It was the fall of 2011 and my first trip to Italy. I was recently divorced and my siblings and I had decided it was the perfect time to make the trip together. Before long, my father and stepmother joined the fray, followed by my nephew and his wife. All told, eight of us on a two week trip, first in Florence, then in Torca, a small town in Massa Lubrense on the Amalfi Coast. Given our group size, we were able to chip in for villas at each destination.

The villa in Florence was amazing, a 14th ...

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After a catered pizza event and just some changes in life and routine, I fell out of the habit of making pizza. I made some here and there, but I wasn't hosting any dinners and evaluating whether I was properly equipped to continue doing catering (or even wanted to). It really wasn't about those things or even pizza. It was a re-evaluation of all things that were bringing contentment (or not) to my life. In any case, while I knew I would always make pizza for friends and family, I became less certain that I have ...

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(Updated 8/18/2023 - The market has changed quite a bit in the two years since I originally posted this, so I've updated to reflect.)

I had planned on writing an article about pizza ovens for some time, but was waiting to get some feedback on the newer ovens that came out. Then COVID hit and while that greatly affected production and shipment of ovens, it had an even bigger impact on the consumer market. With so many of us stuck at home and not able to eat out, a whole new set of amateur pizzaiolos were ...

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My last post dealt with a portable oven roundup and enough time has passed where I have some new information on a couple of those ovens as well as some big news with regards to one of those manufacturers. But first, I want to mention a new vendor I discovered that not only offers a great service to pizza enthusiasts, but does so with the highest level of customer service.

As I discussed in a previous post, FedEx did a pretty good job in attempting to destroy an Edil Planet oven I ordered last year. Not only ...

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wet blanket on pretty much any pizza parties, which has given me time to work out my recipes and strategies for successful pizza nights.

You may have noticed in past posts that I am not a big fan of surprises when I'm hosting a pizza night. I prefer those evenings go off without a hitch, pushing out gourmet pizzas every few minutes, rewarded by nodding heads and big smiles. When the dough doesn't rise, oven is slow to heat, or any other minor catastrophe, I really feel ...

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