Explore various ways to express yourself with protein.
Whether it’s a specialty flatbread or a regional-style pizza, you can highlight your signature protein’s flavor and versatility with a featured dish that stands out as the star of the menu.
Create a seasonal special using timely ingredients or themes to showcase your protein.
Pairing suggestions are a great way to highlight beverages that create harmonious combinations, elevating your patrons’ dining experience as well as the protein’s profile.
Pepperoni: the easy way to boost appeal.
Pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping in the U.S. Define your pizza’s appearance and appeal with just the right type.
Spices give pepperoni
their unique, signature
flavor. Choose the right
level of spice to
modulate the level of
kick you’re looking for.
While the sizes and thicknesses available vary, be sure you source your pepperoni from manufacturers that provide consistency in cost and preparation.
Whether you prefer a clean appearance with lay flat pepperoni or a unique experience that cups and chars, you’re sure to have a hit on your hands.
And while pepperoni may be king, be sure to explore other products that can plus up your pizza masterpiece, from specialty bacon to globally inspired meats and more.
Make your artwork come to life.
Explore unique flavor-building opportunities and bring your creation to the next level—start with a signature pizza sauce or glaze. The following are exploding in popularity¹:
Nashville Hot
Grown 310% in the past four years.
While typically seen as part of the chicken craze, hot chicken and
the flavor it imparts can be carried across proteins with its rich
cayenne pepper paste.
Hot Honey
Grown 106% in the past four years
A truly versatile condiment, hot honey has been spread on
anything from pizza to ice cream to being glazed on fries.
Salsa Macha
Grown 342% in the past four years
A salsa hailing from Veracruz, Mexico,
this sauce is made with a variety of dried peppers,
nuts and oil for a great combination of flavors.
Everything Bagel Spice
Grown 333% in the past four years
A spice mix perfect for everything from
pizza doughs to cream cheese spreads
and everything in between.
Zhug
Grown 130% in the past four years
Seen as the Yemeni equivalent to
Argentinian and Uruguayan chimichurri,
Zhug is packed with flavor with
plenty of hot peppers, garlic and coriander.
Make your masterpiece a seasonal affair with flavors that plus it up, whether it be for LTOs or specials¹.
- White BBQ
- Lemongrass
- Smoked Paprika
- Habanero Peppers
- Bacon Jam
- Creamy Garlic
- Horseradish Cream
- Caraway
- Mustard Cream
- Garlic Herb Butter
- Romesco
- Red Wine Sauce
- Chile Verde
- Tapenade
- Provençal
- Harissa
1 Datassential, The World of Savory Flavors, August 2023
Experiment with a plethora of styles for the palette (and palate). These are pizza styles that continue to see a rise in popularity with today’s patrons2:
Detroit
Known for its signature thick, square cut bottom layer of crust overflowing with delicious, melted cheese, Detroit style pizza is decadent and full of texture and flavor.
Sicilian
With a thick crust and rectangular shape, Sicilian pizzas are frequently topped with onions, anchovies, tomatoes, herbs and strong cheeses, making this a hearty meal.
New York
Derived from the Neapolitan-style pizza made in Italy and finding its start in New York City in the early 1900s, this style of pizza is characterized with its large hand-tossed thin crust in wide slices.
Chicago Thin
With a slim crust that has a distinctive crunch, Chicago’s thin crust pizza is known for its tavern-style presentation: squares as opposed to pizza wedges
Grandma and Deep Dish (Tie)
Grandma pizza is attributed to Long Island, New York and is reminiscent of the pizzas that were originally baked in the home by Italian women who did not have access to pizza ovens. Deep Dish pizza is equated with Chicago. With simple ingredients of pizza dough, tomato sauce and cheese; sometimes the easiest ingredients are the best ones.
Lenny Rago
“People want quality and they don’t mind paying the extra dollar for it. So don’t cheat your customers. Give them the best, charge a little more and they’ll be happy.”
Gene McWilliams
Ingredients are huge. So once I taste something, I try to pair what I think will go well. I always say, if you want to be a better chef, buy better ingredients and it’ll help you out tremendously.”
Tony Dezutter
“Smithfield’s consistency is bar none. Every time I open that package, I know exactly what I’m gonna get and it’s exactly what the customer’s expecting.”
Giovanni Labbate
“The secret to creating an artful pizza is really just in the chef’s vision. I look at the pizza as a canvas and we try to highlight certain things like ingredients and color.”