Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast

Woody’s Wood-Fired Pizza owner Jon Bortles explains why he chose not to chase multi-unit expansion after watching what it took for his father to build and manage nine locations (3:50). Bortles breaks down how Woody’s has grown revenue in creative moves inside a single flagship from a high-volume buffet model to a food truck, takeout kitchen and—potentially—selective licensing (37:58). Later in the show, Brian Hernandez joins for a U.S. Pizza Team update. Charlie also asks Brian questions about visiting Italy prior to his first-ever trip to Italy.

Woody’s history: https://www.pmq.com/how-this-iconic-high-volume-pizza-buffet-concept-keeps-things-fresh/

In his third appearance on the show, Sean Jefairjian—owner and operator of A Slice of New York in Murrysville, Pennsylvania—breaks down what his shop looks like a year after an 8.2 rating from Dave Portnoy (2:48). He tells all about his appearance at the One Bite Pizza Fest in September, and details a new sourdough ball venture he’s undertaken as he begins to grow as a pizzeria owner outside of his shop. And is Jefairjian one of the first-ever pizza shop owners to be involved in a bona fide medical study?

Previous episodes featuring Jefairjian: https://www.pmq.com/what-happens-when-dave-portnoy-shows-up-at-your-pizzeria-we-asked-somebody-who-scored-an-8-2/

https://www.pmq.com/podcast/episode-1-cool-stuff-is-only-cool-until-you-show-your-friends-with-sean-jefairjian/

In this episode, Mellow Mushroom’s VP of Franchise Development Jamie Cecil joins the show to talk about how a 50-year-old “stealth franchise” is entering a new era of intentional growth. He shares why the brand’s uniquely local vibe, commissary-driven consistency, and full-service roots still resonate today—and how new formats, technology, and smarter economics are shaping its future. Jamie also opens up about his own restaurant journey, from busboy to franchise leader, and why he believes Mellow’s best chapters are still ahead.

Khanh Nguyen, founder and CEO of Zalat Pizza, joins the show as a special guest (2:55). Nguyen shares what it was like to leave a mansion in Vietnam to come live in a dorm room in the U.S. with his family of 11. He also discusses how he got into law, and then restaurants—and why his late-night Vietnamese restaurant unexpectedly became a service-industry hotspot. Nguyen outlines how Zalat came to be and its recent in-house motto: “Made with pride. Shared with joy. Built for a millennium.” Later in the show, Brian Hernandez joins to recap the 4th annual Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup (1:11:47).

D Magazine on Nguyen family fleeing Vietnam: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2024/march/roots-zalat-pizza-ceo-khanh-nguyen/

Victoria “Tori” Tiso of Tori T’s Pizzeria (Malverne, NY) and 914 Pizza (Harrison, NY) joins the show as a special guest (2:46). Tiso discusses her early years as a standout softball player and college softball coach and how those experiences affected the way she runs her pizzeria. She also talks about growing up around her father and uncle’s famous shop, Louie & Ernie’s in The Bronx, and how she made her own mark on the shop prior to going off on her own professionally. Later in the show, Brian Hernandez joins for a Style Guide segment focused on Maryland-style pizza (49:00).

Further reading on Ledo/Maryland-style pizza: https://www.pmq.com/ledo-pizza-maryland-style/