For close to 30 years, Chef Robert Stegall-Smith has been supporting pizza makers in their pursuit of restaurant success. And the two-time Chef of the Year in the South Carolina Midlands region brings a hands-on approach to an industry that’s been evolving over time.

“Your pizza is your fingerprint,” he said, reflecting on his decades in the business as a Performance Foodservice corporate chef based out of the Florence area. “And so, it’s essential to have your own style to succeed. Everybody has their favorite pizza place. You have to give that guest a reason why yours is their favorite.”

Rise to the Top

Chef Robert believes in the traditional — but he also knows pizza should step out of its comfort zone, from time to time.

“A lot of restaurants are doing LTOs now, which has not been a thing you used to find in a pizza shop. The LTOs allow you to experiment for a short period of time to see what works.

• “Latin-inspiration, for example,” he continued. “It might be worth adding a touch of adobo to your pizza sauce or doing some chorizo sausage instead of Italian. It also gives you an advantage during certain times on the calendar — October is a great pizza month, and Día de los Muertos is a great holiday to do a Hispanic-style pizza.

• “You’re seeing people play with other toppings as well. They’re tweaking tradition to make it a little more international, with things like Asian fusion. And I’m seeing a lot of microgreens and herbs on pizza right now. One of our best sellers is a chef’s blend with a few bright petals of edible flowers in it, that just makes the pizza pop.

• “Personal pizzas are also on menus more frequently, and the new Piancone® Frozen Pinsa Pizza Crusts are great for pizzerias that want to lean into that style, especially with customization becoming a larger trend.

Mix & Match

In his consultant role, Chef Robert has been showing restaurants subtle ways to help refine their sauces, just a touch, to differentiate specialty pies.

“You really want that sauce to match your pizza concept,” he explained. “For a traditional Italian street pizza [which is catching the eye of nearly 40% of consumers] the Piancone Il Famoso or Luigi® Ground Tomatoes are great bases, simply with a little olive oil and salt.

“Or if you’re doing a jerk chicken pizza, I might add some fresh ginger and cilantro in a small batch sauce, just for that item. That’s pretty quick and easy to do. If it’s a crab cake pizza, I might toss some seafood seasoning in the sauce that kind of enhances the whole pie in a way your competitors will have a hard time copying.”

Consistency is Key

Generally, pizza consumers make return visits to a place they trust. According to Chef Robert, the key to trust is consistency.

“If you’ve got five different people making your dough, your dough is never going to be the same,” he explained. “And let’s face it, that dough is the base of everything you’re doing in your shop. The consistency of [Performance] products can really help you, especially in this labor market we’re in.

“Many pizza operators are moving to premade dough balls for that reason. The dough ball’s always going to be the same, which gives you a level of confidence in your product. Two of the key elements in baking off a great pizza are time and temperature — we have a lot of Italian specialists throughout Performance who can help dial in your equipment for the perfect bake. And if you’re in need of additional equipment, we can help there as well!”