Welcome back to Pizza Quest! NYC is a treacherous place to open a new pizzeria. The competition is fierce and public is vocal and not always diplomatic. But the lure of reaching for holy grail of pizza is hard to resist, and now Chef Ian Coogan, formerly of Eleven Madison Park and the Jean George lineage of great chefs (among other top-tier mentors), and currently the culinary director at the popular Motel Morris in Chelsea, has taken the plunge a few blocks away with the opening of KID. To assure success, Ian brought in Roberta's and Tartine alumnus, Max Blachman-Gentile to nail down the dough and the fermentation game plan. In this episode we are graced by having them both here to share with us the rest of the story, including their creative process that resulted in a highly inventive yet relatable menu and whimsical ambience. They also share the how-to of training their team to deliver the KID experience on the highest level on a daily basis. It's all here on this week's episode of Pizza Quest!

My long-time friend, Peter Scott Ruben, is the best guitar player I know, having personally watched him jam with some of the great rock and blues musicians of the seventies (Joe Perry in his pre-Aerosmith days and Kim Simmonds of The Savoy Brown Blues Band are two who immediately come to mind -- I read that Simmonds died two years ago in England and the band had to break up after an amazing fifty-five year run). Since then, Peter has fronted his own bands, and has also carried on his father's legacy as leader of the premier special events orchestra/band in Philadelphia, through which he met "the great one," Frank Sinatra, at a White House gig the orchestra was playing during the Reagan administration back in the 1980's. He also donned a wig a few years ago and played as Eric Clapton in a Cream tribute concert (and I seem to recall he even played a set as Jimmi Hendrix). In addition to his amazing playing, he knows way more about music than anyone in my social orbit so, now that he has embarked on an Act 3 career performing a Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin one-man tribute show (having bought performing rights to the original Nelson Riddle and other Sinatra/Darin charts), I thought it would be fun to pick his brain here on Pizza Quest regarding why he thinks Sinatra is the greatest performer of all time as well as to see if together we could create a top ten list as well as a Mt. Rushmore top four list of the greatest of the greats. It was so much fun recording this episode -- as you will see and hear -- that I plan on inviting him back to do a similar retrospective on the greatest guitar players and also another on the best bands and performing groups of our time. Peter and I used to stay up all night during our college days talking about stuff like this, so I know he's game for it, as you will hear in this conversation in which we explore not only Sinatra's greatness but also dive deeply into the why and how of what made him the GOAT (and why Bobby Darin was the prince in waiting until he died way too young). So, as we like to say, it's more about the quest than it is about the pizza, and this time around we jump into Peter Ruben's quest for what distinguishes the good from the great when it comes to musical artists. The topic may have changed, but the game remains the same -- and the quest never ends....

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Elizabeth Brasch is committed to delivering what she calls, "a higher order of pizza," at Mellow Mushroom, where she serves as VP of Marketing and Menu Innovation. As anyone who has been to any Mellow Mushroom location knows, the notion of a pizzadelic experience is not at all far-fetched. And, for those who own their brands, this conversation with Elizabeth will be especially enlightening as we hear how a University of Georgia-born hippy-era pizzeria grew over the past fifty years into a formidable multi-unit operation with a fanatically loyal following wherever they pop up another location. After all these years, how do they keep it fresh and updated, while always staying true to their brand and its roots? That, and much more, will all be revealed in this week's episode of Pizza Quest.

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As you know, our usual focus is on the celebration of artisanship in pizza and anywhere else we find it. But what if the next generation of "artisan" pizza makers are robots? Or is this a non sequitur? Hey, before you shoot the messenger, listen to this revelatory conversation with Nipun Sharma, the CEO of Appetronix, who is about to launch the first fully robotic pizza kiosk in partnership with Donatos Pizza -- with more locations on their way. But how can this be? And how long before this technology scales up and shows up across the country? A lot of major implications here, so buckle your seat belts and join us as we explore a brave new world in this very unique episode of Pizza Quest.

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There's something special happening in Pukalani, on the island of Maui, where Chef Jeff Scheer and his wife Kaili (along with their trusted friend and restaurant anchor, Chef Chris), are drawing big crowds and James Beard Award attention at their non-touristy, upcountry restaurant, Marlow. It starts with fabulous wood-fired sourdough pizzas (both traditional and inventive) but also, drawing on Jeff's background as a fine dining chef, also includes duck confit, a must-have octopus' salad, handmade pasta dishes and gnocchi, rotating seasonal, locally grown specials, and uniquely flavored gelatos. In a sense, Marlow is at the heart of an ever-growing Maui community of locals as well as "pilgrims" who have made the trek. For anyone thinking of heading to Hawaii, you will not want to miss the Marlow experience. Otherwise, join us here for a vicarious immersion into the world of Chef Jeff Scheer and Restaurant Marlow, and then imagine yourself there.

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It's been a while since we've caught up with our two most recurring and popular guests, pizza legends John Arena (Metro Pizza in Las Vegas) and Brian Spangler (Apizza Scholl's, Portland, OR). Not only have they both been there and done it all, but they are also trusted mentors to many pizza operator newbies and, over these past years on Pizza Quest, have served as prophets-in-residence,alerting us to what to watch for next. We've broken stories with them on emerging trends like the pizzeria/bagel connection, sourdough is here to stay, and the return of the tavern/parlor/bar pizza style. In this episode, these esteemed pizza "elders" tell us about what they see coming next, as well as sharing some intimate, personal reflections regarding their next steps as they each approach their own "Act Three," and confront the challenges of transitioning into elderhood. Bottom line: even if you never plan to stop, you still need to have an exit strategy....

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Our guests this week are the co-hosts of the popular Pizza Pod Party Podcast, Arthur Bovino and Alfred Schulz. They recently completed their first season of 52 episodes with a star-studded roster of guests including Mo Rocca, Andrew Zimmern, Tony Dukoupil, Guy Raz ("How I Built This"), Candace Bushnell (yes, who wrote "Sex in the City"), George R.R. Martin ("Game of Thrones," anyone?), Susan Orlean ("The Orchid Thief" and way more), Scott Wiener (my go-to guy when it comes to everything pizza), and many others who you will hear about in this lively conversation. Their podcast is about gathering interesting people together with pizza as the means to get them there. The guys tell us about their upcoming Season Two and all about their other projects and whether there will be a new Best 100 Pizzerias List in the coming year (that's Arthur's baby, for those who didn't already know). It all happens here, on Pizza Quest.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

In this episode, we welcome Brett McKay, the founder of the immensely popular website/newsletter/podcast, The Art of Manliness. For the past fifteen+ years Brett, along with his wife Kate, have been on their own quest to explore every aspect of what it means to be a man -- really, a human -- at this particular time in history. Their site has clearly struck a chord, as they have over a million followers (including listeners to their Art of Manliness (AOM) Podcast),where they cover everything from the practical (like "How to Shave Like Your Dad" and "How to Properly Tie your Tie"), to the metaphysical and philosophical (Aristotle is a huge influence on their work and journey, as are many other well-known historical thought leaders), and they have posted over 1,000 episodes (1059 as of this week's show on "The Science of Slowing Down Time"). Brett was kind enough to invite me onto his podcast and even kinder to reciprocate by coming onto Pizza Quest. There is a lot of kindred spiritedness here, as I think you will see and enjoy during this thoughtful conversation.

Note: Brett also shares some tips on how he and Kate grew their following into a full-time livelihood; tips that will prove useful to any of you who are trying to grow your own media platforms and brands -- this is priceless advice!