Beyond The Dough

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A night on the patio… Megan came over, and I cooked dinner. Some nice steaks. They turned out perfectly.

I grilled some asparagus. I had never done that before, and it turned out great. A little EVOO and some salt. Muah!

I sliced up some cucumbers and soaked them in vinegar. A little ranch dressing to dip them in. Delicious! Some mozzarella pearls with grape tomatoes mixed in with some EVOO, salt and balsamic vinegar. Oh, my! We had a glass of wine (or two) as we ate and talked. Music was softly playing. It was a really perfect night. No phones. No TV. Just talking and laughing.

We all need more nights like that. We think we’re so “connected,” but are we really?

Slow down. Talk. Laugh. Smile. Connect.

To learn more about Perfect Crust’s pizza liners and other products, visit perfectcrust.com or email Eric Bam at Eric@perfectcrust.com

About Eric Bam:

Eric is the VP of Sales & Marketing for Perfect Crust Pizza Liners and Incrediblebags.com. Eric is a goal driven optimist that uses his positive attitude to lift up those around him. He’s a father to Nycholas, Alayna and Ruby. He’s a public speaker and show host. You can find him on all social media @TheEricBam.

coffee,” Izzo notes. “They have to manage every variable to offer the same cup of coffee everywhere. The same thing applies to pizza. We need to manage all of our variables—we use the same flour, tomatoes, cheese, oregano, etc., in each store. But, with some restaurants, you’ve still got different water at different locations. Not at Peter’s Pizzeria. Every variable is taken care of.”

The second Peter’s Pizzeria store opened in Boca Raton in late 2021. By September, Izzo and Pokora plan to open a third store that will serve as their flagship location in Pompano Beach. Pokora handles the finances, and Izzo is the pizzaiolo.

The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, Izzo wasn’t exactly shy about promoting his pizzeria. Some of his castmates accused him of using the TV shows for that purpose alone. Izzo didn’t care. The man knows a marketing opportunity when he sees one. Even so, his pizza cred is unimpeachable. “Our pizza is like if Neapolitan meets New York-style and they get married,” he says. “I use a fresh yeast, which is difficult to obtain, work with and manage, because it’s alive. My kitchen is temperature-controlled, and I have a temperature- and humidity-controlled dough room only for making dough.”

Asked to describe the qualities of a top-of-the-line pizza, Izzo is off and running. “First, the crust should have that leopard-spotted undercarriage. And it should have a nice snap—you should be able to flick it and hear it. Just above the crust, you should be able to see a nice air pocket. Then you know your chemical balance came together the right way. Right where the dough meets the sauce, you should

“I’m not into a sweet sauce,” he adds. “We use the real-deal San Marzano DOPstamped tomatoes. I never add sugar to my sauce. I personally believe people who use sugar in their sauce are trying to hide their tomato flavor because it’s lesser quality. The cheaper the tomato, the more acidic, and super-acidic gives you agita and makes your stomach upset. With my slice, two or three hours later you never feel bloated. You feel light. It’s a lifestyle slice.”

True to its New York roots, Peter’s Pizzeria offers a diverse menu that includes both a Sicilian and a Grandma pie. Florida, after all, is crawling with former New Yorkers and snowbirds, and Izzo wants to meet their high expectations for pizza. “The hardest pie I have ever had to make…is the Sicilian,” he says. “It’s a pizzaiolo’s labor of love. If you see a pizzeria offering a Sicilian pie, it’s because they really love what they do. I ferment the dough for 72 hours before I put a finger on it. I only use one flour for that dough, no blend. I use a dry yeast.” He leans in closer and smiles. “And I’ll let you in on a little secret: I put brown sugar and honey in that dough as well.”

And the Grandma pizza? “It’s baked in a cast-iron pan, so it’s essentially half-baked and half-fried in the oven,” he continues. “It’s super-thin, and it’s got a great snap, with really nice air pockets right between the snap on the bottom and where that dough meets the cheese on top.”

The Pizza King of Florida?

On social media, Izzo has proclaimed himself the “Pizza King,” a title he employs—for now anyway—with tongue in cheek. But he’s determined to change the way pizza is perceived in South Florida. He wants to give his customers a complete experience, an hour or so that they will remember and come back for again and again.

In short, Izzo wants Peter’s Pizzeria to be a “lifestyle pizzeria,” not just another pizza joint. If customers have to shell out their hard-earned money for pizza, they deserve to see a show. “We can go out for lunch or dinner anywhere,” he says. “I want something tangible when I go out to eat. I don’t just want a slice. I want ambience and an experience. When you come to Peter’s Pizzeria, you’re gonna get that. We make the pies right in front of you. A lot of these pizzerias in South Florida, they’re doing everything behind a wall. You don’t even see them making the pizza. We’re a traditional New York pizzeria. We’re right there in front of you. Everything’s on display. You’re gonna see us stretching and balling the dough. You’ll see our imported San Marzano DOP-stamped tomatoes, our Caputo 00 flour….It’s a tangible experience.”

When Izzo talks about his pizzerias, you get a glimpse of his true romantic nature. “People fall in love in restaurants,” he says. “First dates happen in restaurants. It’s where you celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, reunions. It’s where you celebrate life. For me to own a place that facilitates that, it makes me very emotional. It’s very special to me. So when I say Peter’s Pizzeria is a lifestyle pizzeria, I wholeheartedly mean that.”

Izzo sees a lot of opportunity to grow his brand in the Sunshine State. “I feel like I’m in the Wild West, like I’m in Vegas before it was Vegas,” he says. “I definitely want to continue to expand in South Florida. I feel like there’s a tremendous market here. With the new store opening and truly revolutionizing how pizza is perceived here—making it tangible and experiential—I’d love to eventually get down to Miami and go as far north as Palm Beach, Jupiter, Orlando, Sarasota, Tallahassee, St. Augustine.”

All that TV notoriety can’t hurt either. But Izzo fully expects to live up to his own hype. “I definitely see myself as expanding in Florida,” he says, “and maybe one day being the actual pizza king of Florida. And I don’t see why we can’t present this concept to a private equity fund, get investors, and take our model and copy and paste it all over the country.”

Because if your phones and web ordering are down, you may as well send everyone home. We become your phone company and provide a backup Internet connection

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Cellular Backup Internet Protect against outages

• When your Internet fails our cellular backup router keeps your phones, credit card processing and web orders all working.

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Now offering SMS/Text message solutions Using your existing phone number!

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“Press one to receive a text message with links to our onlne ordering”.

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Group text messaging to communicate with your employees (drivers, bartenders, all staff etc).