Picking and Launching Projects

Appears in

Pizza Czar: Recipes and Know-How from a World-Traveling Pizza Chef

Published 2021

About

I don’t do a lot of improvements to existing pizzerias. I specialize in new projects. My expertise is in designing kitchens, workflow, and brand building—things that are interconnected. It’s important to be involved in all of that. So projects usually start with a client approaching me with an idea. What kind of clients? How long do projects take? How do we arrive at different styles and menus? How do you build a team? Come into my office.

I want every project I work on to be a long-term success and one of the top pizza places in whatever city, state, or country it’s in. So I prefer to work with clients who have restaurant experience (whether as a chef, front-of-house server, sommelier, operator, or builder). You need some connection and understanding because this is not for everyone and it’s difficult to try to help someone who suddenly realizes they’re in the wrong business. I don’t take clients who think opening a pizzeria will be easy or that they’ll just do it on the side. Come to me because you know you want to do this and want to do it the best way.