Pizza Wars or The Sacred Art of Pizza Making: Ed Levine

Chicago Food and Foodways Roundtable
of the Culinary Historians of Chicago

Pizza Wars or The Sacred Art of Pizza Making
Presented by
Ed Levine
Author and lecturer

Tuesday, April 12, 2005
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
at
(NOTE: NEW LOCATION FOR THIS EVENT)
SCHOOL OF CULINARY ARTS AT KENDALL COLLEGE
Room 636.
900 N. North Branch St.
(Immediately West of Halsted St., North of Chicago Ave --Free Parking-)
Chicago, Illinois

Pizza is the single most popular food in the United States, and wherever you go you can always find it. In fact, we consume 33 billion dollars worth of pizza annually from the 63,873 pizzerias in America. Having consumed 1,000 slices of pizza in one year, across 20 states, Canada and Italy, Ed Levine certainly possesses a firsthand, encyclopedic knowledge of the dish. Is there an American pizza aesthetic? How does one go about judging pizza? Is there such a thing as a good frozen pizza? Ed Levine tackles the profound questions and never-ending debates that invariably come up whenever the subject of pizza is brought up in polite company. This year's pizza centennial is a milestone laid claim to by Lombardi's Pizza, which opened its doors in New York in 1905. Celebrating this anniversary is Ed Levine's A Slice of Heaven: The Ultimate Pizza Guide and Companion.

Levine discusses several Chicago pizzerias that he thinks are the best in Chicago, and they’re NOT the usual suspects. In fact, he calls Chicago’s signature deep dish and stuffed pizzas, “casseroles.” No doubt, Chicago pizza fans will have some comments on that!

From pizza to pastrami, Ed Levine has made a career out of the passionate study of foods we all love. He is a regular contributor the New York Times Dining section, and his New York Eats and follow-up New York Eats (More) are landmark books devoted to the best food resources—renowned and obscure—to be found in the five boroughs of New York, including purveyors of everything from kosher pickles to kimchee.

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This program is hosted by the Chicago Food and Foodways Roundtable of the Culinary Historians of Chicago. Cost of the program is FREE. To reserve, please call Susan Ridgeway, CHC treasurer at (815) 439-3960, then leave your name, telephone number and the number of people in your party or e-mail to: chicago.foodways.roundtable@gmail.com to reserve.

Thanks Cathy for bringing this to our attention. I am definitely going to this event, as I am a bit of an Ed Levine groupie. I respect his thoughts on Pizza and am interested in what he has to say in regards to Chicago pizza. (Note that I am NOT trying to start another Chicago-New York Pizza slam).

For those who can't make this event, Ed Levine will be shilling his Northeastern US-centric pizza book on Chicago Tonight...tonight. The segment will feature the following Chicago places:

Flourchild's
185 Milwaukee Ave.
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
847-478-9600

The Art of Pizza
3033 North Ashland
Chicago, IL
773-327-5600

Marie's Pizza
4129 W. Lawrence
Chicago, IL
773-725-1812

Barcello's
1647 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL
773-486-8444

Vito & Nick's
8433 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL
773-735-2050

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
439 N. Wells Street
Chicago, IL
312-828-9800

HI,

Last night, he said he was physically going to Marie's and Art of Pizza with Bob Sirott today. The other places he visited on his tour de force last year and are very likely in the conversation. He also now has in his possession an LTHforum card, courtesy of ReneG, to broaden his perspective into the future on all things Chicago.

I'm not quite in favor of using the word shilling under these circumstances. For those who attended his lecture last night, we learned he has his personal preference for pizza and weighs everything against that. He admitted to being quite subjective to what he prefers, which can be said about many who participate in the frequent pizza debates on this board.

I hope someone who attended last night will provide a broader write-up. I'd begin but I am completely occupied until Sunday.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I'm not quite in favor of using the word shilling under these circumstances.

Appearing on a TV show to promote your book is a textbook case of shilling. And just what circumstances are these anyway?

I don't think appearing on TV to promote your own book is shilling unless you don't admit that it's your own book.

I think of a shill as someone who promotes an item or restaurant or whatever while not disclosing their personal/financial stake in the product.

The raw bar shill here or the sal y carvao shills on CH spring to mind. ChefGEB, when he posts about changes in his menu, isn't shilling.

gleam wrote:I don't think appearing on TV to promote your own book is shilling unless you don't admit that it's your own book.

I think of a shill as someone who promotes an item or restaurant or whatever while not disclosing their personal/financial stake in the product.

The raw bar shill here or the sal y carvao shills on CH spring to mind. ChefGEB, when he posts about changes in his menu, isn't shilling.

OK. I'll accept that qualification. BTW, I thought the pizza guy was much too smug and condecending on Chicago Tonight. As much as he tried to give Chicago pizza its props, I felt he came across as insincere.

Did anyone catch where the pizza they ate at the end of the segment was from?

A "shill" is a person who poses as a satisfied customer or an enthusiastic gambler to dupe bystanders into participating in a swindle.

A "flack" is a press agent or publicist, or any other slick spokesperson who can turn criticism into an advantage.

A "hawker" is a person who sells goods aggressively, especially by calling out.

All three have verb forms as well, to shill, to flack, to hawk.

More to the point Ed Levine was "pitching" his book on TV.

stevez wrote:As much as he tried to give Chicago pizza its props, I felt he came across as insincere.

I heard Ed Levine’s Kendall talk and read some of his book, so it’s clear he doesn’t have a very high opinion of Chicago pizza (including your beloved Marie’s). When speaking about Chicago pizza I think he tries to be diplomatic and chooses his words very carefully. I suppose insincerity is another word for that. By the way his favorite pizza is from Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, which didn’t wow you.

Marquee wrote:Did anyone catch where the pizza they ate at the end of the segment was from?

I believe it was from Flourchild’s, a new sixties-themed restaurant in an upscale suburban strip mall. Just looking at their website made my skin crawl but I have to say that pizza didn’t look half bad.

Flourchild’s Restaurant
“A 'Sixties' Theme Restaurant for Retro Italian Comfort Food, Handtossed Pizza & a Groovy Time”
185 Milwaukee Av
Lincolnshire IL
847-478-9600

Rene G wrote: By the way his favorite pizza is from Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, which didn’t wow you.

Yes it'true that the pizza at Pizzaria Bianco didn't wow me, but everything else there did. As I said, I would give the pizza there another shot because it was very good except for the smoked mozzerella.