On the heels of the success of the recent national Pizza Show, Joe Ferri is convinced that the agenda is changing for Metro New York’s pizza makers.
With that focus, Ferri and his Pecinka Ferri rep team will once again host the Tri-State foodservice community. On Thursday, May 12, 2022, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, the Fairfield, NJ company will sponsor its 2nd Pecinka Ferri Pizza Forum.
The event will focus on the newest for all things pizza! It will be held at the Pecinka Ferri Culinary Center in New Jersey. Anyone who loves pizza is invited to come and learn. Tri-State chefs, decision makers, restaurateurs, general managers, F&B managers, and pizza aficionados will enjoy a full day of pizza baking, classroom opportunities, innovative pizza making strategies with leading vendors.
Among the highlights will be celebrity Chef John Arena’s live Dough Clinics throughout the day. Arena is a pizza chef with over 48 years of experience. He is the co-founder and owner of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas, a team member of the World Pizza Champions, and a frequent contributor for Pizza Today.
Break-out sessions throughout the day covering “Sauce, Tomatoes & Olive Oil” will be offered by Stanislaus, founded in 1942 Modesto, California.
As well as ongoing Neapolitan-style dough demonstrations by Chef Jeanette Catena, owner of Eursource food importer and founder of Luna Pizza in Three Bridges, NJ. The Pizza Forum will also feature food demos, from Tory Profaci of Grande Cheese based in Fond du Lac, WI. He will be discussing Italian cheese types for all varieties of pizza needs.
“The pizza making industry finds itself at crossroads,” Ferri noted. “Even before the Pandemic, it was a struggle to find a talented and dependable pizza maker. It was not uncommon for them to command $30 plus an hour. The last 2 years could have brought that to $50 an hour. So, unless you think your dining patrons are willing to pay $40.00 plus for a pizza, you’ve got to start searching for alternatives. That’s exactly what our event will provide.”
“We also believe that the pizzeria, or [any] restaurant making pies, needs to be rethinking the beverage side of their business,” Ferri continued. “Our goal is to showcase both value added wine and beer selections, and the technology to manage them, at the Pizza Forum. Operators need to understand the profit potential of their beverage business to balance the increase in other expenses.”
The Pecinka Ferri Culinary Center is a test kitchen with the largest selection of ventless cooking supplies, where all stages of food and beverage production is live and hands-on. Located an hour outside of NYC and 35 minutes from Newark Liberty International airport.
The event will feature the very latest in pizza making prep and cooking equipment. The Pizza Forum will have ovens, to slicers, to mixers, with equipment from Blodgett, Marsal, Bakers Pride, Middleby Marshall, Doyon, Globe, Varimixer, and Turbochef.
“We are looking forward to introducing many of the latest equipment and supply innovations in pizza making,” Ferri noted. “They run the gamut from a simple dispensing gun for use with sauce from Wunderbar to a fully automated robotic pizza prep and cooking solution. The goal of our event is to introduce you to the latest and help you create a strategy that fits your operation.”
In addition to this, the Pizza Forum will be holding a raffle with prizes including pizza peels, an OONI pizza oven, a selection of wines, and various smallwares.
Founded in 1972, Pecinka Ferri Associates is one of Metro New York’s leading manufacturers’ agent to the foodservice industry. Pecinka Ferri Associates represents internationally recognized brands by providing end-user knowledge and solutions, supporting dealers and consultants, and innovating marketing services in the greater New York Metro area.
A full schedule and lineup will be released by Sunday, May 1, 2022. For more information on Pecinka Ferri, visit pecinkaferri.com. To speak to Pecinka Ferri’s team of foodservice professionals, call Fairfield, N.J., headquarters at (973) 812-4277 or email Sales@PecinkaFerri.com.
