NO MATTER WHERE YOU’RE FROM

Mike’s Hot Honey started out of a pizzeria in Brooklyn 11 years ago, creating a whole new category of pizza topping that has been called a gamechanger by pizza fans and spawned best-selling menu items for pizzerias nationwide. Request a sample today to see what all the buzz is about.

www.mikeshothoney.com/sample

A HOWL-O-WEEN HAPPENING

Every dog had its day at the second annual Howl-o-Ween costume contest, hosted by Robert’s Pizza Company in Chicago on October 29. The parade of four-legged cuties included a puppy pirate, Krypto the Super Dog, a friendly alien from a faraway planet, and one dashing canine named Precious who dressed up as the pizzeria’s owner, Robert Garvey himself. Prizes were awarded in three categories: Most Creative, Scariest and Cutest. A pup named Nora Bea won the Most Creative award for a costume that illustrated the expression, “It’s raining cats and dogs.” Sully, the dog from outer space, won Scariest honors, and Precious took the Cutest prize. The event drew 43 contestants and raised funds for two nonprofits, PAWS Chicago and the Anti-Cruelty Society. Prizes included doggy treats from Tails in the City, free 30-minute walks from Millennium Dog Walkers and a $25 gift certificate from Robert’s Pizza.

Anthony Mangieri Gives Espresso A Shot

When your pizzeria has just been named No. 1 worldwide, what do you do for an encore? Anthony Mangieri, owner/chef of Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City, didn’t get carried away: He just opened an Italian-style coffee shop, called Caffè Napoletana, in his restaurant. In September, Italy’s Top 50 Pizza, an association comprised of Italy’s leading pizza makers, chose Una Pizza Napoletana as the “Best Pizzeria in the World,” hailing it as “a true Neapolitan embassy in the Big Apple.” To celebrate all things Italy, Mangieri opened Caffè Napoletana in October. Open on Saturday mornings, the shop offers shots of Italian espresso, cappuccino and imported Italian sweets, including yogurt topped with Casa Marrazzo apricots, toasted hazelnuts and fresh mint. Mangieri is particularly excited about serving slices of Verona producer Infermentum’s traditional panettone studded with candied oranges and raisins. “Once I tasted it, I just had to figure out how to share it with my guests,” Mangieri said. “It’s the best I’ve ever had and nearly impossible to get here in the U.S., so we worked with them to get a limited quantity shipped to us for the holidays.”

Reading By The Slice

As the owner of Dempsey’s Restaurant & Brewpub and Danger von Dempsey’s Pizza + Brewhaus, located in Watertown and Aberdeen, South Dakota, respectively, Sean Dempsey doesn’t have a lot of time to read anymore. (That’s what audiobooks are for.) But he has created a program for the Watertown Regional Library that awards free pizza to young readers from kindergarten through eighth grade for every hour they spend with their noses in a book. For each child, one hour of reading earns one free slice of pizza, and eight hours wins a whole 8” pie. “We started this program in the spring of 2021, and last year we awarded 288 pizzas for 344,000 minutes of reading,” Dempsey said. “Our goal is to double this.” The Read by the Slice program recently earned Dempsey a Friend of the Library award from the South Dakota Library Association. “It’s a pretty sick program,” Dempsey said. “My original goal was looking to expand our community outreach, and since I spent a lot of time as a kid in the library, I thought that would be a great place to do something.”

THE WORLD’S LARGEST PIZZA PARTY?

So what if it’s not certified by Guinness World Records?

Home Run Inn (HRI), headquartered in Chicago, kicked off National Pizza Month by throwing what they called “the world’s largest pizza party,” and as far as they’re concerned, it’s official. Shortly before the Cubs’ October 1 game against the Cincinnati Reds, 1,086 guests gathered outside the HRI store adjacent to Wrigley Field and enjoyed at least one slice. HRI donated one whole pizza for every slice that was eaten at the event to the city’s Department of Family and Support Services and fed 12,000 Chicagoans in need. The family-owned chain has been dishing out pies and helping community causes in Chicago for 75 years, noted Gina Bolger, a fourth-generation HRI family member and the company’s senior vice president. “To pay tribute to our brand and the city we serve, we wanted to mark this anniversary in a monumental way that celebrates both our tradition and a cause dear to us,” she said. “This exciting moment will be a brand-long reminder of our sturdy heritage and our adoration for the City of Chicago.”