Again in June, I obtained a name from Marissa Ross, Coordinating Producer for the Journey Channel’s well-liked “Meals Wars” present. This system was filming a pizza showdown within the Massive Apple, and the producers needed me to function an skilled pizza visitor and a choose for the episode, which airs November 17 at 10 p.m. I used to be flattered and very happy to say sure. I’ve performed tv work previously and all the time loved it. As a Theatre Arts minor, I’ve all the time had considerably of an itch to be on stage. Although tv is completely different from most dramatic stage performing, it actually has its personal challenges and supplies a pleasant break from the day-to-day Pizza Right now editorial duties. How might I flip the supply down?
In early July, I flew to New York and stayed in Occasions Sq.. It’s all the time good to be within the heart of a thriving metropolis, whether or not it’s New York or San Francisco. The tempo is a lot completely different than what I expertise on a typical day in Louisville, Kentucky, the place Pizza Right now relies.
After getting settled in, the very first thing I did was hook up with my buddy Scott Weiner, who owns and operates Scott’s Pizza Excursions in New York. We met up at Kesté, a extremely revered Neapolitan pizzeria that’s operated by a real pizza legend, Roberto Caporuscio. Roberto acknowledged me instantly once I walked in (we’ve met a number of instances at Worldwide Pizza Expo in Las Vegas), and the Italian hospitality started. He was happy to host me, and that grew to become an increasing number of evident as pizza after pizza made its option to my desk. Scott and I went by way of a lot of the Kesté menu, together with a particular lard pie that harkens again to the purest of early pizzas. It was roughly a historic and up to date gastronomical tour rolled into one. I can’t wait to return to Bleecker Road for spherical two, which Roberto promised as Scott and I exited his restaurant late into the New York night time.
Talking of Bleecker Road, I’d been knowledgeable earlier than heading to New York that the “Meals Wars” episode would pit John’s of Bleecker in opposition to Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. I knew I used to be in for a very tough choice when it got here time to vote in entrance of the Journey Channel cameras. You see, I’ve been to every of those spots dozens of instances and maintain them in very excessive regard. I’ve by no means had something near a sub-par pizza from both of those retailers. Actually, once I take associates round New York to pattern pizza, there are 5 – 6 iconic institutions I by no means miss. John’s and Grimaldi’s are amongst them.
The producers needed to begin at John’s after which work our option to Grimaldi’s later within the filming. After I arrived, I used to be greeted on the sidewalk by the director and his assistant. I used to be informed it will be some time and to make myself snug. Within the meantime, I had the pleasure of assembly my co-judge, Mark Bello of Pizza a Casa, a pizza cooking faculty positioned in New York’s Chinatown. Although I’d heard of Mark and knew about his pizza experience, I had by no means met him till arriving on the “Meals Wars” set. We share a number of frequent pursuits and have become quick associates. Actually, later that night time, after a day of stuffing ourselves with John’s and Grimaldi’s pizzas, I went to Pizza a Casa for a late-night crash course with Mark and the aforementioned Scott Weiner. Mark fi pink up his oven and commenced to point out us how he teaches his pizzamaking class (which is geared for house cooks). We listened to nice music and had some beer as we developed dough and made thin-crust beauties in a number of varieties. I used to be two-for-two when it got here to my NYC “down time.”
Anyway, let’s get again to the filming set. I used to be put into make-up as about 50 manufacturing crew members arrange cameras, lights, umbrellas, audio tools, and many others. “Meals Wars” host Camille Ford dropped by to say whats up, and we, too, hit it off. Identical to with Bello, I rapidly found that Camille and I’ve rather a lot in frequent. We talked first about meals, then about our love of understanding.
When the set was prepared, Mark, Camille and I had been all seated in a sales space at John’s of Bleecker Road. Camille made her introduction for the digicam, then we had been off. She launched the judges and requested us a bit of about what we search for in a New York pizza. From there, it was time to eat!
A contemporary John’s pizza was positioned earlier than us and it was our obligation to style and critique it. I discovered few flaws with it. To me, the primary crucial step to an amazing pizza is getting the dough proper. So I rapidly tore into the crust to dissect it. No, I don’t eat pizza on this sloppy style, however I do discover it significantly useful if I’m judging.
This technique amused the host and director, who requested me about my “pizza post-mortem.” So I defined to them what I used to be searching for (inner crumb construction, as Dough Physician Tom Lehmann calls it) and why I selected to tear my pizza open through the tasting.
Sadly, filming a present doesn’t go as rapidly or simply as one may count on once they watch a 30-minute episode on tv. It takes a number of 12-hour days to yield that half hour of footage, so we had been in it for the lengthy haul. Tv, because the director put it, is “hurry up and wait.” It’s additionally considerably of a lie. Once you watch the episode, there are occasions you may even see a detailed up of me nodding or listening to Mike Frank of John’s or Gina Peluso of Grimaldi’s. In actuality, I conversed with them on digicam little or no. A lot of that “nodding and listening” occurred artificially — I stared at a wall behind an empty chair and offered that animation on the director’s cue.
At any price, after having fun with many excellent pies from John’s, we had a 90-minute break. I spent that down time with Mark, Camille and Marissa (the Coordinating Producer) in a espresso store. We simply frolicked and talked about all types of issues starting from our faculty experiences to our favourite sports activities groups to tv manufacturing. After all, we talked rather a lot about pizza — however not what we thought in regards to the pies from John’s. Discussing John’s or Grimaldi’s with each other was strictly off-limits. The producers didn’t need us to inadvertently sway each other with our ideas or feedback.
We arrived at Grimaldi’s and it was considerably of a circus act. At John’s, you see, we’d been on a closed set. Once we arrived, the pizzeria wasn’t but open for enterprise. It has two eating rooms divided by a wall, so the manufacturing firm arrange within the smaller of the 2. Even after John’s opened for enterprise, we weren’t bothered and didn’t have an viewers because of the partitioned, break up ground plan.
Grimaldi’s, then again, was very a lot open after we arrived. It was about 3 p.m. and a protracted line stretched down the sidewalk. As folks waited to get into the tiny eating room, the manufacturing crew carried its mounds of apparatus in and arrange. Camille, Mark and I chatted with some ready clients and posed with a number of for footage.
When the director was prepared, we took our locations within the heart of a packed home at Grimaldi’s. The employees stored working away within the open kitchen behind us as clients got here and went. I really feel sorry for the oldsters ready exterior to get in — we had been taking over tons of room and many of the clients inside caught round properly after their pizza was gone to look at us movie. It was considerably surreal. Not solely had been the cameras and the eyes of the crew on us, however the eyes of dozens of shoppers — locals and vacationers alike — held on our each phrases.
Identical to at John’s, we had been offered a pizza from Grimaldi’s to style and critique. Once more, I discovered few flaws. I knew after my first slice at Grimaldi’s that selecting a winner was going to be tougher than I first imagined.
Fortunately for me, I devised a weighted scoring system of my very own earlier than leaving for New York. Within the occasion that there wasn’t an amazing favourite after tasting each pies, I knew I might fall again on my scoring system to choose a winner.
Because it seems, that’s precisely what I needed to do. In my system, probably the most crucial components, such because the sauce, for instance, are given extra significance than, say, the herbs. After I went by way of my calculations, it couldn’t have been any nearer — one pizzeria scored a half-point increased than the opposite. Wow.
We completed filming at a park in Brooklyn. The attractive location offered unobstructed and world-class views of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a really perfect spot to wrap the present.
A crowd gathered round us as supporters of each John’s and Grimaldi’s confirmed as much as cheer for his or her favourite pizzeria. When crunch time got here, the judges got “Meals Wars” playing cards and requested to put in writing down the title of the pizzeria for which we had been voting. Not simple to do when each pizzeria managers are standing subsequent to you, but it surely was a job I gladly accepted, I needed to remind myself.
The three of us wrote down our votes and had been instructed by the director to maintain them to ourselves. Camille then requested each me and Mark to speak in regards to the two pizzerias and focus on why we picked the one we selected — with out giving our votes away.
Lastly, it was time to disclose our votes. I went first, adopted by Mark. He and I disagreed on the winner, which meant Camille, because the present host, needed to break the tie. The air was crammed with anticipation as she flipped her card over to disclose the winner of “Meals Wars” in New York. To search out out which pizzeria gained — and see yours actually in motion — watch the “Meals Wars” episode on New York pizza Wednesday, November 17 at 10 p.m. on the Journey Channel.
Within the meantime, the pictures accompanying this text present a short glimpse of my time on the “Meals Wars” set. ?
Jeremy White is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Right now.
