For the History Major: Pizza: A Slice of Heaven 

Ed Levine, a respected New York food writer and creator of the website Serious Eats, takes us back in time to memorialize the evolution of what is now arguably America’s favorite food. Originally made by and for the poor, pizza was a staple among Italians and Italian immigrants in the United States. Once the WWII GIs stationed in Italy returned home, the demand for pizza quickly expanded across both race and class. This excerpt from his book highlights the battle between pizzerias versus the “big dog” pizza chains and how what was once a food with close ties to a cultural identity has been transformed into a mainstream, convenient meal.

For the Party People: October is National Pizza Month

Charrise Van Horn gives pizza lovers a reason to celebrate. This text shows readers the history behind National Pizza Month in October and features different marketing campaigns that pizza chains and independent pizzerias have to offer during this cheesy-filled month. The article is flooded with tweets and hyperlinks to different pizza promotions during October 2016. In the past, some pizza chains have even donated part of their proceeds to breast cancer during this celebratory month because October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. Other companies typically use the month to introduce new fall flavors. Be on the lookout for any deals your favorite pizza company might have to offer this coming October 2017!

For the Strategy Guy:  A Case Study in the Pizza Industry 

In this study, information science specialists, Wu He, Shenghua Zha, and Ling Li, looked at “the big three” pizza companies’, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa John’s, social media use and the affect that it had on their sales and client engagement. The researchers looked at both Facebook and Twitter as social media platforms and defined “engagement” as a customer liking, sharing, commenting, or leaving reviews for a chain. The study found that customers have in fact become more valuable since the evolution of social media because the act of engaging with a chain establishes brand loyalty and created active brand advocacy within a customer. Researchers also discovered that 1 in every 3 customers ordered from a certain pizza chain because they saw something their friend might have reposted or liked on a social media platform. Pizza chains are furthering their brand by using their customers as strategic marketing tools.

For the Tech Savvy: This Robot Can 3D-print and Bake

Leanna Garflied, a tech reporter that covers stories on innovations in food as well as other things like architecture and urban planning, takes the reader on a journey of what quite literally seems “out of this world”. Beehex, a start up company in California, invented a robot that is able to 3D print pizza. Originally NASA helped fund the project in an effort to innovate space food, but the bot has since been modified for the enterprise market. Since its invention, the bot has been named Chef 3D and is expected to make a debut at various entertainment locations, such as sporting events and theme parks. The dough, sauce, shape and cheese are all programmed into the computer prior to printing and  customers will even engage in the tech savvy production by custom ordering their pizza on apps or at kiosks. The shape possibilities are endless with Chef 3D because the bot is able to make any JPEG image into pizza form.

For the Rule Follower: Perfect Neapolitan Pizza

Believe it or not, there really is only one right way to make a Neapolitan pizza. In an episode of No Reservations, host, Anthony Bourdain travels to Naples in hopes of discovering how to make a “perfect” Neapolitan pizza. He tells us that in 2004, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture actually said that the dimensions, ingredients and cooking temperature all must be regulated to declare a pizza authentically Neapolitan. In the video, Bourdain also compares New York pizza to Italian pizza, one difference being the way people consume their slice. In New York it is common to see people eating pizza with their hands, but in Naples it is normal to eat pizza with the help of a fork and knife.

For the Wannabe Chef: Ree’s Easy Homemade Pizza

Ree Drummond, host of Food Networks’ Pioneer Woman and author of best-selling cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl, is here to help with all of your pizza cooking needs! She provides both an instructional video and an easy-to-follow recipe for a date night at home spent making “his and her” pizzas. Ingredients for the dough, sauce, and necessary essentials for both pizza options are listed on the left hand side. The right hand side includes instructions divided into “how to” sections including: dough, sauce, basic pepperoni pizza, a four-cheese pizza. With Ree’s simple breakdown you and a friend will soon be able to make these pizzas with utter ease.

For the Health Nut: Is Eating Pizza Healthy?

Andrea Cespedes answers this question by saying, “It can be!” With over 20 years in the fitness industry and exploration of both nutrition and fitness, professionally trained chef and certified personal trainer, Cespedes, offers up her expertise for how to indulge in healthier alternatives. She says that if pizza is a staple in your regular diet, you may want to reach for one of these options every once in a while to regulate your intake. When you’re trying to cut back, Cespedes says ordering less cheese or substituting meat toppings for more veggies is one way to go. If you absolutely need your meat fix, go for the healthier options such as ham or chicken. Another tip she suggests is getting thin crust instead of thick and possibly ordering whole grain crust if it’s offered. Ultimately she says making your pizza at home might be the best option because you can use ingredients like low sodium sauce and whole wheat flour. Cespedes acknowledges that everyone needs a good slice of pizza every once in a while, but in between “cheat days” she advocates for healthier ingredient changes.

For the Winner in You: How to Win a Pizza Challenge

In this video tutorial, Randy Santel, creator of foodchallenges.com and winner of 285 food challenges around the world, gives the competitor in us tips to come out on top if we are ever faced with the task of consuming a massive pizza in a limited amount of time. While there are a number of pizza challenges in existence globally, Santel provides a few tips that are universally key to successfully completing any challenge. For example, if you are able to decide the size or number of slices, he recommends going smaller and if possible having square slices because they go down easier than large triangular ones. The competitor is also reminded that taste isn’t a priority in the mission at hand. Yes you want to enjoy the pizza, but lots of distracting toppings will confuse your pallet and make eating the pizza within the time limit harder. Do you think you’re up for the challenge?

For the Over Achiever: Italian Chefs Create Mile-Long Neapolitan to Break Record

Rachel Swatman, writer for the Guinness Book of World Records, reports on the longest pizza ever made. The record was confirmed along the seafront in Naples after 11 hours and with the help of 250 chefs. The massive amounts of ingredients required were provided by local suppliers and five portable ovens were needed in order to cook the mile long pizza in its entirety. Once the officiator confirmed that the record had been broken, onlookers were encouraged to grab a slice and indulge in the victory.