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If there’s one thing we know about pizza, it’s that it’s not only a shareable food, but it also is the catalyst for a thriving community. LloydPans is proud to be a part of a new Pizza Forum Tuesday, May, 7, in Irwindale, Calif., at the Southern California Edison Energy Education Center. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., attendees will focus on pizza making skills, network and get the chance to have all of their questions answered.
Our team put a pizza pan and pizza tool wish list together for the Pizza Forum team to use during the event:
The Education Center normally holds classes and seminars throughout the year, like ventilation, sizing hoods, sanitation, dish washing, hot water, but Andre Saldivar, senior engineer at the SCE Foodservice Technology Center, wanted to start focusing on hot topics and specific menus through various forums. And as we all know — pizza is hot right now.
“We’re blessed in California because we’re getting it all. We’re getting deep dish; we’re getting Detroit-style; we’re getting the New York-style, the Neapolitan, the Romana — we’ve been eating really well in our center,” Saldivar said. “About five or six of us across the United States have demonstration test kitchens that allow our customers to come in and try the ovens or use their product to see if they will work for them.”
For the past 18 months the Center has been really busy with pizza. The new forum will allow mom and pops to see up to 12 different ovens. For example, for recent new Pizza Expo attendees, they may be overwhelmed and not know what to do next. Fresh bake? By the slice? C-stores that want a pizza program? What oven do I use? The Pizza Forum will answer these questions and more — pizza A-Z if you will.
“The great thing about being utility is that the manufacturers get to play in the sandbox for a day. It’s an opportunity to show your oven,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of people who come in and say, ‘I want to do pizza. That’s a loaded question. What style of pizza?”
There’s no certain mandate of style, just a request to bring variety to the table. Saldivar walked Pizza Expo knowing he had the manufacturers down, but he wanted to bring in more suppliers for the event.
“Some of the best pans are LloydPans, so we talked to the team. People want to know how to start and what to use. We can show them what’s available in the market and who is using what. If they’re a good product they should be a part of the forum,” Saldivar said. “The pans are universal; you can use them in all different styles of ovens, whether it’s a conveyor or deck-style oven.”
The Center puts products through trial before they back them up, and the team hand selected the pans that were trending and would provide attendees with the most education. Plus, when Saldivar hears what pizzaiolos are using, most of the time when they’re successful he finds out they’re using LloydPans.
“I see a big use of LloydPans in deep dish — it’s a hot topic right now and LloydPans is a big player in that game,” he said. “Romana is a big style right now, but it needs to be educated. Our Center offers that by providing the pan, the oven and safety tips. It’s truly an art: the right temperature, the right pan, the right dough, the right flour. We have some award winners here in California. We’re having fun with it and enjoying it.”
