316. Opening an Upscale Pizzeria in a Historic Building

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Hot Slice, we sit down with Mike Dew, the man behind one of the most intriguing pizza concepts in Northern Kentucky. Dew walks us through the realities of a longer-than-expected build-out, the quirks of a historic building and the creative ways he repurposed original wood flooring at Wayfarer Tavern in Dayton, Kentucky.Beyond a pizzeria menu he likens to a steakhouse, Dew shares how a thoughtfully curated, value-driven wine list turned his spot into an unexpected wine destination. He also partners with neighbor New Riff Distilling to create a single-barrel bourbon program. For the pizza itself: Dew fuses three regional styles: Midwestern tavern square cuts, East Coast thin crust and the irresistible Detroit-style frico. You'll learn why he skips the curing step and how crowd-favorite pies like the Korean Corn Cheese and the legendary Pickle Power made it onto the menu. EPISODE NOTESWayfarer Tavern: wayfarertavern.comPizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.com