What’s Hot in Pizza?

Creative new flavor trends were on full display at the 2017 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, including the wildly imaginative pies of local favorite Chris Decker, who competed in the show’s pan pizza contest. According to weekly city magazine Vegas Seven, “As pizza makers from all over the world convene[d] at the expo, they . . . [discovered] that Decker is one of the city’s best kept secrets.”

Decker’s “Lake Minnetonka,” for example, is a tribute to Prince featuring sausage, baked purple sweet potato, asparagus and fried kale. “Another one of his creations features a ring of grilled steak with an egg in the center, atop panko-crusted dough. His crown jewel was a simple yet glorious pizza with ravioli on top,” reported Vegas Seven.

The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) looked beyond mozzarella to bring new cheese ideas to the annual pizza show. WMMB noted that Swiss, burrata, and gouda are three of the fastest-growing cheeses currently used on pizza, and the board served up even more innovative ideas, such as buffalo and ranch cheese-curd pie featuring Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery’s buffalo- and ranch-flavored Wisconsin cheese curd crumbles.

Ohio-based pizza consultant Michael Shepherd, who spoke at the Pizza Expo, notes that the industry is still learning more about different pizza styles, and authenticity continues to come into focus.

“Over the past eight years, there’s been a renewed interest in the old-fashioned ways of making pizza,” he says. “People want to know the roots of where each style comes from, whether that’s ‘grandma styles’ of slab pizza, Neapolitan or Detroit. Operators want to know the authentic preparation and best equipment for making real versions of these styles.”

Grocerant-Ready Ideas:

• Novelty pies inspired by seasonal flavors
• Sweet cheeses like ricotta and mascarpone on dessert pizzas
• Regional specials to gauge customer interest in pies beyond traditional thin-crust