February 14, 2013
Roma Foods produced this generic box over 20 years ago!
This may not be a heart-shaped pizza box, but there have been attempts at such a container from at least one of the national chains. I have a prototype from the country’s biggest pizza box manufacturer but posting it here would be legally questionable. My pizza box collection has plenty of rare gems and I’m excited to announce that I’ll be turning that collection into a super-amazing BOOK over the next few months!
The book will navigate readers through the world of pizza box art and design, a subject that usually goes straight into the garbage. I have over 250 boxes from around the world, most of which were sent to me by pizza tour guests. I document the unboxing of these gems on my YouTube channel, so take a gander if you’re keen.
Now for a call to arms. If you spot a cool pizza box, snag it! Send me a photo at SCOTT at SCOTTSPIZZATOURS dot COM and I’ll check the archive to see if I already have it. If you send me new boxes, I’ll send you a prize: up to three boxes scores you an amazing Pizza Pen, 4-6 different boxes get you a free SPT-shirt, 7-9 boxes get you an incredible SPT Hoodie! Ten or more gets you a FREE TOUR TICKET!!! These can be custom boxes from a local pizzeria, old boxes you forgot you had in your pizzeria’s storage closet or even seemingly boring generic boxes from some part of the world that barely has pizza. I’m trying to represent as wide a cross-section of the pizza world as possible and YOU can help immensely!
**Boxes must be received by MARCH 15 so get on it! Oh, and happy Valentine’s Day to all you pizza lovers.
January 9, 2012
It may not feel like Winter in New York, but there is no avoiding the deep chill that is sure to come. And when that day arrives, you’ll want nothing more than a cozy fire and a good book about pizza. Fear not, dear slice-o-phile, for there are several fantastic reads at your local book shoppery that promise to keep you warm while nature does her thing. Here’s a roundup of some books I’ve been spending time with lately…
1. Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoe Francois (St Martin’s Press)
Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day is exactly what it sounds like. This is the latest in a series about hassle-free bread baking and it’s totally awesome. Baking pizza is an extremely practical way to feed yourself AND heat yourself. The book makes you feel like a jerk for wasting so much of your life not making pizza at home with its ridiculously simple dough recipes. No complicated steps or fancy words, just simple ingredients that combine to make dough that sits in your refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.
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August 3, 2011
Don’t let the summer heat get you down, chill out with a cool book about something pizza-related! Here are a few selections from my reading list.
Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook Available on Amazon
This book just came out and I’m extremely excited about it. After all, what better time to read about tomatoes than during tomato season?!? Barry Estabrook’s James Beard award-winning article “The Cost of Tomatoes” was so thrilling to the readers of Gourmet, it’s no surprise that he was able to unravel the tragic story of Florida’s fresh tomato industry even further with this book. Of course you’ll get some tomato history and science in there, but Estabrook spends most of the book exposing the horrifying conditions in which one-third of America’s fresh tomatoes are grown. If you have ever eaten a tomato and wondered why it tasted like shoe leather, you owe it to yourself to read this incredible book.
Pizza Tiger by Tom Monaghan Available on Abe Books
I snatched Dominos founder Tom Monaghan’s autobiography from an online seller for $1, which is probably triple the cost of ingredients it takes to produce a single Dominos pizza. Regardless of what you think about their food, we would be remiss to ignore the delivery giant’s contributions to the pizzaverse. In the book, Monaghan claims responsibility for inventing or revolutionizing the pizza box, heated delivery units, dough proofing trays and more. I especially like the part where he describes a trip to New York in the mid 1960’s only to find that nobody’s pizza is as good as his. Even with some serious stretches of reality, Pizza Tiger provides great insight into the mind of the man who built the world’s largest pizza delivery empire.
Wood Heat by John Vivian (illustrations by Liz Buell) Available on Amazon
If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the wood that burns in pizza ovens (really any furnace, but this is a pizza lifestyle blog) this is the only book you will ever need on the subject. I’m serious. This book contains over 400 pages of dense information told in a comfortable way by a guy who just really loves burning wood. You’ll learn about different types of wood, benefits of wood, how to build different furnaces and MORE! The intensity of the writing is matched only by Liz Buell’s incredible illustrations.
A guy storing wood or the infamous Wood Bandit? You’ll find out when you read this book. [Illustration: Liz Buell]
Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor Available on Amazon
This is the only book in the list I haven’t actually read yet, but a friend gave it to me and I can’t just leave it out. The main character gets a job at a local pizzeria only to discover that it’s just a front for a monster hunting organization. How cool is that!?!?!? There’s probably some pizza-making action in there but I anticipate the monsters being more central to the plot. Rumors abound that this book’s sequel is coming out soon, so be sure to read Part 1 before all the cool kids get into it. And I really do mean kids, the reading level of this book is ages 9 - 12.
