Everybody Knows Cooking on a Stone Hearth is the Only way to Make Great Pizza

Yes that is so true that even conventional metal ovens have a "brick lining". Imagine if you could have a brick oven with a revolving stone hearth? Well you can. The guys at New York Brick Oven Company have several sizes available and recently set a world record at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas with Brad Kent,  the head chef from Blaze Pizza stepping up to the oven and putting out 201 pies in a blistering 52 minutes.

World Famous Goodfella's Pizza School of New York

Marc Cosentino of the New York Brick Oven Co.

Revolving Brick Oven at Blue Planet Grill-Ground Zero

Andy Scudera Lead instructor Pizza School NY

From the Goodfella's Pizza School of New York to the Oldest pizza place in Brooklyn-Totono's and all the new fast casual pizza places up and coming, anybody can tell you, "you can't beat a stone hearth for making pizza" .Just ask a pizza lover.

Totono's Pizza Coney Island New York

Coney Island, Nathans, the Cyclone and the Original Brooklyn Brick Oven Pizza

Growing up in Brooklyn South had it's advantages. On a recent trip back to the old neighborhood for a great Italian meal with the family at the famous Gargiulo's on W15th between Surf and Mermaid my brother Scot had to "make the rounds" of the old haunts and reminisce about the places we used to visit back in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's.

From little kids riding the carousel and reaching for the gold ring and staring with disbelief at the oddities at the freak shows to preteens riding the Cyclone to taking dates to the World Famous Nathans and the then little known at the time Totonno's Brick Oven Pizza with Jerry and the crew making fantastic Neapolitan pizza and telling complaining customers with his famous Brooklyn attitude " eat the part that's not burnt or get out we're closed". Coney Island is still a great place to visit with it's board walk, beach and the renovated Totonno's with it's original brick oven and asbestos shingles outside from who knows when.

The famous oven.

For the Best Pizza, You Need the Best Oven

Whether  your a single proprietor of a mom and pop store with plans to expand and make a brick oven pizza, building a new location or a multi-unit  franchise owner looking to be faster and more consistent while offering a better product, the revolving brick ovens from the New York Brick Oven Company are something you can't afford to miss. Ease of operation, consistent cooking, steady temperatures, labor saving and higher/faster production are what they offer. Wood, gas, propane, or a combination wood and gas help make the perfect brick oven pizza from New York style to Neapolitan. They even encourage you to try the oven in actual working restaurant. These guys have been in the pizza business for years and have won many international titles so they have a pretty good idea of the needs your facing for various types of pizza and types of locations. They have built ovens across the country in brew pubs, fast casual chains and  neighborhood joints so they can help you too. Call 1-800-OVEN-053 Now.

Pizza-a Neighborhood Institution

On the way from the church to the reception, a young couple "had to stop for pie"at Goodfella's Pizza Staten Island.

Growing up in Brooklyn there was a pizza place in every neighborhood, and it seemed like every other block had one.  Our local pizza man's name was Frank. Frank was there all through my childhood and teens and I just took it for granted, like he was part of the scenery. Pizza has always been part of my life, from celebrating little occasions to first dates and quick slices. Any pizza is better than no pizza. When I run into Old timers and talk pizza I get a little nostalgic, especially when I try a place far from the old neighborhood and get a pleasant surprise of an authentic Brooklyn style pie. I had just such an experience the other night when I met Lou of Keyport Pizza and found out he learned his craft as an apprentice, and has been true to the recipe for over 30 years.

Big Lou-Keyport Pizza NJ

We talked of the good old days and "banging out" 500 pies in a night and how these young kids are in awe to this day when Lou takes over during a rush and spreads that dough at a mind boggling pace. As most place are doing now he asked me about Brick Ovens and what is involved in switching over to one to keep up with changing tastes. Although I have been in the brick oven game for decades and swear by them I still love that occasional Old School Slice of New York Style Pizza, Brooklyn Style to be specific.

Goodfella's Captain America P-51 Mustang for Hot Fast Casual

Goodfella's Captain America P-51 Mustang

The latest weapon in the Pizza Wars of New York was revealed by the 2x World Champion Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza of Staten Island New York. Goodfella's has been a long time favorite of New York's Mayor's Giuliani and Bloomberg in Major sporting event bets such as the friendly mayoral wagers on both the NY Yankees and Mets for baseball and the NY Giants winning the Superbowl against the Patriots. 
The "Special Delivery" Mustang nicknamed Captain Amerca, was designed as a tribute to the P-51 Mustang fighter plane of World War II fame and the 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron which was owner former NYPD Sergeant Cosentino's old Air Force Unit. Partners Andrew Scudera who runs the famous Victory Blvd. Goodfella's and Scot Cosentino who runs the the original Hylan Blvd. Goodfella's say they are now prepared to deliver the finest wood fired brick oven pizza on earth!
If the constant smiles and thumbs up are any indication this should be a very effective weapon indeed in the continuing battle of pizza superiority in NY.

Between hot delivery and the revolutionary revolving brick oven from the New York Brick Oven Company, Goodfella's is prepared for business.

P-51 Mustang www.routinepatrol.com

Read more: http://rides.hotrod.com/ride/1194020/lilyspony/2005/ford/mustang/#ixzz2ybernAbc

P-51 Mustang routinepatrol.com

How to start a pizza place, part 2 by founder of Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza Pizza -The Concept

So let me begin by reiterating rule number 1 from my last installment: There are no rules. This is the prime rule and unless your in a perfect world there are  always going to be numerous ways to open a pizza place successfully

and advice will never be in short supply, especially from the un-informed. That being said and having opened a few successful places of various sizes and types in New York I can only speak from my own experience and hope it helps somebody new to this game or thinking about having a pizza place.

I am not a person who get's stuck on fixed ideas and unable to bend if need be but I also know that to get to a goal you have to set it or you can spin your wheels figuring as you go. What I mean by this is that if you start out building a full service restaurant with fine white linen table clothe dining and mid way through decide you don't have the knowledge or staff to make it happen, you may lose a lot of time and money regrouping and building a fast casual place. 

   What is your vision, at this moment we are in the midst of a huge fast casual pizza boom across America with at least one concept starting up in Canada that I am aware of of at this time. Simply put, the fast pizza casual concept centers around low cost, fast, small personal pies, high production where the customers are encouraged to walk up to prep area and direct the people assembling the pizzas as to what toppings they want without having to use a waitstaff to take orders at the tables. Self serve soda and a couple of grab and go items may also be available at the counter. Once the pie is made it is usually put in a wood or gas fired brick oven where it is cooked in under 3 minutes and handed back to the customer who then brings it to the table himself or takes it "to go".  The main contenders you can look at are Blaze, 800 Degree, Live Basil, Pieology, Rev and a soon to be concept in development from Chipotle called Pizza Locale out of Denver. 

  Then you have your traditional mom and pop slice places typified in film as a New York Pizza Joint where they make 16-18" pies in deck ovens and have various toppings on slices displayed at the counter for reheating as the customer orders or you can order a whole pie for the table, pick up or delivery. This is the place you see dough spinning overhead as it is stretched.  The slice joint usually has an a counter with an outside ordering window for walk ups and few tables in very small area. On occasion the pizza joint will have a dining room in the back and Italian staples like spaghetti, meatballs, chicken parm and rice balls on the menu too. 

  Next we have the Neapolitan style with it's strict cookie cutter pizza rules and certificates so that any place you visit should theoretically be like any other. These only use a traditional wood fired ovens, certain flour, toppings and must cook in under 90 seconds. Not conducive to take out and delivery but a favorite in parts of Italy. They usually have sit down table service and range in size and number of seats. 

  Next there your huge full service 200 seat places with a giant menu containing meats, fish, pasta, pizza, salads, drinks etc. These are usually chains and tend to be shopping high traffic areas connected to theaters, supermarkets or in tourist traps. 

  Brew pubs are gaining popularity and creating their own beer identity as they make various types and styles of pizza.

   Pick up and delivery only is what it sounds like in small store fronts with low grade pizza being the usual fair for your discount shoppers not particularly concerned with flavor, freshness or healthy choices.

   Lastly we have my own personal favorite and the places I usually search out when I'm in a new area: casual gourmet brick oven pizza such as the original Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza On Hyaln Blvd. in Staten Island New York. Before it was called fast casual they were making every pie to order-no slices and allowing the customers to choose their own toppings such as freshly roasted peppers or one of their gourmet delights such as the "Vodka Pie". These places are almost always independently owned and operated, use the freshest ingredients, cook in brick ovens such as those from the New York Brick Oven Co and have menus of various sizes with authentic Italian dishes. This type of place is usually bigger than a slice joint yet more comfortable than a big box chain. Where these places shine is in personal care and ensuring the customer is part of the experience and that he always feels welcome. 

   If you haven't decided on your style yet you still have time for some fun pizza eating research. Go to types of places you might want to open and see what they are doing. Once you decide on the style that fits you(and your budget) you need to determine your decor, name, style of pizza, size of place, furniture, uniform or not, atmosphere, music and if it's self serve or table service. That my friends is your concept which will need to clearly defined for next steps which will be in a future installment. Happy Pizza!

World Record: 200 Pizzas in One Hour! NY Pizza Brick Oven Co.