavor is what is the most exciting thing
about it.

1 2 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9

How did you learn your craft?
I went to culinary school, trained in
fine dining then read about every book I
could find on pizza. I began recipe testing
all kinds of different format pizzas before
I settled on Detroit style. Flour tasting,
formula tweaks, hydration levels and took
a tremendous amount of notes.
What's been your biggest
challenge with pizza dough and how
did you solve it?
I would say dough time/temperature
and volume. When we first opened, we
were selling out almost every day. Our
cooler space is limited, just like most
restaurants. So, the ebbs and flows of
the workflow and trying to keep up with
demand. Lots of frustrations with mixing
temperatures, the temperature of the
room and bulk fermentation.
We produced as much as we could,
slimmed our bulk fermentation using
dough boxes (easier to chill) and use lots
of ice for water in summer while mixing.
What direction is American pizza
headed in your view?
I think it's an exciting time. Our guests
are leaning towards the small business
pizza makers instead of the major chains.
If you visit the Pizza Expo, most people
there are wanting to learn from one
another and talk about how different our
shops are. It's a generous community that
seems very invigorated to try to grow the
whole USA pizza culture and put it in a
better place each year.



http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2019

Pizza Today - September 2019
Commentary
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
@ Pizza Today
Conversation
Man on the Street
Tony’s Trending Recipe
Knead to Know
Destinations
Payment Options
Cheese Blends
Flatbread Pizza
Cauliflower Crust
Raising Wages
Pizza & Pasta Northeast Preview
The New Wave of American Pizza
Pizza Today on the Road: New York City Tour
Preferred Supplier
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Mike’s Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - September 2019 - CT1
Pizza Today - September 2019 - CT2
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Pizza Today - September 2019
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Cover2
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Commentary
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 4
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 5
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 6
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 7
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Contributors
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 9
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 11
Pizza Today - September 2019 - @ Pizza Today
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 13
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Conversation
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 15
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 17
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Tony’s Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 19
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 21
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 22
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 23
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Destinations
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 25
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Payment Options
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 27
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 28
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 29
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 30
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 31
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Cheese Blends
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 33
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 34
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 35
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Flatbread Pizza
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 37
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 38
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 39
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Cauliflower Crust
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 41
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 42
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 43
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Raising Wages
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 45
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 46
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 47
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Pizza & Pasta Northeast Preview
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 49
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 50
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 51
Pizza Today - September 2019 - The New Wave of American Pizza
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 53
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 54
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 55
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Pizza Today on the Road: New York City Tour
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 57
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 58
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 59
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 60
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 61
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 62
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 63
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 64
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 65
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 66
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 67
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Preferred Supplier
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 69
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 70
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 71
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 73
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 74
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 75
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 76
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 77
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 78
Pizza Today - September 2019 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 80
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 81
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 82
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 83
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 84
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 85
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 86
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 87
Pizza Today - September 2019 - 88
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Mike’s Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Cover3
Pizza Today - September 2019 - Cover4
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