What's Good Dough?
by What's Good Dough
I quit my job for pizza. Should you?My name is Eidref Laxa and I am a Mobile Caterer, Ooni Ambassador, and Pan Pizza Champion. Pizza changed my life. I'm guessing that if you're here, it's already changed yours.I started this podcast to learn about pizza and starting a pizzeria. I’m not ready to open a brick and mortar just yet, but I’m still obsessed with learning from pizza operators. Because one day, I just might. I'm just busy doing other things first.
Episodes
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Inside A.K. Pizza, The Most Exclusive Pizza in Seattle
Why are 12,000 people waiting for a pizza they can barely get their hands on? A.K. Pizza has become one of Seattle’s most talked-about pizzerias, with thousands of people waiting for the next pizza drop. Eidref visits Alex to see what makes these pies worth the hype, from the dough and carefully...
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The Bay Area Has A Middle Eastern Pizza No One Knew Exists
How do you get people to try something that looks like pizza but isn’t quite pizza? Eidref visits Manakish Oven and Grill in San Jose to learn about this Middle Eastern flatbread and the story behind the business. From making dough in-house to introducing customers to new flavors, the owners…
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He Started With $0. Now He Sells $50 Pizzas
Is a $50 pizza actually worth it? Eidref visits Slice of Homage in the South Bay to talk Detroit-style pizza, premium ingredients, and what it really costs to make a great pizza. Steven shares how he went from selling Sicilians to friends and family to building one of the Bay Area’s most…
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He Sold 800k Pizzas on DoorDash. Did He Actually Make Money?
What happens when a pizza business gets too big for the systems that got it there? Eidref sits down with Marc from Square Pie Guys to talk about what happens when a pizza business really starts to scale. From selling more than 800,000 pizzas on DoorDash to opening multiple locations, Marc shares...
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Booked a $10k Wedding. Practiced By Making Pizza For 200 People
What Does It Really Take to Land High-Paying Pizza Catering Clients? In this episode, Eidref breaks down one of his toughest catering events, what he learned from serving 176 people, and why he’s decided to step away from catering to focus on building a media company. Highlights: 0:52 – The...
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This Tiny Kitchen Sells Out at 500 Pizzas (Frank's Pizza And Pasta Baltimore MD)
What happens when a 41-year-old pizza shop suddenly goes viral and its tiny kitchen can barely keep up? In this episode, Eidref sits down with Gerry Buontempo of Frank’s Pizza & Pasta in Baltimore to talk about the family business, upgrading their pizza, handling explosive growth, and keeping the...
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The Best San Jose Pizzeria Yet To Be Discovered (The Last Round Tavern)
What makes a tavern-style pizza stand out—and what does it take to build a pizzeria that can grow beyond the owner? In this episode, Eidref visits Last Round Tavern in San Jose and sits down with owner Caleb Orozco to talk about the unique pizza style he's bringing to the Bay Area.Their...
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Let's Make Award Winning Detroit Pizza with White Rabbit Gastro Pub
How do you build a successful pizzeria, empower your team, and still have a life outside the restaurant?In this episode, Eidref heads to White Rabbit Gastropub in Frederick, Maryland, home of the World Champion Detroit-style pizza and the team behind Rad Pies.The conversation goes way beyond…
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Is This The Best Detroit Style Pizza In All of Maryland? (Rad Pies MD)
In this episode of What's Good Dough, we head to Rad Pies in Maryland to see if their Detroit-style pizza lives up to the hype. Known for that signature crispy cheese crust and airy dough, we’re putting their pies to the ultimate test.Highlights:00:07 — White Rabbit / Rad Pies intro & the...
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How a Failed Pizzeria Owner Built a Pizza Oven Empire
What makes this the "Ferrari" of pizza ovens? In this episode, we go inside the Marra Forni factory to see how the "Ferrari" of brick ovens is built. Founder Francesco Marra share powerful story of moving to America with nothing, facing a major restaurant failure, and eventually building a global...
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Inside the SD Pizzeria That Did $3M Their First Year (Odie's Pizza)
What happens when a pizza shop expects to do $6,000 a day... but ends up doing $16,000? In this episode, Eidref visits Odie's Pizza in San Diego and sits down with founder Odie O’Connor to discuss one of the fastest-growing pizza concepts in Southern California. From building a vegan…
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7 Pro Upgrades to Transform Your Pizza Catering Setup
What are the best upgrades you can make to run smoother, faster, and more profitable pizza catering events? In this episode, Eidref breaks down the seven biggest upgrades he's making to his pizza catering setup for 2026. After five years of catering as a side hustle, a sudden influx of new…
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How A 900 Sq Ft Slice Shop In San Diego does $1M A Year
What does it really take to build a million-dollar pizza shop with no investors, no dining room, and only 900 square feet? In this episode, Eidref sits down with Fred Santos of Square Pizza Co., a pizzeria quietly doing massive numbers out of a tiny shop in Pacific Beach. Fred and his partner…
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Won 3 Pizza World Titles, But His Shop Is Empty. Why?
How can a three-time world pizza champion still struggle to fill his own shop? In this episode, Eidref sits down with Ryan Ososky, a three-time world pizza champion and Pizza Maker of the Year, to unpack one of the most interesting contradictions in pizza. Ryan has the trophies, the technique…
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How He Became Puerto Rico's First World Pizza Champion
How far would you go to become a world pizza champion? In this episode, Eidref sits down with Wilhelm Rodriguez, a world pizza champion who spent years chasing one of the toughest titles in the industry. From competing in pizza acrobatics to grinding through multiple losses in Las Vegas, Wilhelm...
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Inside The $2M Pizzeria That Wasn't Supposed to Exist
How does a Bay Area pizzeria quietly become a $2 million business? In this episode, Idris sits down with Leah, owner of Pizza Leah, to break down how a small-town pizzeria quietly hit $2 million in annual sales. From opening 20 locations to walking away for her health, Leah shares how she rebuilt...
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58 Pizzas in 45 Minutes: The High-Stakes Systems of Wedding Catering
What does it really take to serve 58 pizzas in just 45 minutes… at a wedding where everything has to be perfect? In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Linda and Abby of Fired Up Fresh, a mother-daughter duo specializing in high-pressure mobile pizza catering. From months of preparation to...
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Jeremy and Michele of Gabacool Provisions
What if the smartest way to start a pizza business isn’t opening a restaurant… but avoiding rent entirely? In this episode of the What's Good Dough Podcast, we spend the day with Jeremy and Michelle, the team behind Gabacool Pizza, an award-winning pizza pop-up that built a powerful brand without...
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The $0 Rent Strategy That Launched An Award Winning Pizza Concept
What if the smartest way to start a pizza business isn’t opening a restaurant… but avoiding rent altogether? In this episode, we spend the day with Jeremy and Michelle of Gabacool, an award-winning pizza pop-up that built a powerful brand without the massive overhead of a traditional pizzeria.…
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Charlie Anderson of Good Pizza
What happens when an engineer quits his job, goes all-in on pizza, and builds a slice shop obsessed with consistency? In this episode of What’s Good Dough, Eidref is with Charlie Anderson, founder of Good Pizza Cleveland, to talk about the real work behind opening a modern slice shop. From menu...
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Why This Cleveland Pizza Shop Only Sells 6 Items
Most pizzerias have a huge menu, but this man, Charlie Anderson, only sells six pizzas. And this strategy is helping him in his quest to be the best pizzeria in the world. Highlights:0:00 – Why a Tight Menu Keeps Slices Fresh0:40 – Pros & Cons of Offering Fewer Pizzas1:20 – Meet Charlie Anderson…
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How A 1000 Sq Ft Slice Shop Does 2 Million A Year
What happens when you open a slice shop during a pandemic, with no dining room and no walk-in traffic? In this episode, we sit down with Lars Smith, Chef and Co-Owner of State of Mind Slice House and the mind behind State of Mind Slice House in Palo Alto. Lars shares how lessons from past…
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They Told Him This Location Would Fail. Now He Sells 275 Pizzas in 4 Hours.
What if everyone told you your pizzeria would fail because of its location — and you proved them wrong by selling 275 pizzas in just four hours? In this episode of What’s Good Dough, we sit down inside Fired Pizza in Stockton, CA — a pizzeria that broke nearly every “rule” people swear by in the...
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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…
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4 Lessons From My First Wedding Pizza Catering
What really happens when you cater a wedding for the first time—especially when it’s your cousin’s big day? In this episode, I break down the behind-the-scenes reality of catering my first-ever wedding. From long-distance travel and unexpected costs to dough management disasters and learning the...
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Can This Pizza Maker Survive SF's Market St? w/ David Jacobson of Cheezy's Artisan Pizza
Can a brand-new pizzeria really survive on one of San Francisco’s toughest streets? In this episode, we hang out with David Jacobson, the pizza maker behind Cheezy’s Artisan Pizza and a Real California Milk Cheese Champion. David’s worked in some of the Bay Area’s most respected kitchens, built...
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Making Canada's Most Famous Pizza With Cowabunga Pizzeria
How do two pizza lovers turn a shared obsession into a thriving, award-winning pizzeria—during a pandemic? We’re inside the dough room at Cowabunga to hear how Justin and Andy went from pizza snobs and Instagram mutuals to building one of Canada’s most talked-about slice shops. We break down…
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Meet The Sourdough Pizza That Blew My Mind At The SF Pizza Fest
What happens when a lifelong pizza lover turns his obsession into a craft—and finds his happy place behind the oven? In this episode of What’s Good Dough, Eidref sits down with Matt Lucas, the sourdough pizza mastermind behind Johnny Baguette. From demoing pizzas at Orchard Supply to perfecting...
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How A Food Truck Sells Out 200 Slices Of Pizza During Lunch
How do you balance running a mobile pizza trailer and a brick-and-mortar shop—without burning out or burning the pies? In this episode, we visit Charlie’s Pizza to see how they keep their slice game strong while expanding to a full restaurant. From learning the rhythm of the oven to managing…
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12 Million A Year And The Epitome Of Pizzerias w/ Esther's Kitchen
What does it take to run one of Las Vegas’ most influential kitchens—and keep raising the bar while staying true to your craft?In this episode of What’s Good Dough, Eidref sits down with James and Dylan of Esther’s Kitchen, a restaurant that’s become a cornerstone of the Las Vegas dining scene....
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Would You Try This Award-Winning Grape Pizza (Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas)?
What happens when you take New York nostalgia, wild creativity, and a family-run pizza shop—and bring it all to the world stage in Las Vegas? In this episode, we head to Las Vegas to hang out with the crew from Yukon Pizza, a family-run shop that blends New York nostalgia with bold,...
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This Cheese Pizza Beat Every Slice in the World—But How Does It Actually Taste?
What happens when two pizza-obsessed friends from Hamilton, Ontario, chase their dream—and end up winning the world’s best cheese pizza title in Las Vegas? In this episode, we visit Cowabunga Pizza in Hamilton, Ontario, where Andy and Justin took the pizza world by surprise by bringing home first...
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Japanese-Inspired Pizzeria on a Quest for Mastery ( Double 00 Pie And Pub, Las Vegas)
What happens when you mix Tokyo-inspired artistry with Neo Neapolitan Pizza in the heart of Las Vegas’ Chinatown? In this episode of What’s Good Dough, we visit Double Zero Pie & Pub—a pizzeria that’s made the prestigious 50 Top Pizza USA list two years in a row. Erica Bell shares the story…
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Quit My Job For Pizza Part 1- How You Do Anything Is...
Let's face it. I was a mess... And everything in my life was. Part of the root of the problem was my environment and how it affected my mental. I fixed that and am now working on improving my game in every facet of my life. It's invigorating. If you're thinking about quitting your job to chase…
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John Arena of Metro Pizza and Truly Pizza
What does it mean to keep chasing greatness—even when life throws you its toughest curveballs? Few people in the pizza world are as widely respected — or as profoundly wise — as John Arena. In this powerful episode, Eidref sits down with the Metro Pizza co-founder and Truly Pizza visionary to…
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He Tried The Impossible: 8 Flours, 80% Hydration, 100% Sourdough
What kind of pizzaiolo uses eight flours, 80% hydration, and 100% sourdough—and somehow makes it all work?In this episode of What’s Good Dough, Eidref is with Ethan Speizer of Solamente Pizza in Las Vegas, who’s on a mission to do the impossible: create mind-blowing pizza using up to eight...
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1 Bullet, 2 Brothers, 3-Day Dough: The Real Story Behind Frank’s Pizza & Pasta
How do you manage legacy and ambition? Here is the conversation with two brothers who have turn their family pizzeria into a growing brand while honoring a powerful legacy. Listen in on whether or not they can meet their goal of 20 locations in the next 5 years.In this episode, guest host Kenneth...
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Chicago’s Busiest Slice Shop Almost Didn’t Make It
How do you build buzz when you’re just two guys and a window in the cold? Today, we are with Tony and Will from Paulie Gee’s Logan Square to break down what it really took to go from serving slices through a window during the height of COVID to becoming a must-stop pizza spot in Chicago. They…
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The Jules Pizza Pop Up Story: How They Built A Wildly Successful Pop Up (Podcast Exclusive)
Thanks for tuning in. We have a podcast exclusive here (not on Youtube) where we dive in with Max and Anthony of Jules Pizza. We also have a Youtube exclusive of Jules pizza- nearly a 2 hour long episode breaking down the dough and bake of Jules' amazing pizza. Check it out here....
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Inside Chicago’s Most Viral Slice Shop
At What’s Good Dough, we believe in uplifting the pizza community with integrity. We do not condone misogyny, racism, or sexism—on or off camera. To those asking about our views on Dave Portnoy: I want to be honest. My thoughts are still evolving. We filmed this piece back in February. Since…
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Pizzeria Owner Juggles 5+ Businesses... Should You?
What does it take to build a thriving pizza business without being in the kitchen every day? In this episode, we sit down with Francis Almeda, a multi-business entrepreneur who’s redefining what it means to run a food business. From his journey into the pizza world to embracing teamwork and…
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“This isn’t pizza” according to Chicago
What does it take to build amazing pizza in a city obsessed with tradition—and why does Middlebrow refuse to use the same dough for all their pies? In this episode, we visit Bungalow by Middlebrow in Chicago to talk with head baker Tucker and chef de cuisine Caroline Santi. They walk us through...
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Starting A Pizzeria And Minimizing Risk (Pizza Di Farfalla)
What would it take for you to walk away from an 18-year career to chase your dream of slinging pizzas full-time? If you’ve ever felt the tension between a stable career and a risky passion project, this episode is going to hit home. Gio, owner of Pizza Di Farfalla, shares how he went from a...
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The Multi-Use Glass Dough Room + The Pizzeria That Made Delivery Pizzas Way Better (Flour+Water Pizzeria)
What if your dough room could pump out 2,800 dough balls, double as a private dining spot, and deliver pizza that still slaps after 30 minutes— thanks to smart, intentional systems? In this episode, Thomas McNaughton, Ryan Pollnow, and Elliot Armstrong of Flour + Water Pizzeria take us behind the...
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He Put A Small PizzaMaster in a 250 Sq Ft Cafe and Cranks with Gio Of Pizza Di Farfalla
What Does It Take to Run a Thriving Pizzeria in a Tiny Space? Today, we’re getting an inside look at Gio’s process, from maximizing efficiency in a 250-square-foot kitchen to perfecting a single dough recipe for multiple styles, Gio shares what it takes to run a high-quality pizzeria in a limited...
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What You Might Experience If You Build A Great Restaurant with Craig From June's Pizza
What does it take to reopen a beloved pizzeria after hitting rock bottom? From battling self-doubt and financial struggles to building a powerhouse team, Craig from June’s Pizza shares his journey of resilience, creativity, and community. Today, we’re diving deep into the story behind June’s…
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They Sell 250 Pizzas A Day W/ Only 2 Items On The Menu With Craig of June's Pizza
What makes June’s Pizza so special? From a simple two-pizza menu to a commitment to quality and sustainability, this pizzeria has redefined what it means to focus on the details. Today, we’re visiting June’s Pizza, a beloved Bay Area spot known for its dedication to perfecting every element of…
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He Opened A Pizzeria In 2024— Here’s What Went Wrong w/ Dane of Slow Co Pizza
Would you spend $60,000 just to install an oven? That’s the dilemma Dane from Slow Co Pizza faced when opening his pizzeria. The hidden costs of launching a restaurant can be brutal—so how did he pivot and still make his dream a reality? In this episode, we sit down with Dane from Slow Co Pizza,...
About this show
I quit my job for pizza. Should you?My name is Eidref Laxa and I am a Mobile Caterer, Ooni Ambassador, and Pan Pizza Champion. Pizza changed my life. I'm guessing that if you're here, it's already changed yours.I started this podcast to learn about pizza and starting a pizzeria. I’m not ready to open a brick and mortar just yet, but I’m still obsessed with learning from pizza operators. Because one day, I just might. I'm just busy doing other things first.
Hosted by
What's Good Dough