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Jon, the Pizza Pro

If you love pizza, perhaps you’ve thought about how you could get a job getting paid to eat pizza. Well, our featured member, Jonathan Porter, has managed to do just that! Here’s a q & a with the owner of Chicago Pizza Tours, and pizza pro just for you.

FT: Thanks for talking with us, Jon. We know that there are a lot of folks who just love pizza and are wondering just how did you come to start Chicago Pizza Tours?

JP: My previous career was a salesman working for a company my dad started in 1998. I worked there until 2009, and did well for most of those years. In 2009 after losing many of my smaller accounts, I finally lost the big account. I ended up taking a night job coaching tennis for the park district in Chicago, while trying to sell promotional products during the day. My wife Renee and I saved our money and jumped all in. We really wanted to showcase the smaller shops that were more “off the beaten path.” That really paid off for us because the customers loved the places they probably weren’t going to visit unless they were on the tour, and it allowed us to showcase Chicago neighborhoods. That covers the story of how and why I actually started the business, but I feel like my whole life I was preparing to do this. Growing up, I had this group of friends since grade school and we were all big time into pizza. I mean when other kids were going to the arcade or bowling, we were begging our parents to go to pizzerias. We are all still friends to this day and still get pizza at new places whenever we can.

Gino's East Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza Jon Porter The Pizza Pro — Gino’s East Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza

FT: What differences are there in the various pizzas you’ve tried?

JP: No two pizzas are ever truly alike, they are all unique to the person baking them. I might eat at the same restaurant 3 times in 1 week and find a variance between Tuesday’s and Friday’s dough, but that’s just the pure physics of baking. Chicago is an unbelievable city to try different styles of pizza…Deep dish, tavern style thin crust, Neapolitan, Coal baked east coast, NY style, Sicilian, styles from Florence, Roman, even pizzas from the Puglia region of Italy.

FT: What are the most common questions about pizza that people ask you?

Coal Fire Pizza Chicago Food Travelist — Coal Fire Pizza, Chicago, IL

JP: The usuals are “What’s your favorite?” or “Have you been to such and such yet?” but the one that I enjoy the most is “Deep dish pizza stinks!?!” That one’s not really a question, more so someone hitting me with a statement and looking for me to defend the style. I usually follow it up with, which places have you tried and what was it specifically about the pizza that offended you? Chances are they’ve either gone to a chain that it churning them out carelessly, or even tried the style at a place called “Chicago’s Deep Dish Pizza” in a town in Idaho.

FT: What’s an interesting fact associated with pizza that people probably don’t know?

JP: Modern day pizza as we know it really started as the leftover scraps for peasants. It became so popular that royalty could not ignore it and had to see what all the fuss was about. In just a short period of time, pizza had a meteoric rise from the slums to the palace.

FT: If you could have any pizza in the world right now, what would it be?

JP: This is going to depend on the day and the mood I am in. Right now, I am a little bummed that I have not had Frank Pepe’s or Sally’s Pizza in New Haven. I have seen tons on TV, read plenty, and met people that actually worked there on my tours. For this question it isn’t a matter of looking backwards but looking forward to something unknown.

Pizanos Pan Pizza — Chicago’s Famous Pizano’s Pan Pizza

FT: Here’s a special Bonus Question: Any favorite celebrity pizza stories to share?

JP: President Bill Clinton held up Air Force One at O’Hare airport in order to have some Pizano’s pizzas delivered. That’s just awesome.

We think you’re awesome, Jon. Thanks for talking with us.

If you plan to make your way to Chicago, or you’re already there and want to do a pizza adventure, check out Chicago Pizza Tours today.

THE QUICK BITE: Chicago Pizza Tours’ Jonathan Porter can tell you everything you never knew about pizza – and more!

Pizzeria Bianco and More

By Diana Laskaris

We know that Italian food is some of the most popular in the world. And it’s one of our favorites too. So we’re pretty picky when it comes to pizza. But if you have a reason to be in Phoenix, Arizona, or can make one up, you might just find one of the happiest surprises in the culinary world. Pizzeria Bianco offers an incredibly good artisanal pizza by an incredibly good chef in an incredibly good-weather location.

Food Travelist Pizzeria Bianco — Pizzeria Bianco Al Fresco

Pizzeria Bianco is a standout in the world of pizza, primarily because of the fresh ingredients, creative combinations, and artisanal approach of chef/owner Chris Bianco. Chris started Pizzeria Bianco inside the back corner of a neighborhood grocery store in 1988. 15 years later, he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest (2003).

Knowing that the best ingredients make the best dishes, Chris joined with Rob DiNapoli, an expert canner, to create a line of organic whole peeled tomatoes. Now expanded to include crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, Bianco DiNapoli products are available in retail shops and fine grocers, including Whole Foods in Arizona and California, with more outlets to come. He has also opened Pane Bianco, 4 blocks away, originally to serve focaccia sandwiches with bread baked to order for takeout, Pane now is a full-service restaurant.

Food Travelist Bianco Dinapoli — Bianco Dinapoli Sauce

But back to the food at Pizzeria Bianco. There are delicious options for salads and small plates. We started with the delicious antipasto, a delicious combination of wood-roasted vegetables, soppressata, and cheese.

Delicious Antipasto Plate at Pizzeria Bianco

Then on to the main event. Pizzas come in various styles, such as the traditional Margherita with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil to the creative Sonny Boy with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, salami, and gaeta olives. If you can’t decide what you want, or you want to try a few different types, you can do what we did – a half and a half. In our case, we split a pie into the Wiseguy a sauceless pizza with wood-roasted onion, house-smoked mozzarella, and fennel sausage, and Biancoverde with fresh mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, ricotta, and arugula.

Food Travelist Pizzeria Bianco Split Pie — Pizzeria Bianco Split Pie

You can stick with their combos or add some of your own options like wood-roasted organic mushrooms, organic ‘la Quercia’ Prosciutto Americano, or Agostino Recca Sicilian Anchovies. And to complement your tastebuds, you can order a glass of local wine or cold beer from Bar Bianco next door, where, incidentally, you can also just hang out before or after dinner.

The whole atmosphere is relaxed, friendly, and comfortable. With a couple of locations under their belt now and logical expansions like Pane Bianco and the Bianco DiNapoli products, you’re likely to find Chris Bianco’s passionate palate working its way beyond the southwest. In the meantime, if you happen to be in or around Phoenix, be sure not to miss this worthwhile bite.

Margharita Pizza at Pizzeria Bianco — Margherita Pizza at Pizzeria Bianco

THE QUICK BITE: Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix Arizona offers an incredibly good artisanal pizza by an incredibly good chef in an incredibly good-weather location.

Chicago Pizza: Thick or Thin?

By Sue Reddel

Thick or thin? That’s the decision we all have to make. Jon Stewart recently started a nationwide debate about pizza. It’s certainly not a new argument. Chicago and New York have been fighting about who has better pizza for a bazillion years. But since Chicago is our home town we feel the need to defend our fair city. Here’s a look at Chicago Pizza in all its glory!

Gino's East Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza Jon Porter The Pizza Man — Gino’s East Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago is home to so many wonderful pizza establishments. From fancy trendy places like La Madia to hole-in-the-wall pick-up windows like Geo’s. We also have our fair share of types of cheesy saucy pies. If you do want Chicago-style deep dish, Gino’s East or Pizzeria Uno or Due, or Giordano’s fit the bill. If you want thin crispy buttery crusts try Pizano’s, or Leona’s.

Can’t decide? Go pan pizza from Nancy’s, Pizano’s, or Edwardo’s. New Haven-style hands down Piece is your place. Neapolitan how about Forno Rosso Pizzeria Napoletana on the far west side, Spacca Napoli or Coalfire?

If those don’t satisfy you, try out one of the more specialized establishments. Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder make something interesting and wonderful. It’s more like a bowl of the best pizza ingredients around. Pequod’s has an incredible caramelized cheese crust. Connie’s is also a very old Chicago pizza favorite.

Heading to the south side? Check out Pizza Fiesta, Palermo’s on 95th, or my favorite Vito and Nick’s for thin-crust pizza cut into tavern-style squares.

How about a New Haven-style pizza at Piece Pizza? You can’t go wrong with any of their unique pies.

Not enough recommendations for you? Then ask any cabbie you encounter and you’ll get a different answer. The one thing we do guarantee is that there is no shortage of pizzerias or different types of Chicago pizza in just about every neighborhood in Chicago.

THE QUICK BITE: Whether you like your crust thick or thin, there is plenty of Chicago pizza in many styles to suit your tastes.

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