Inspired by LAist by Josh Heller
Introduction
This weekend, L.A. Live transforms into a two-day sanctuary for pizza lovers as Pizza City Fest brings together some of Los Angeles’s most inventive pizzaiolos under one roof. Curated by 13-time James Beard winner and festival founder Steve Dolinsky aka “The Food Guy” the event spotlights 40+ local creators, slicing through Neapolitan, New Haven, Roman, taco-inspired, vegan, and beyond. LAist’s Josh Heller takes us behind the oven doors.
🍕 For Enthusiasts: A Curated Pizza Adventure
Forget pizza choice paralysis here’s flavor discovery on a grand scale.
- Naughty Pie Nature flexes with “The Cosmo,” a Neapolitan-style creation featuring crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, Italian sausage, broccolini, confit garlic, parmesan, and Calabrian chili no pasta, but all charmboasting 1,300 mini slices for fest-goers
- Ozzy’s Apizza delivers its New Haven-style “Liotta” a red-sauce, olive oil & parm pie with that perfect ‘red & black’ simplicity, vegan-friendly by default
- Hot Tongue offers “the best plain slice in L.A.” a light but complex marvel born from naturally leavened dough, Washington stone-milled grain, California tomatoes, and low-moisture mozzarella.
- Plus, Triple Beam’s Tomato Confit, MexiForno’s Al Pastor, and Miller‑Butler’s artisan slices round out the creative mix.
Pizza Pro Tip: Bring a home pizza peel and oven stone combo (affiliate link) to replicate that crisp, leopard-spotted Neapolitan char at home perfect for recreating your festival favorites.
🧂 For Suppliers: Ingredients That Tell a Story
Pizza City Fest isn’t just about flavor it’s about sourcing and movement:
- Dough diversity ranges from naturally leavened grain to laminated Neapolitan bases.
- Cheeses include low-moisture mozzarella and crumbly parm ideal for high-heat performance.
- Toppings stretch from Calabrian chili to Mexican al pastor, offering a bridge between regional cuisines.
Suppliers should seize this moment by offering artisan flour blends, heritage cheeses, and specialty chili oils. Building “pizza kits” that align with festival trends can help restaurants and kitchen retailers ride the wave.
💼 For Shop Owners: Lessons in Creativity and Community
Pizza City Fest is more than a tasting it’s a blueprint in action:
- Curated Collab – Curating diverse styles attracts wider audiences. Don’t define your kitchen by only one pizza style.
- Dough Education – Take note: Dolinsky’s panels like “Mastering Dough for Gas, Wood & Electric Ovens” and “The Dough Whisperers”—are magnets for engaged attendees.
- Influencer Activation – Festival attendees rave and record; it creates buzz beyond traditional marketing. Just ask the LA Pizza Alliance and its Instagram‑driven approach (see sidebar) .
- Ticketed Experience – Unlimited tasting, demos, and open bar make $115–125 for the ticket feel value-packed. Shops can adapt this model economically, e.g., pairing pizza+drink nights with dough demos.
Affiliate Suggestion: Integrate a restaurant POS and event ticketing system (affiliate link: Toast or Square) to manage similar in-shop experiences seamlessly.
🎯 Bigger Pizza Trends: Festival-Driven Innovation
L.A. isn’t chasing a single pizza identity—it’s celebrating pizza in all its forms:
- Cross-genre fusion: Neapolitan meets al pastor, Neapolitan meets New Haven—innovation thrives.
- Educational appetite: Dough panels prove that consumers crave pizza craftsmanship.
- Community connection: The event’s charitable ties to the Culinary Careers Program (C·CAP) demonstrate how pizza can fuel social good.
🛒 Gear & Ingredient Picks
- Home pizza peel + stone set – Unlock pro-level crusts at home.
- Artisan flour bundle – Mix Neapolitan 00, stone-milled organic grain, and hybrid blends to mirror festival dough styles.
- POS + event management combo – Manage tastings, classes, and limited-time offerings in your shop.
🍕 Final Slice
Pizza City Fest shows that authenticity and diversity pave the future of pizza culture. It’s a vibrant model for enthusiasts diving into novel flavors, suppliers spotlighting specialty ingredients, and shop owners thinking big about how to engage customers.
If you’re heading to L.A. Live, don’t just eat learn. And if you’re staying local, bring that energy home: host a pizza tasting, start a dough workshop, or mix toppings people have only dreamed of eating.
Because the magic of pizza isn’t just in the slice it’s in the stories, collaborations, and communities we build around it.
Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, and Pizza Magazine may earn a commission from purchases made through them.
