Two arcminute into a conversation with Scott Wiener you could tell the human beings is haunt . The 32 - class - old , who lives in Brooklyn , be intimate pizza like nobody else . He loves it so much he ’s made a careeranda life out of it : He ’s the author of the unequivocal Bible on pizza box design , arrest the Guinness World Record for big pizza corner ingathering ( 775 and counting ) , compose forPizza Todaymagazine , judge pizza competitions , and founded the only go in the country — mayhap the world — solely consecrate not to pizza parlor but to “ pizza itself , ” he says of the competently key out Scott ’s Pizza Tours .
When Wiener was growing up , it had been a joke among his friends that he was “ thatinto pizza pie , ” he says . But he never considered it a vocation path : He make in television receiver and medicine and spend some time as a caretaker living on the only surviving Ellis Island ferryboat . Then , in 2007 , for his twenty-sixth birthday party , he go all out : He rent a busbar , put together pizza - related goodie bags , and bid a mathematical group of friends to join him on a pizza - eat up tour of New York City . It was a mean solar day that would change his spirit .
Six month after , he ’d taken his pizza - company concept and made it his profession , offer up busbar and walking tour in New York to paying customers . Around that same time , he traveled to Israel , where he noticed “ some stunning pizza box specimens . ” Collecting them , too , became an obsession .
Joshua Scott
9:01 a.m.
Most morning time , Scott starts out with a swimming at the YMCA , followed by a bowlful of oatmeal to prepare for a day of pizza pie eating . ( He limits himself to 15 slices weekly , which he pass over with an app . ) ensconce into his post full of pizza pie boxes , he fires off a few electronic mail . As his Skype call begins , Scott remembers it ’s his mammy ’s birthday . He jumps up to call her quickly , telling her , “ You ’re the most significant one ! ”
9:43 a.m.
It ’s no surprise that the majority of Scott ’s frozen solid food fit a certain theme : citizenry are always sending him pizza . There ’s also some brisket his mom made . He grind through the foil - wrapped items to show us a pizza he made in January 2013 . ( briefly after our sojourn , he throw it out “ to make room for more frozen pizza . ” )
10:30 a.m.
People just “ give me pizza pie thing , ” says Scott . This pizza umbrella was made by a friend and has pizzeria locations note — with tiny plastic pizzas — on a map of downtown Manhattan that can be translate from the interior , in case of a showery - day pizza pie - mergency .
11:50 a.m.
Before our Greenwich Village tour begins , a humans walks by wipe out pizza . “ That ’s the 2nd person I ’ve seen eat a slicing ! ” cry Scott , who ’s changed into his official tour dress . There are nine of us , including two yoke from New Jersey and a woman from Korea . Tours vary widely ; whoever is there define the day , read Scott . There have even been marriage marriage offer and one wedding party , which he officiate .
12:07 p.m.
Being buddies with pizzeria proprietor all over townspeople means Scott gets to take on chef every now and then . At Keste , a Neapolitan pizzeria with a dome - shaped Grant Wood - burning brick oven stir up as red-hot as 930 level , Scott encourages us to touch the dough . “ Dough is alive , and pizza is all about how hired hand interact with the dough , ” he enjoin us as we ooh and ahh over its softness . He shovel it into the oven ; within second gear , a focaccia go forth .
12:55 p.m.
“ I move fast in the morning , ” Scott explained earlier . He also move fast in the good afternoon . There ’s a lot to cover where pizza is concerned , so he walk and negotiation , send away fact . Here ’s one : When pizza chefs practise make pizza , they often use rigatoni ( yes , the alimentary paste ) or else of cheese — it ’s flash than impudent mozzarella and weighs about the same . Here ’s another : A pizza pie oven can count as much as 3,000 quid .
1:06 p.m.
At a happy chance between pizzerias , Scott pulls out a binder and gives us a mini lesson on grain . Wheat source impacts flour options , and historically , pizza shop have had to depend on local flour . Some flours are much finer than others ; “ 00 ” flour is the okay grain you may get and what ’s used in Neapolitan pizza ( which is why the lolly is so soft ) . Generally , the coarser the grain , the more time the pizza will need in the oven .
1:28 p.m.
Scott ’s infrared thermometer come from an on-line prick shop class and is typically used to check heating and air conditioning . He draw it out on term of enlistment to demonstrate oven and pizza open temperatures and “ to avoid pizza burn , ” which happens when slices are more than 175 level . When he insure a few seconds afterwards , the temperature reads 168 , and “ this pizza is open for business . ”
1:32 p.m.
Among Scott ’s many pizza hacks is a tip for divvying up a just- bake Proto-Indo European : Just sneak in a fork between the slice sections at the freshness and twist to separate . ( For more hacks , natter mentalfloss.com/pizzahacks . ) He shows us this at Fiore ’s , where a gas deck oven is used , meaning a longer bake meter . Quickly , we eat on . As Scott say , “ If there ’s one thing I respect in the world , it ’s the sanctity of fresh pizza pie . ”
4:40 p.m.
The term of enlistment fill out , we strike Staples , where Scott cuts Slice Out Hunger flier to pass out at the clowning show . The Slice Out Hunger yearly pizza pie - eating issue began six year ago as an anniversary political party for Scott ’s Pizza Tours . Each slice is $ 1 , and all proceeds go to Food Bank for New York City . Last class , $ 20,000 was raised , funding 100,000 meal for the needy .
7:25 p.m.
At the comedy show , talk again turns , of course , to pizza . in the beginning in the day , I ’d asked Scott if he ever got annoyed being asked so many dubiousness about pizza . “ That ’s what I ’m there for , ” he say . “ If my 12 - year - old self thought I would grow up to think ‘ What ’s your preferred pizza pie ? ’ is the worst doubt , well , that ’s still the unspoilt . ”
