Meet The Secret Cheese Blend Winning All The Pizza Competitions
What if the reason this pizza won wasn’t a secret ingredient… but a decision most people wouldn’t make?
Slice on Broadway just took home Best Cheese Slice at the 2025 Las Vegas Pizza Expo and was named Best Pizzeria in the State—and today, we’re sitting down with owner-operator Rico Lunardi to find out why. From dough hydration and cheese blends to Pittsburgh pizza culture and consistency under pressure, this episode goes deep into what it actually takes to make great pizza… and keep it great.
0:26 – Why Slice on Broadway stands out (and the “secret cheese blend”)
1:41 – Dough hydration, consistency, and why small changes matter big
2:56 – The accidental sugar-in-the-dough story 🍩
4:11 – Flour choices, competitions, and learning from Italy
5:11 – The Pittsburgh 50/50 provolone–mozzarella cheese blend explained
6:01 – Sauce philosophy: tomatoes, freshness, and staying consistent
7:06 – Winning awards, pizza loyalty, and why pizza gets so personal
8:21 – Pittsburgh pizza cuts: slices vs “cuts”
9:21 – Staying authentic in competitions (and regretting one change)
10:41 – Cheese texture, shredding in-house, and operational realities
12:11 – What “good dough” really means: patience, time, and care
Thank you to our show sponsors:
Bacio Cheese:
Corto:https://bit.ly/457DNII
Ooni:https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=77074&awinaffid=1800006
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Topic:
award-winning pizza, best cheese slice, Las Vegas Pizza Expo 2025, Slice on Broadway, Pittsburgh pizza, pizza podcast, What’s Good Dough podcast, pizza dough technique, pizza making process, New York style pizza, provolone mozzarella blend, pizza cheese blend, pizza dough hydration, professional pizza making, pizzeria owner interview, pizza industry podcast, artisan pizza, how award-winning pizza is made, secret behind great pizza dough, Pittsburgh style pizza cheese, pizza expo competition tips, staying consistent in pizza making, pizza dough fermentation process, what makes good pizza dough, Rico Lunardi, Slice on Broadway Pittsburgh, pizza podcast interviews, pizza behind the scenes, pizza shop story, pizza culture USA, pizza craftsmanship, small business food podcast
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