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The Hot Slice continues our conversations from high atop the show floor at Pizza Expo Columbus that took place earlier this month in Ohio. Hear stories of the pizza people who make this industry flourish. This week, we share two concepts, a continued generational pizzeria and a creative upstart. Listen to the following:

Anthony Scardino — Professor Pizza, Chicago, Illinois

Anthony shares the love and personality that he put into Professor Pizza. He outlines the challenges and advantages to offering multiple styles and pays tribute to the pizza community who helped him along the way.

Angelo Nicolosi and sister Celina — Nicolosi’s Pizza, Phillipsburg, New Jersey

Angelo shares how his grandfather started the legacy pizzeria. Celina details how Nicolosi’s Pizza has been able to leverage skit comedy on social media to promote the old-school pizzeria. They dive into the operational side of the business to continue the consistency of the decades-old pizza shop.

Join us for the Pizza Expo Columbus Special, Part 3 next week.

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The Hot Slice Podcast was live at Pizza Expo Columbus. We had an amazing time with the pizza community at the show. For the next few weeks of The Hot Slice Podcast, we will bring you conversations with pizza people from high above the show floor.

Fresh off the stage of their keynote address, brothers Scott, Steve, Mark and Dave, along with some their team, joined us in the studio to talk about what has made Columbus, Ohio-based Flyers Pizza & Subs a legacy pizza company. As the 10-unit independent pizza business celebrates 50 years, the brothers spotlight their team. They also detail how their employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) will carry them into the future. Listen to the team talk about what their employment at Flyers means to them.

Brittany Saxton, owner of 600 Downtown in Bellefontaine, Ohio, shares how her pizzeria has grown by combining community-based marketing with multiple revenue streams. She explains how bold local campaigns help attract destination traffic and support the broader downtown economy, while the business has expanded beyond dine-in service into carryout, catering, and two event venues. She also highlights the importance of training, operational structure, and team culture in keeping quality consistent and sustaining growth.

Join us for the Pizza Expo Columbus Special, Part 2 next week.

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It was Carmela’s first time competing internationally, and almost nothing went according to plan. Airport officials confiscated her ingredients. Her hotel had no prep space or refrigeration. The competition ovens swung wildly from 320 to nearly 600 degrees. So, she improvised, blending mozzarella with scamorza she’d never worked with and leaning on instincts sharpened by her restaurant’s 70-year-old Blodgett ovens.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• How she built a winning pizza on the fly under real pressure
• Dough and cheese decisions that held up when conditions didn’t
• Why her family legacy (father Paul and sister Gemma are also world champions) shaped her competitive mindset
• With 14 years in the industry, Carmela also breaks down the operational philosophy behind Antonio’s: open four days a week, no reservations, first-come, first-served. It’s a candid look at craft, grit, and running a pizzeria your way.

Show Notes:
Check out a fun look at her competition attempt: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZx3TUiJQ4J/

Follow Antonio’s Italian Ristorante at https://www.antoniositalian.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/antoniositalianelkhart/