Pizza Today - May 2019 - 16

Man on the Street
SCOTT WIENER

Pizza
Expo
Redux

I

feel like a broken record saying this,
but Pizza Expo just keeps getting
better. The energy in Las Vegas was
incredible, with a diverse mix of demos,
exhibitors, seminars and special events. It
was the largest turnout in terms of both
attendance and exhibitors since the show
started 35 years ago. Even more interesting than the overall growth are the ways in
which the industry is expanding.
The big phrase that struck me this year
was "plant-based." This is quickly becoming the term of choice for products that
mimic meats and cheeses without actually
using animal products. In the past we've
seen it expressed as "animal free" or "vegan,"
which sound the same but have different
connotations. Veganism is a lifestyle that
centers on the denunciation of all forms
of animal cruelty and abuse. The term
reaches far deeper than simply noting that
a product doesn't have animal components.
Saying that something is plant-based is
clearer in identifying what IS present than
a mere indication of what IS NOT present.
Sometimes it's for political reasons and
sometimes it's all about health, but either
way the term "plant-based" seems to be the
phrase of the moment.
While the exhibition hall didn't open
until the Tuesday of Expo Week, tons of
people showed up early for New Operator
Monday. The seminars and classes are all
geared toward those new to the business.
Each of the seminars offered that day were
packed with upwards of 300 people. John
Arena, instructor and co-founder of Las
Vegas's Metro Pizza, commented that he
has never met so many people at Expo who
had yet to open their pizzerias. It's exciting to see so many new faces entering the
business, but that should also be seen as a
1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M AY 2 0 1 9

wake-up call for the old-timers who are
resting on their laurels. These new folks
are hungry, and they're willing to do the
work required to win business.
THE PAST FEW YEARS HAVE SHOWN
HEAVY INTEREST IN APPROACHING PIZZA
DOUGH from the perspective of artisan
bread, and that truly crystalized with the
introduction of the International Artisan
Bakery Expo. Pizza Expo attendees
were provided open access to ingredient
samples, equipment showcases and a
demo stage geared toward artisan baking
technique. Back at Pizza Expo, Scottie Rivera gave a great talk about using
a sourdough starter at his small slice
shop in Portland, while just down the
hall James Beard award-winning author
Peter Reinhart led a panel that discussed
how to coax maximum flavor from flour
using commercial yeast. Pizza may be
covered with sauce and cheese, but at
Expo it's the dough that's conceptually
on top.
Beyond all the top-line offerings at
Pizza Expo, the trend that most excited
me was something I noticed happening among attendees. Everybody was
exchanging swag. There were the usual

stickers, pins and shirts. I even saw a few
beer koozies. But forget all those; this
year was all about HATS! That's right;
pizzeria hats are the new big thing. I
blame the inimitable Paulie Gee, of
Paulie Gee's and Paulie Gee's Slice Shop
in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He's been
collecting pizzeria hats for years and
recently launched an Instagram account
to catalog them all. Paulie has a policy in
his restaurants that encourages employees to wear swag from other pizzerias
and forbids them from wearing Paulie
Gee's logos. It's a decision that speaks
to the undeniable camaraderie that has
swiftly replaced the secrets and grudges
connoted by the pizza industry of the
past.
It's no longer merely acceptable for
competitors to support one another; it
has actually become cool. In the end, I
think that's what's so special about Pizza
Expo. It's a place for mutual support
and community. We may be an industry
of independents, but that doesn't mean
we're alone. ■
SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott's
Pizza Tours in New York City and
SliceOutHunger.org.
http://www.SliceOutHunger.org http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - May 2019
