Willy Olund took second place within the Worldwide Pizza Problem’s non-traditional class on the 2010 Worldwide Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.
Q. Coming into Worldwide Pizza Problem could be a daunting process. Why enter a gluten-free pizza quite than a extra conventional providing?
A: Once I developed the gluten-free crust, we obtained nice response instantly. Folks that don’t even eat gluten-free or have to eat gluten-free have been making an attempt it and loving it. I had a girl … who was coming in frequently, and she or he mentioned she had a pal who had competed in a gluten-free class in Italy — and our pizza regarded so much higher than that pizza. I assumed to myself, ‘Nicely, it’s time that I competed.’
Q. How effectively do gluten-free pizzas promote at Willy O’s?
A: We’re promoting most likely within the neighborhood of 250 or 300 every week. At this level, it’s pretty new. We’re simply now getting recognized for it with Willy O’s being as new as it’s it’s solely 17 (or) 18 months outdated.
Q. One of many greatest considerations of providing gluten-free merchandise is cross contamination. How do you keep away from it?
A: We do it just like how somebody would do it in their very own kitchen, and that’s paying shut consideration to what we’re doing and the way we’re doing it. Each time, earlier than we make any pizza, we expect to ourselves, ‘is that this gluten or gluten-free?’ So we do quite a lot of handwashing (and) quite a lot of altering of the instruments we’re utilizing to ensure we’re staying on the gluten-free aspect. Our aim within the close to future, as quick as we’re rising, is to open a brand new facility. In that, we’re constructing two kitchens to make it simpler. We really feel it’s simpler that means, however I don’t assume it’s unattainable the way in which that it’s (now).
Q. A lot of what you make in-house is home made. How are you holding prices down in such a extreme financial system?
A: We’re actually making an attempt to maintain prices down through the use of all of our merchandise in order that we don’t have any that we have to throw away. … Proper now, for us, we’re not in a low-dollar pizza vary. Although we’ve 5 pizzerias that we will see out our window, we aren’t competing with these. We’re the one one with high-quality pizza, so we will demand the worth that we’d like for the standard that we serve.
Q. We all know you’re employed together with your spouse, Carla. What recommendation would you give to somebody coming into the business about working with household?
A: I believe it’s good in that household is to be trusted. That’s one factor that you’ve got going for you. You must have the identical objectives. There are all the time pitfalls (and) issues identical to with every other worker.
