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This recipe combines apple, maple and pecans. Sausage is the ideal protein for this pizza. Give it a whirl and see what you think. It might be your hottest LTO this fall, when apples are in season.

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Pizza Styles & Dough

At Genova Pizza in Audubon, New Jersey, our dough is where it all begins. It’s cold-proofed for 48 hours to lock in that rich flavor and give it the perfect chew – crispy on the bottom, airy on the inside. We lean into a New York-style base, but we’ve built our own lane with creations like the upside-down Sicilian and our famous vodka pie. It’s classic, but with a Genova edge. Every slice is made with intention.

What inspired you to honor your grandmother with a mural?

She was the soul of our family. Strong, nurturing and the original engine behind everything we do. When we took over Genova, we knew we had to honor her in a big way. The mural isn’t just art, it’s our “thank you.” Now, her face watches over the shop, and she’s part of every slice we serve.

What was the process of finding an artist and the logistics of having the mural painted?

We weren’t going to settle. We needed someone who got it – someone who could bring her spirit to life, not just her smile. After searching local artists, we found someone who understood the assignment. The process wasn’t easy – weather delays, tight windows and some last-minute ladder drama – but when that final brushstroke hit, it changed everything. It became a part of the neighborhood.

How else do you keep your family legacy going with your multi-generational pizzeria?

Legacy is everything here. My father spent years baking in Corsica, France. He learned the craft of breadmaking the hard way, by doing it every day. That knowledge got passed down to us, and it’s the backbone of our dough and our work ethic. We keep that same energy alive by treating our customers like family and making sure every plate that leaves the kitchen has heart behind it.

Your sandwiches also are stars. What makes them so special? Which is the most popular and why?

We don’t treat sandwiches like side items. They’re headliners. We build them fresh, hot and bold. The most talked-about? Our Chicken Vodka Cutlet. It’s a hand-breaded cutlet, house vodka sauce and melted mozzarella stacked high on a toasted roll. It’s messy, it’s comforting, and it’s uniquely Genova. Once people try it, it becomes their go-to.

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Chris Ostapenko Wins World’s Best Cheese Slice

If you’re like Kevin and think outsmarting Joe Pesci is cool, consider what it would be like to win a $5,000 big check for making the World’s Best Cheese Slice at the 2025 International Pizza Expo. In fact, Chris Ostapenko of Slice on Broadway makes a cheese slice so glorious, the city of Pittsburgh declared May 6, 2025, Slice on Broadway Day in his honor.

Ostapenko tells Pizza Today that he makes about 100 cheese pizzas on Friday nights at the shop, and he followed the same method in this year’s International Pizza Challenge. “The rules were simple: Make the best cheese pizza you can,” he says. “I made the pizza as I do every day in the pizza shop, and the results paid off.”

Chris Ostapenko of Slice on Broadway in Pittsburgh celebrates his World’s Best Cheese Slice Championship win with team mates at International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Slice on Broadway.

Those looking to follow in Ostapenko’s footsteps should know he’s worked at Slice on Broadway for 15 years. If that doesn’t intimidate you, you might be ready to follow his steps:

• Cold ferment pizza dough for 48 hours
• Use house-made tomato sauce
• Liberally apply a house blend of cheeses

“I think this pizza stood out because of the balance of the flavors that we try to accomplish between the dough, sauce and cheese,” he says of winning over judges and claiming the division trophy.

Following Ostapenko’s win in Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh community showed up to support him by ordering his award-winning cheese pie. “I made more pizza that weekend than I have in a while,” he says. “People were coming to try the World’s Best Cheese Slice!”

World’s Best Cheese Slice History and Rules

The International Pizza Challenge debuted the World’s Best Cheese Slice division at Pizza Expo 2024. Unlike some other divisions, World’s Best Cheese Slice has strict guidelines for competitors:

• No par-baking.
• Must use red tomato sauce.
• Only grated cheese and dry spices are permitted
• Once the pizza is in the oven, no toppings or drizzles can be added aside from olive oil

Contestants select their best three slices, which are presented to judges blind.

Andy Huynh Wins Inaugural Prize

Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

The first year the International Pizza Challenge opened its division devoted to World’s Best Cheese Slice, Andy Huynh brought home the trophy to Cowabunga+ in Hamilton, Ontario. As the owner of Cowabunga+, Huynh uses a sourdough starter and tops his cheese pizzas with marinara sauce, a Canadian mozzarella blend, Fior di Latte and oregano. Of course, only grated cheese is permitted during the competition.

Additionally, Huynh had to travel to Las Vegas with his pizza dough, some of which was packed in luggage lost by the airline, along with other ingredients. This left him without sufficient dough to compete for the coveted Pizza Maker of the Year award, which is open to division champions on the final day of Pizza Expo. Rather than rush the dough that needed to be ready the next day, the pizza maker asked a Cowabunga+ staff member to fly the pizzeria’s signature 72-hour fermented dough down from Canada.

“Luckily for us, we had a lot of support from our suppliers on the floor of the Expo. When we explained what happened, they were happy to give us some sauce and cheese,” Huynh tells Canadian broadcast station The News Forum. The baggage “landed about midnight Wednesday night, and by Thursday at 7 a.m., we were back on the floor competing again.”

Cheese Pizza Recipes

For a Truly elevated cheese pizza (pun intended), consider Chris Decker’s four-part pie featuring burrata cream and fried basil.

If you have a hankering for cheese pizza but are feeling fancy, Scott Wiener has the steps to create a four-cheese pizza Margharita soufleé.

Finally, you can’t go wrong with a classic cheese pizza. Yes, all for you.

The Great American Pizza Challenge

If you think you have what it takes to win a pizza competition, The Great American Pizza Challenge is taking place Oct. 26-27 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Information about the categories is available here.

In the meantime, happy National Cheese Pizza Day! May your cheese pulls be long and you always have Gouda luck!

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Detroit has proved to be one of the most popular pizza styles across the U.S. The tender, yet chewy crumb and racing-stripe sauce add to its appeal, but there’s no denying that the real magic is in the crispy cheese crown that towers above the edges of the pizza. It seems only a matter of time before the Frico transcends Detroit pizza altogether and pops up on other styles.

These blackened, lacy edges can be traced back to Buddy’s Pizza, the iconic pizzeria credited with creating what we now call Detroit-style pizza. In 1946, the owners – Gus Guerra and his wife, Anna – were looking for something new to add to their menu. They came up with a variation on Sicilian pizza with a show-stopping cheese crown. The lore behind this style is that Buddy’s used a blue steel pan originally meant to hold small auto manufacturing parts. With an abundance of such trays in Motor City, it was probably a simple matter of convenience and supply. It’s this very pan – deep with thick steel sides – that help create the beautiful cheese crown. Ironically, those blue steel pans so key to the style’s creation are now nearly impossible to find. Luckily, other pans exist to help mimic the originals.

Frico For Non-Detroit Styles

As a person who doesn’t adhere to the exact constructs of specific pizza styles, I love seeing the Frico edge pop up outside of Detroit pizza. I’ve never made Detroit pizza at my shop, but I do put a crispy cheese crust on our Grandma pies. The pizza I make is a variation of the pan pizza my mom used to make. It’s her version of a pan pie, coated with a sesame-seed bottom. When I was workshopping this pizza to make at my restaurant, cheese that pooled over the edge and caramelized in the oven was a natural addition. The sesame seeds turn crunchy and buttery in the oven, and the crispy cheese edge makes the pizza almost decadent. Looking around, I see this feature elsewhere, too – especially on round pan pies. At Chicago-based Milly’s Pizza in the Pan, you can find a cheesy layer lurking along the round crust of what the owner, Robert Maleski, calls a Chicago pan pizza.

It might look easy, but getting the perfect frico crust takes more than just sprinkling some extra cheese on the edge of your pan pie. Like anything extraordinary, it’s all in the details. Creating a consistently great cheese crown really comes down to the cheese, the fat, the pan and the tools.

Cheese Frico

Traditionally, Wisconsin brick cheese was used to create the caramelized edges. This high-fat cheese has a buttery, salty flavor with a good amount of tang. Mozzarella has become a more common addition to the cheese blend. The amount of cheese you use is extremely important. Nicole Bean of Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana in Houston agrees that finding the right balance of cheeses is essential. She says, “Low-moisture mozzarella is helpful building a frico. There’s debate on which brand – and even if pre-shred makes a difference on it. I think it truly depends on what you’re looking for in your frico.”

The shape of the cheese can impact your final product as well. Shredded cheese is a great option, but also consider using sliced cheese that you layer along the sides – or cut and cubed cheese. This is how Maleski creates his crispy crust at Milly’s. “I use part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella. I think the whole milk releases just a little too much grease and have found that skim works better. I buy them in block form, and we slice them ourselves. We do one-ounce slices. The trick is to layer the slices so they run up the side of the pan.”

While you want a crispy crown, Maleski points out that it’s important not to overcook the pizza, since it can cause the frico to taste bitter and burned.

Pan Pizza

The cheese works in tandem with the pan. The traditional blue steel pans with black surfaces are similar to a cast iron, with the black being better at conducting heat and essentially frying the cheese edge as the pizza cooks. The slightly sloped edges help to create the shelf of caramelized, lacy cheese. While these pans are very hard to come by nowadays, there are some good alternatives.

Once you find the right pan for your frico, don’t forget the fat. A good amount of fat should be used along the bottom and sides of the pan – not only to help with the release of the frico but to help fry it and give it shape and flavor. I’m a big fan of olive oil, but depending on what you’re going for, butter, Crisco or even good old-fashioned grease works really well – or try a combination of a few coatings. Maleski first rubs the entire pan with Crisco and then sprays Pam along the edge of the pan where the frico will touch. He says, “When I first started, it was incredibly challenging to free the pizzas from the pan. Since I discovered the combo of Crisco and Pam, I have never had any issues with the pizza sticking; it comes out like butter.”

Releasing Pizza From the Pan

Once you determine which pan to use and the grease you prefer, the next thing to consider is how to go get it out of the pan. “Choose the right tools to remove your Detroits to preserve the frico as much as possible,” Bean says. “I’ve seen a variety of things: metal dough scrapers or even putty scrapers, beveled spatulas, plastic or metal spatulas, flexi scrapers.”

There’s something about a caramelized cheese frico that is irresistible – both to eat and photograph. While Detroit-style pizza is as popular as ever, the Frico edge itself has taken on a life of its own. Using the right tools, cheese, pans and process, there’s really no limit to putting a frico on your own version of pan pizza.

Audrey Kelly owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

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Coming off the high of our successful private preview in October, I was certain we were ready to immediately open. But with winter looming, going through the licensing process and paying all the necessary fees just didn’t make sense. And so, we decided we’d officially open in the spring, a full six months later. So, we continued to learn and ideate while we waited.

I’ll never forget the very first order we took for Sips & Pies – not because it was a milestone I’d dreamt about my entire life, but because of how horribly wrong it went.

Everything started according to plan. We got to an empty lot next to my wife’s office with plenty of time to set up, get the fire roaring and have everything in place for a 4 p.m. opening. Our kids arrived shortly after school let out. The five of us were nervous but excited.

We were ready early, and with a line already forming, I took our first order around 3:45 p.m. My wife began stretching and topping each of the three pizzas. When the first one was ready, I slid it onto the launch peel, walked over to the oven and, as I began to slide it off onto the oven floor, a giant hole appeared. It stuck to the peel. First pizza ruined.

After getting rid of the mess, I turned around and put the second pizza on the peel, double-checked it wasn’t sticking, and went to launch it into the oven, when it happened again. Another giant tear, another ruined pizza.

It was now 4 p.m., we had a line of at least 15 people, already had five orders on the board, and the first two pizzas we sold were ruined. I couldn’t bring myself to turn around and tell my wife we needed to remake another pizza.

What the Heck Am I Doing?

I vividly remember resting my head on the oven’s shelf as my mind filled with self doubt about whether or not we could even do this. What was I thinking? Why did I think I could open a mobile pizzeria? Should I turn around and tell everyone we were just going to close for the day? Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that feeling frustrated is a sign that you’re learning, and it was time to learn.

I walked over to my wife, let her know we needed another remake, and strategized potential fixes with her.

By this point – probably 4:15-ish – the line was longer than I imagined it being on our opening day, we had a stack of tickets, and we hadn’t even finished the first order yet.

But the five of us regrouped and started to slowly and methodically work through our orders. Our ticket times were far too long, a problem compounded by a giant gust of wind blowing all our tickets off the prep station, mixing them up in the process, but we kept moving.

We must have apologized for the long wait and thanked customers for their patience at least 100 times that day.

By 7 p.m., we’d sold 76 pizzas, had $1,382 in sales and were as exhausted as we were relieved.

Did We Make Any Money?

The next day, after licking my wounds, I sat down and looked more closely at the numbers. I created yet another spreadsheet to track how much money we spent on that service, including supplies, commissary fees, paying our kids and our amortized insurance, and within that silo, we’d made $491 in profit. Not too shabby. (Granted, my wife and I are not paying ourselves yet. We’re investing as much as possible back into the business for now, so our profit percentage is going to be higher than normal.)

As proud as I was of my wife and kids after our private preview, I was even more proud of them after our first service. We got our butts kicked, but we kept working hard together, as a team, and got through it.

We learned a lot that night. I learned a lot. And that’s exactly what I’ll cover next week in the last installment (for now) in this series.

JASON CIPRIANI is the owner of Sips & Pies, a mobile wood-fired pizzeria serving Neapolitan-inspired pizza, in Colorado.

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We are in the mid-summer heat as I write this, and I figured it was time to give you a super refreshing pizza. By now, we have all seen a pizza made with squash blossom. For this one, I added some thinly sliced lemon, zucchini, marinated yellow datterini and zucchini blossom before the initial bake. I then added some more post-bake – along with some beautiful stracchino cheese and fresh lemon zest. You will want to use a slicer to get the lemon and the zucchini as thin as you can while still ensuring they are full circles. If you trust your knife skills, I believe in you! Good luck.

I used provola in this recipe as well. The way the smoke plays with the tart lemon is magic to your tastebuds.

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I threw this recipe together as a little appreciation and variation on pasta puttanesca. This is a super fresh tasting, light-for-the-summer-season pizza. Beautiful bright tomato sauce, some seasonal heirloom tomato, capers, shaved garlic, along with some acidic, light and fresh white anchovy and fresh Italian parsley bring this to life.

I really loved how this pizza turned out. It is a bit different, as all the toppings are added post-bake – cold and super fresh.

Side note: I cut my garlic a little thicker for the photo so you could see it. It is best to cut it razor thin, so it melts in your mouth.

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.

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Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.

For the tomato sauce:

For the burrata cream:

For the fried basil:

For the pizza:

Check out more pizza recipes.

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This recipe is all about memories…

I have got to be honest; I have never really been one for dessert pizza. I like Nutella as much as the next person, but it is played out and everywhere now. I wanted to do something really different and give you guys something to be excited about.

I thought back to when I was a kid – when every summer, our church had a bazaar. The busiest tent every year sold fried pizza dough tossed in powdered sugar. They called it “pizza fritte.”

I channeled that memory when creating this concoction, but of course I had to dress it up for you. I wanted this treat to be super simple and customizable, so you could use whatever you have lying around your pizzeria. I whipped ricotta and even made my own powdered sugar from white sugar crystals that I put into our Vitamix blender on high speed to break down. I added some sour cherry jam that we use on our charcuterie board and chopped pistachios. The one thing I put on here that you may not have access to are these beautiful Sicilian oranges in heavy syrup and a quince syrup. My pantry at the restaurant is out of control, but you can use whatever toppings you want.

Fill a 12-inch frying pan with oil (or you can use your deep fryer at 350 degrees, whichever you prefer). Stretch your pizza dough to desired size and carefully – and I mean really carefully – lay your dough into the oil. Fry on one side for 2-3 minutes or until dough starts turning brown. Using tongs, carefully flip over dough and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes. When finished, carefully lift dough out of oil using tongs and lay on a wire rack to cool. Spread with whipped ricotta and desired toppings, then cut and eat!

I hope you enjoy this. It really brought me back to my childhood and, at the same time, showed me that I am now all grown up.

A note before you use this as inspiration or a jumping off point: For the whipped ricotta, I used sheep’s milk ricotta because I like the flavor. Add ricotta to a bowl and hand whisk.  In 3-4 minutes, it should loosen up and be really smooth.

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.

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