The Bonci episode is great. What a story. I never knew he’d been a TV personality. My favorite moment was when he was talking about having hit bottom and starting to get his life back together, while standing in front of a neon sign saying “Autorimessa,” which in that context meant garage (“auto” car + “remessa” replair) but can be read as a double entendre (“auto” self + “remessare” put back).
Bianco has quite a story too, if not as dramatic. Who knew that Arizona exported flour to Italy?
Let’s get one thing straight: neither Bianco nor Bonci was the first to put anything and everything on pizza.
- 1981: The trend starts when Alice Waters opens the Cafe at Chez Panisse.
- 1981: It is quickly picked up by Ed LaDou, who was cooking at Prego in SF.
- 1982: Wolfgang Puck hires LaDou as the pizza chef at his Cafe at Chez Panisse knockoff Spago.
- 1985: Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield hire LaDou to create the menu for California Pizza Kitchen.
- 1992: CPK has 26 locations.
- 1993: Pizzeria Bianco opens.
- 2003: Pizzarium opens.