Beyond The Dough

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2022: A YEAR OF OPPORTUNITY

I believe, with conviction, that 2022 will be one of the best years for you and me! 2020 and 2021 were a rollercoaster of emotions, stress, heartache, change, loss and division. 2022 is an opportunity to put all of that in the past and have a distraction-free year!

For your New Year’s resolution, make 2022 a year of opportunity, not restrictions. Instead of being resolute about all the things you’ll stop doing in 2022, be resolute about the things you’ll add.

Do you like books? “I’m going to read two books a month!”

Enjoy cooking? “I’m going to host a monthly dinner party!”

What about live music? “I’m going to attend a monthly live concert!”

Are you a car buff? “I’m going to figure out a way to buy that car I’ve always wanted!”

Love traveling? “I’m planning two big trips this year!”

2022 will be an amazing year. I say this with RESOLUTE CONVICTION!

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:

A Boston native now living in Tulsa, OK, Eric Bam is VP of sales and marketing for Perfect Crust, with 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry. A powerful force in the workplace, Bam uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. He has three children and loves helping the men and women of the pizza industry grow their businesses.

Kid-Friendly, Family-Approved

But in keeping with his commitment to taking care of families, including vegans, Smith now offers vegan cheese options as well. He even makes his own vegan cashew cream as an alternative to both dairy and nondairy cheeses. “It’s not stretchy like cheese, but I think it kind of scratches that itch, and it’s creamy,” he says. “We use nutritional yeast, so you kind of get that nutty Parmesan cheesiness to it. I think it cooks very well and kind of tightens up on the pizza. It’s a nice substitute for cheese and fits within our [made-fromscratch] brand and concept. I wouldn’t say it’s very popular in terms of the overall mix of what we sell, but there are people that really, really love it.” Smith features the vegan cashew cream on a gluten-free pie that’s topped with organic sauce, red bell peppers, red onions and his housemade sausage featuring—you guessed it—Impossible Meat.

All of Smith’s pies at Public House are offered in just one size— 14”—while whole pies at Slice House measure 18”. To Smith, 14” is the ideal size for a pie. “When I was working at Pizza My Heart, they had a medium pizza, and that was my favorite size,” he says. “I thought it was the best in terms of who it feeds, the structure of it, and how it bakes.…We’ve all been to a pizzeria where you order a small and a large, and you know that [those doughs were] not made at the same time. We don’t have that problem.”

Another problem Smith doesn’t have: attracting families to his Public House location. He offers a children’s menu to let his customers know that “kids are absolutely welcome and that we do care about their experience. I love watching the kids run around crazy here. Just give them a couple of Shirley Temples and some quarters [for the video games]. I think it’s hilarious.”

Although they work hard, Smith and his partners are having just as much fun as the kids, he says. “I think we’re lucky that most of our customers are invested in our success and our family and that they know us. What a joy and a pleasure it is to be able to serve the community and be here doing what we love every day. That’s a little sappy, but I mean, jeez, I get to play with food all day and work with my brother and my wife, and [Alacantra] is one of my best friends. It’s pretty special.”

Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.