169. Destined for Pizza

This week on The Hot Slice Podcast, we chat with Drew Butler, who perhaps has been destined to be in the pizza industry. Things aligned for Drew when he was making pizzas out of his house as fundraisers for youth sports. He had been looking for a building to start his business when friends shared that a beloved local market had an unused pizza oven. Instead of undertaking a costly buildout on a new facility, Drew opted to set up shop, Market Pizza by Drew Butler, at the Jackson Market in Culver City, California.We dive into what goes into making his neo-Neapolitan pizza including the use of a three-flour blend, sourdough and a long fermentation process.Drew was named a Rising Star in the Pizza Industry in July. In his Q&A, Drew says, “I am striving for excellence in pizza and service experience for Market Pizza. My highest priority is the uniqueness of my dough and the special time my 67-hour process deserves. It all starts with the crust — the rest is just toppings! Gourmet toppings for sure, but we have a pretty level playing field for tomatoes, cheese, meats and veggies. The crust is my signature. It’s what defines my pizza from everyone else’s.  It’s got my name on it, so it’s got to be great!”See how he’s adding to the momentum as he grows in the pizza business. Find out his ultimate goal.Read Drew’s Rising Stars Q&A at https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/drew-butler-market-pizza-by-drew-butler-culver-city-ca-rising-star-2023/Follow Market Pizza by Drew Butler on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marketpizzabdb/Show Notes:Attention ALL PIZZERIA OWNERS AND OPERATORS: As a valued member of the pizzeria community, we would like to invite you to participate in an industry survey. Be counted in this annual gauge of vital pizzeria insights, issues and trends. Take the survey now: https://pizzatoday.com/be-counted-pizzeria-operator-survey-portal/Last chance to submit your pizzeria for one of the 20 categories in the PIE Awards. Learn more at https://pizzatoday.com/pie-awards/Celebrate National Pizza Month in October! Pizza Today has you covered this October with our National Pizza Month Pizzeria Tool Kit. We’ve pulled together resources to help you mark the occasion and promote your National Pizza Month campaigns in your store, in the community, virtually and on social networks.