Tony Scardino,
Professor Pizza
Growing up in an Italian/American household, food was always front and center in all family gatherings. During any family event, I stayed in the kitchen as my mother made sauce, my grandmother made meatballs, and my aunts and grandfather made cookies. As I got older, it became apparent that my passion/profession would be in the kitchen in one capacity or another. I started my journey with Inspiration Kitchens in Chicago, followed by stints in my uncle's hot dog stand. Eventually, I formalized my training in Chicago at restaurants like Publican Quality Meats & Au Cheval. While fine dining and refined dining restaurants sharpened my skills in the kitchen, my roots were calling. Nothing made me want to make my mark on this industry, quite like pizza. As soon as I focused on pizza, I knew I needed to train with the best.
At that point, I traveled west to San Francisco to learn from Tony Gemignani & Laura Meyer. After my time with Tony and Laura on the west coast, they encouraged me to head with them to Las Vegas and compete in the International Pizza Challenge. I have grown a love for competition and have done so from Atlantic City to Las Vegas year after year. Upon my return to Chicago, I spread my wings in pizza in various ways. I helped bring Detroit style pizza to the city as an opening member of the Paulie Gee's Logan Square staff. I then managed Dough Bros, a NY-style slice joint in the heart of downtown. Once the pandemic hit, my day-to-day presence ended, and I started to sell pizzas out of my apartment. That Professor Pizza pop-up would bounce around from a handful of different locations until finally settling in its current home in Humboldt Park as a carryout and delivery pizzeria. When I'm not busy feeding the people of my great city, I have a passion for getting pizza into the hands of the comedy elite. I've been lucky enough to share my craft with the likes of Sebastian Maniscalco, J.B. Smoove, and Kevin James, to name a few. From the beginning, the mission has been to celebrate the technic and tradition behind all styles of pizza. With every pizza I make, I strive to put Professor Pizza as well as The World Pizza Champions in the best light possible!
@professorpizza
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