Funny – I tried to visit your site but our corporate firewall says it’s blocked due to “Criminal Activity”. Ah well.

Glad you didn’t let your inexperience keep you from realizing your dream. Hey, we all gotta start somewhere, ya know?

The imitators usually make their crust crispy by using a dough that bakes into a crisp, cracker-like shell with pizza toppings on it (at least, that’s the way it is in California).

The real thing is made from a wonderful, crisp-tender, yeasty, authentic Italian pizza dough, hand-tossed and baked to perfection, with just the right balance of crispness and pliability–hence, the widespread East Coast tradition of folding a slice in half while eating it.

That doesn’t work nearly as well with a brittle, cracker-like crust. It’s not impossible, but let’s just say it leaves a little something to be desired, as your stiff, board-like pizza slice cracks right down the middle instead of folding luxuriously around all that delectably dripping cheese. (I fear that real, New York-style pizza has forever spoiled me. There’s nothing like it!)

I will say, though, that I’ve seen fairly authentic New York-style pizza in California a time or two over the years — always created by transplanted Italian pizza chefs from the Big Apple. So, there’s always hope that Chicago, too, might contain such an establishment — or maybe even Houston…or Dallas…or wherever it is you hang your cowboy hat — just in case you can’t wait until your next trip to Chicago! Guess you might have to get Brad to do a little detective work before SOBCon09, though, so you’ll have plenty of time to phone in those reservations!

Good luck!

I know the perfect cure for Joanna’s…er…unconventional pizza-eating technique: a visit to a pizza restaurant in New York City. Real New York-style pizza (not the kind they call New York-style in other parts of the country) is extra large and has a super-thin crust — so thin that New Yorkers often literally fold a slice in half to eat it. In fact, they almost have to. That’s the only way they could ever hope to eat it with just one hand. (Take it from a native New Yorker. Boy do I miss that pizza!) This is not the kind of pizza one can eat from the wrong end!

Just a thought!
Jeanne

She certainly is an inspiring lass and we’ve all learned so very much from her.

We’ve developed a lovely community and it’s not the same when Joanna’s away.

Thanks again

Robyn

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