Master Pizza Chef Diana's Blog

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

2011-12-12T13:00:00.000-06:00

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I suppose I feel flattered that there are so many ‘gourmet’ pizzerias these days. More than a decade ago the trend was quantity over quality and we went against the herd to offer the best quality of pizzas that we could create using all natural ingredients like Olive Oil and 100% dairy cheeses.

We’ve always loved to create new and interesting tastes on pizza; this is how our ‘Taste of the Month’ pizzas that we feature in our monthly newsletter began. Every month we’ll bring in a new kind of cheese, or topping and create something completely different for the month. The most popular Taste of the Month pizzas are added to our regular menu.

Back in 2007 we brought on a slow-roasted pulled pork that we marinate with our Sweet’n’Tangy BBQ sauce and then add a splash of hot sauce for a little kick. It’s one of my personal favourites toppings , especially when paired with our dry-cured pepperoni and fresh hand cut pineapple with a cheddar cheese blend, which we call our “Sweet’n’Spicy Divine Swine”. This pizza was so popular that it was added to our menu back in 2008. I’m told of another pizza place in the city that claims to be the first to offer this ‘gourmet topping’, but since they didn’t exist in 2007, I don’t give it much thought.

When I was awarded “Canada’s best pizza chef of the year 2005” by Canadian Pizza magazine the editor flew out to spend the day with Pierre and I. He loved our newsletter and our unique approach to pizza and he asked me to write a regular column for the magazine. As a result I have exposed many other independent and chain pizzerias to our style and dedication to excellence in the art of pizza making. Today it isn’t uncommon to see more than one style of crust offered, more than one kind of sauce available and more than the 12 most common pizza toppings on pizza menus. I’ve been told by individuals who work for large pizza chains occupying positions from manager to franchisee, to VIP of operations, to CEO, that they read every column I write and they frequently check out our website and menu to see what the new trend is for pizza. I’m flattered and I am lucky to be considered an expert in my field, although I didn’t set out to be a leader in my industry and that aspect didn’t come about overnight.

My goal was to be known in Winnipeg as the place to go for great tasting gourmet pizzas; the awards, the media attention, the friendships with other talented pizza chefs from around the world and the honour of judging international competitions in Las Vegas and Italy are all cherries on top of a 20 year career focused on hard work and dedication to the art of pizza making.

Healthy Pizza is in Demand

2011-01-20T13:37:00.000-06:00

Pierre and I started watching Village On A Diet on CBC Monday nights and I have to say that I'm not surprised about the pizzeria owner. I was surprised that the chef created a pizza dough with flax seed because flax often cuts the gluten in the dough and creates tears when you slap it out, but I would've like to work with it and taste it. I'm a little disappointed that CBC didn't call me because I'd love the opportunity to showcase & share healthy pizza making recipes and tips. And although I've been told many times that I don't look like a award winning pizza chef, I think I'm a pretty healthy one. It may surprise you to know that Winnipeg doctors have been referring diabetic patients to us for over ten years. Our 100% whole wheat crust and low fat mozzarella is diet friendly and diabetic diet friendly.

Pizza can be delicious & nutritious, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Although not all pizzas are created equal and not all pizzas are made to be healthy.

On the show the pizzeria owner said they use a full fat mozzarella, which are usually around 35% m.f. whereas our mozzarella is a nice low fat one at 15% m.f.

For those of us who love real dairy cheeses, I always recommend a cheese blend; mix our low fat mozzarella with our medium sharp cheddar (30% m.f.), or with the garlic n chive havarti for something different. That way you get the additional flavour of the specialty, higher fat cheese without all of the added calories & fat which quickly turns into grease in the hot ovens.

Pile on the fresh veggies and you've got a great tasting and good for you meal.

The pizzeria owner on the show was resistant and seem to believe that if she adopted the healthy chef's suggestions she would be out of business shortly. She talked about her 'Northern style pizza' being in demand and while it may still be she is shortsighted in that her community is crying out for change, otherwise they would not be participating in this ambitious and important lifestyle change challenge.

I would offer an entire new line of healthy pizzas and invite the village to sample 'California style pizzas'. I'd make our whole wheat thin crust and our award winning marinara, low fat cheese and add some spinach with sundried tomatoes and a few fresh veggies from their garden - Yummeh! A couple of slices are perfect to snack on and great portion control too. Maybe throw some grilled pesto chicken breast on there or chick peas for added protein. I bet even the biggest guy in the village could get used to that kind of meal! You may also be surprised to know that we have many body builders who visit us regularly without spoiling their diets. Maybe one them would be willing to offer the villagers some helpful advice too.

That was the inspiration behind our 30 day pizza diet challenge. Not only do we believe that someone could lose weight by eating only our healthy pizzas for 30 days, but we also believe that because of the variety of sauces, cheeses & toppings we carry, they wouldn't get tired of it. This is a diet that anyone can stick to, which is one of the most difficult parts of dieting. As a side note I must say that not every pizza we make is healthy, for some of our clients it's not the primary reason they order a pizza from us. And I personally don't only eat our whole wheat pizzas with low fat mozzarella, there are days where I crave our deep dish Moosehead beer crust with double pepperoni and triple cheese and I satisfy that craving. BUT it's about balance.

We put our pizza diet challenge on hold because by the time we got things in place it was already October and the holidays were right around the corner so we thought we should postpone our challenge until the new year.

And here we are, January 2011. Seems that it's the perfect time to showcase how healthy pizza can be part of a healthy lifestyle. We will choose our candidates and launch our pizza diet challenge shortly. It'll be interesting to see the progress and the ongoing results, so stay tuned!

BTW if someone from CBC's Village on a Diet is reading this I'd be happy to offer my services (gratis) to the pizzeria owner of Taylor BC. I realize that filming is over, but the residents may or may not have reached their goals and good health is too important to give up on. Ever.

Gluten Free Pizza Available

2010-11-29T16:37:00.000-06:00

Back in 2008 we noticed we were getting more and more phone calls asking if we made a gluten free pizza. People with gluten allergies were begging us to make a gluten free pizza that they could eat – something palatable was requested, but they were really hoping for something tasty. They also needed to have confidence that it wouldn’t make them sick, that is to say, that special care in the preparation & cooking would be assured and they could enjoy a pizza like everybody else – except that it would be a gluten free pizza. In a way it was very flattering to hear requests from people with gluten allergies; many said that we are known for being the best when it comes to all things pizza and these people really missed pizza. We still get calls and questions every week about our gluten free pizza.

We took quite a while to develop our own gluten free pizza recipe and it’s been on the menu for about a year and a half. Our recipe is made in house—from scratch and we only make it early in the morning in small batches. We do this to limit the exposure to wheat flour. We could have sourced the pre-made shells like some other pizza places do, but we felt that we could do better. Italians have been making Gluten Free pizza for years and they even have a Gluten Free baking category at the World Pizza Championship games. What I’ve learned from my experience there is that they don’t like eggs in the dough, which is common in North American Gluten Free products. Our recipe is egg free.

While we were developing our gluten free pizza dough recipe we had several testers who tasted our sample batches and sent us evaluations of each test. We knew we had our final recipe when all the evaluations came back with “this tastes like pizza!!!” A big thanks again to all of our samplers, we really appreciated your honest feedback. Even though we had our winning recipe, we still had to figure out how to incorporate a from-scratch gluten free pizza into a busy ‘wheat’ pizzeria. We asked our friends in Australia and Italy how they have been able to offer it on their menus for the past 10 years. We developed our system based on many suggestions from these experts.

We have a special shelf inside our walk in where we make the gluten free pizzas. We use sauce, toppings and cheese from the walkin which have not been in our kitchen, exposed to the wheat dusting flour that we use to slap out our wheat pizzas. Whenever we get an order for a gluten free pizza, a Pizziolo takes a clean, fresh apron and makes that gluten free pizza in the walk in, then loads it in our granite stone conveyor oven. We use separate baking disks and we also use a separate cutting wheel for our gluten free pizzas. We take extra special care that our gluten free pizzas are not exposed to any wheat products. It’s a lot of work, but we realize that not caring could make someone very sick and that’s just not acceptable.

Part of the other challenge was to check with all our suppliers about whether or not their products were deemed “gluten-free”. Label laws in Canada allow for a small percentage of wheat flour to be included in a “spices” category listed on the label—and listed here are all of our gluten free pizza toppings.

Gluten Free toppings:
Meats: Buffalo Chicken, Cajun Chicken, Plain Chicken, Seasoned Chicken, Strip Bacon, Turkey Bacon, Plain Beef, Capicollo Ham, Oysters, Anchovies, Shrimp.

Veggies: All of them!!!!

Gluten Free Pizza Crusts made from scratch with: White Rice flour, Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Corn Flour, Corn Starch, Gluten Free Yeast, and Xanthan gum.
Available in 12” size only.

Gluten Free Specialty Pizzas*
When requested with gluten free pizza crust

Gourmet Hawaiian
Our signature marinara, Capicolla, Strip Bacon, Fresh Hand Cut Pineapple,
Monterey Jack Cheese Blend

Mexican*
*request with plain lean ground beef instead of seasoned beef, our signature marinara, Roma tomatoes, red onions and medium sharp cheddar

Classic Vegetarian
Our signature marinara, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, red onions & Roma tomatoes

Gourmet Vegetarian
Our signature marinara, chopped baby spinach, artichoke hearts, red onions & sundried tomatoes

Cheesy
Our signature marinara, mozzarella, medium sharp cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheeses

Big D’s Bodacious BLT “Canada’s Best Pizza 2006” – Canadian Pizza Magazine
No sauce, a blend of medium sharp cheddar & low fat mozzarella cheeses, capicolla ham, strip bacon, topped with fresh diced Roma tomatoes, ranch dressing, light pepper & sea salt finished with fresh chopped Romaine lettuce.

Havarti Heaven “Finalist for Best Pizza 2007” – Pizza Festiva
Olive oil & herb sauce, roasted red peppers, red onions, strip bacon & Cajun chicken with a blend of garlic’n’chive havarti & low fat mozzarella

Californian
Olive oil & herb sauce, low fat mozzarella cheese, seasoned chicken breast, chopped baby spinach, sundried tomatoes & Roma tomatoes

The Most Expensive Pizza in the Land

2010-11-24T17:12:00.001-06:00

We are definitely the most expensive pizza in the city, if not the highest price, then among the top 2. We might even be the most expensive pizza the country, although I thought I heard about a place that was putting gold flakes on their zzas and charging upwards of $100 for a small, 10” pie. Come to think about it, maybe that was one of those hoity toity places in New York.

Some think that our prices are so high just because we’ve won a few awards for our pizzas. (ok, like 5 “Best Pizza of the year 2005-2009”) While we don’t use inedible toppings like gold flakes or diamond studded earrings (now please don’t send me emails debating whether gold flakes are edible) we do use something almost as expensive; 100% Canadian dairy cheese.

Exactly why is Canadian dairy cheese so darn expensive? That’s a great question and I wish I could give you a simple answer but the facts are not stacked in my favour. Whatsmore, there is a 30% pricing difference between 100% Canadian dairy cheese that we use on our fresh pizzas versus 100% Canadian dairy cheese that we use on our frozen pizzas. WHAT?? You ask, that can’t be true – I made that up, you say~!?? Oh I wish it were so, but alas, no ‘tis true. Same cheese, different uses have different prices. That’s why our frozen gourmet pizzas are much, much less expensive than our fresh pizzas. That’s why all the frozen pizzas in grocery stores are so cheap. Nice of the big boys to compare their frozen pizzas to fresh pizzas from authentic pizzerias (like ours) every commercial break for every major game and popular TV show and not mention the built in price advantage, eh? (no, I’m not bitter). (ok, maybe just a little)

So then, how come there are so many pizza places selling fresh pizzas for $5-$10 for the last decade? AHA!! Well if you must know, they aren’t using 100% Canadian dairy cheese on those pies – they are using a substitute, an imitation, a mixture, a derivative of something else created to look like and kinda taste like real 100% Canadian dairy cheese, but cost a whole lot less.

Whether or not you can tell the difference isn’t the issue for today. Whether or not you care is. We are among the last of the holdouts for insisting on using 100% Canadian dairy cheese on our award winning, fresh pizzas. Canadian cheese prices are among the highest in the world – twice that of our friends in the USA. Is it any wonder that consumption of dairy products in Canada is at an all time low? We could use the same ‘cheeselike’ substances that our so-called competitors use and drop our prices, but we believe that our customers would drop us just as quickly. Still though, why can’t we use the same, 100% Canadian dairy cheese on our fresh pizzas that we use on our frozen pizzas? I mean, would the dairy police come and take us away in a milk truck? Would we be thrown in jail for using the more affordable 100% Canadian dairy cheese on our fresh pizzas and passing the savings on to our customers? It might sound silly, but no sillier than a 30% price difference for cheese because of the rules of engagement! It’s like having two separate prices for ball point pens; one higher if you use it on a notepads kept next to the phone, and one price lower if you promise to only use it on lined, legal size yellow paper.

Now I'm not an economist, nor a lobbyist, rather just a simple pizza chef with 20+ years of experience who knows quality ingredients and can say with a certain amount of confidence that giving all pizza makers access to the same low prices that only frozen pizza manufacturers currently have can only increase dairy consumption in Canada. Maybe this article from The Globe and Mail can explain our dairy system better than this pizza chef can.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/global-food/canadians-dont-know-the-price-of-milk/article1809689/

The Search is on for 2 Participants for "Diana's 30 Day Pizza Diet Challenge"

2010-08-01T16:20:00.000-05:00

Rules of Engagement
•Two people will be chosen to participate in this challenge.
•All participants must be able to pick up their pizzas everyday.
•Participants will receive two 10” pizzas per day
•Participants are allowed to choose either whole-wheat original or whole-wheat thin crust.
•Participants are allowed low fat mozzarella or a cheese blend as their cheese choice. No extra or double cheese options allowed.
•Each pizza can have a maximum of one lean meat choice (Capicolla, Lean ground beef, grilled chicken breast) and as many veggies as they desire. (Veggies Are Encouraged)
•Participants are encouraged to change the sauce, cheese option and toppings so that they don’t become tired of ‘same old, same old’ tastes.
•No soft drinks are to be consumed during this challenge. Water is suggested, diet soft drinks, coffee or tea allowed. No Lattes, specialty coffees, Slurpees or other high sugar/calorie beverages.
•No alcoholic beverages should be consumed during the 30 Day Pizza Diet Challenge.
•30 minutes of moderate exercise per day is encouraged (walking, jogging, yoga, pilates, push-ups, dance your ass off, air band, etc…)
•Participants agree to fill out a daily activities and food & beverage log every day
•Participants agree to get measured a minimum of twice a week when they are picking up their pizzas.
•Before and after pictures and a progress report will be posted on Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria’s Facebook page and may be used in their advertising.
•Participants agree to make themselves available for media interviews.
•Participants will supply a doctor’s note stating they are able to participate in this challenge.
Have you got what it takes? Ready to apply? Click on the link below - or stop by the pizzeria to pick up an application:
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2yuvvn0gbjnufmq/start

Tour De Pizza

2010-07-05T14:55:00.000-05:00

A pizza guy in the US has is on a 1,300 mile mission dubbed the “Tour de Pizza” on his bicycle. He’s promoting that pizza is actually very healthy and that it’s all about selecting your toppings wisely, portion control and exercise.

I’ve been saying that for over a decade, our menu is loaded with healthy choices like low-fat mozzarella, lean grilled chicken breast, fresh veggies not to mention our 100% whole wheat crust option. On more than one occasion, I’ve been told “you don’t look like an award winning pizza chef”, which I always have to ask; “What does an award winning pizza chef look like?” The answer is always that I should be as round as I am tall.

Pizza has been getting a bad rap for years, while it’s true that many low price pizzas are made with fake cheeses and imitation meats loaded with fillers & by-products, the essential, all natural ingredients found in high quality pizzas are indeed healthy.

This guy has lost 25 lbs in 30 days...does anyone need more proof than that?
Check out the full story here;
http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/06/15/1275199/bicyclist-fueled-by-pizza.html

Now I’m not supposed to diet while breastfeeding, and the truth is that I’ve already lost most of my pregnancy weight, but when it comes time to drop the rest you can bet that I’ll be on ‘the healthy pizza diet’.

In the meantime, this gave us an idea for a great way to showcase the healthy nature of our menu so we’re looking for a couple of individuals to participate in ‘the Diana’s 30-day healthy pizza diet challenge’.

The successful candidates would be motivated to lose pounds while eating our healthy pizza for at least 2 meals of the day. We’ll provide the healthy pizza for the 30 day diet and monitor daily/weekly weigh ins. Proper portion control and moderate exercise is also a key component of this plan.

So how about it, do you know someone who’d be willing to take the ‘Diana’s 30-day healthy pizza diet challenge’ ?

2009 Top Ten Gourmet Pizzas at Diana's Gourmet Pizzeria

2010-05-18T16:45:00.000-05:00

Our customers have voted! Ladies and gentlemen, the top ten favourite, award winning gourmet pizzas from our menu for 2009 are….(drum roll please)

10. Bacon Double Cheese features our signature marinara, 100% lean cooked ground beef, maple smoked crumbled bacon, red onions, extra mozzarella & medium sharp cheddar cheeses.

9. Gourmet Veggie with our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, chopped baby spinach, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and red onions.

8. Classic Veggie features our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, Roma tomatoes and red onions.

7. BBQ chicken with BBQ sauce, grilled BBQ chicken breast, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions with mozzarella and medium sharp cheddar cheese blend.

6. Havarti Heaven a.k.a. “Finalist for 2007 Gourmet Pizza of the Year” featuring olive oil & herb sauce, roasted red peppers, red onions, strip bacon & grilled Cajun chicken breast with a blend of garlic‘n’chive Havarti and low fat mozzarella cheeses.

5. Hawaiian featuring our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, smoked ham, pineapple and maple smoked crumbled bacon.

4. Diana Supreme featuring our signature marinara, green peppers, dry cured pepperoni, smoked ham, 100% lean cooked ground beef, Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, pineapple, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions smothered with double mozzarella (low –fat).

3. Ultimate Pepperoni - a.k.a. “Canada’s Best Pizza 2007” – World Pizza Championship games features our signature marinara, two layers of dry cured pepperoni on a bed of garlic’n’chive Havarti & low fat mozzarella on a Moosehead beer crust.

2. Canadian featuring our signature marinara, dry cured pepperoni, fresh mushrooms & maple smoked crumbled bacon.

1. Diana's Deluxe featuring our signature marinara, low fat mozzarella cheese, green peppers, dry cured pepperoni, fresh mushrooms, maple smoked crumbled bacon & red onions.

Words of Wisdom from a New Mom

2010-05-11T14:14:00.006-05:00

Everything I need to know in life I learned from my newborn

Life is precious, enjoy every minute because when that minute has passed, so has our ability to be in that moment. We can relive those moments in our memories, but only if we were fully present in the first place.

We all need to experience touch, skin to skin contact daily. Why else are we covered from head to toe with it? Skin-to-skin contact releases oxytocin, the all natural, feel-good endorphin that our brain creates so we can feel happiness and joy. It’s how we feel connected to each other; it bonds us to our loved ones. How many people suffering from depression or addictions might show big improvements with a little human contact? Has anyone ever done a study on depression to see how long the last time these individuals had daily hugs and skin-to-skin contact? Hug your loved ones each and every day. Even your teenagers, even if they say they don’t want hugs – we all need them.

Breast milk is the best nutrition for us when we start off in life – it is liquid gold. Mother Nature built us to be able to care for our offspring, provided we take good care of ourselves, we just have to follow her lead.

A good poop feels great. A good fart feels pretty good too.

No one likes to sit with a poopy bum.

A good burp feels great.

Sleep is good.

Babies are born with the rooting instinct, which is a soft sucking motion, like a kiss. Could this be how kisses originated as an expression of love between humans?
Newborns are pure love and joy, the most powerful emotion/energy in the universe. People all over the world react to them with softness and love. Anyone who thinks that we are born evil has had their head screwed on backwards.

We all like to be snuggled in a soft blanket because it reminds us of the security of the womb.

We are born with the ability to sense energy around us and it affects us greatly. Eliminate tension and negativity from our environment and ourselves whenever we feel it. How do we do that? Take a deep breath and as you let it out replace every other thought with feelings of love.

Laughter is for the soul what food is for the body. Naturally entertaining, it feels great and we can share it with others or we can do it on our own.

We are spiritual beings living a human experience.

We like movement, staying still is not in our nature. We enjoy rocking, swaying and dancing because it reminds us of being in the womb.

You cannot give to others that which you deny yourself. Give to yourself first so that it’s in you to give to others.

This is all we need to be happy and fulfilled, it seems to me that the older we get and the further away from the first few weeks of life, we forget how important these things are to feel connected to each other and our environment. We search outside ourselves for answers to happiness and fulfillment. Over time, we lose the closeness that we once had with loved ones and we’re not sure why. We forget that we can sense the energy of our surroundings and the people in it and how much it can affects us. We forget that we create our own energy vibrations with our thoughts and feelings. We dismiss and deny the importance of meeting our most basic needs on a daily basis, arrogantly thinking that a happy life can’t be that simple. It is. You just have to spend a day with a newborn to believe it’s true.

Healthy Pizza in Demand

2010-05-08T14:30:00.001-05:00

More and more Canadians are demanding healthier meal options for themselves and their families. Like it or not, most Canadians do read the nutritional labels on products before deciding whether or not to purchase the item. Women, who still do the majority of household shopping, are the most likely to read the nutritional information.

Food manufacturing companies have noticed and are even adding things like Omega 3, DHA and extra iron to everything from yogurt to bread. Health Canada is demanding that restaurants reduce the amount of sodium in their dishes, although so far they’ve neglected to impose the same threats on all the ‘heat & serve’ meal options at the grocery store and the recommended levels of sodium are still in debate. There is a lot of discussion of banning trans-fats, which New York City did this past year. It makes a great deal of sense, a healthier population means less dollars need to be spent on health care and an overall better quality of life; call it preventative health care.

The movement toward healthier meals was instigated by the consumer. Back in 2000, we began making a line of 100% whole wheat pizza crusts and while it took time to catch on, today it represents 40% of our sales. Paired with our low fat mozzarella, a few vegetables and our lean grilled chicken breast it’s not just healthy, it’s also quite delicious. These days, Canadian consumers expect to find heart smart and heart healthy meal options on our menu – even on fast food menus. More and more chains are adding these options to their menus and are having positive feedback.

Most places are reactive about this change in the marketplace. Several companies thought that it was simply a trend which would pass quickly and failed to accommodate what’s now an expectation. The companies that are constantly asking and exposing their customers to different options which they may not have previously known about are in a better position to be ahead of the curve and profit from this change in consumer tastes.

At Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria, we have always polled our customers and created pizzas and menu items to cater to them. Our whole wheat crust began in very small batches, with free samples slices to gauge our customers’ reactions. About a year ago we started getting calls requesting gluten-free pizza. The number of calls increased every week, so we decided it would be wise to invest time in creating a recipe. We spent about 6 months developing a from scratch recipe and then incorporating it into a busy pizzeria that specializes in wheat pizzas. The day we launched our gluten-free pizza crust, we already had a list of customers who were eagerly anticipating it.

Back in October 2009, we had the fortune of working with some folks at the Canadian International Grains Institute on perfecting a barley flour pizza crust. Barley is beneficial by providing both soluble and insoluble fibre, whereas whole wheat flour only has insoluble fibre. North American diets are severely lacking in fibre and our initial batches have had very positive tasting results from staff and customers alike. Just a little more tweaking to our recipe and we’ll likely add it to the menu as a taste of the month later this year. Depending on the response, it may end up on our menu as a permanent heart healthy choice.

We’ve also been taste testing turkey bacon as another heart smart option. Many of our regular customers are baby boomers and like my husband, have been told by their physicians to cut down on red meat. Customer reactions to sample slices with turkey bacon have been extremely positive, so positive that it’s been one of our featured ‘taste of the month’ since December 2009.

Regardless of whether you thought healthy pizza was a fad or a fleeting trend, you have to be living under a rock not to notice the increased demand for healthier meals in 2009. 2010 will no doubt be more of the same.

Diana's Gourmet Pizzeria is Here to Stay!

2010-05-03T16:15:00.002-05:00

There seems to be a misunderstanding about an article in the Winnipeg Sun that I was quoted for a few weeks ago.
The article was about the upcoming minimum wage increase to $9.50 per hour. In addition to co-owning Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria, I’m also on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Restaurant and Food Association (CRFA) and as such I was contacted by a reporter for the Winnipeg Sun to comment on the fifty cent increase to minimum wage and what effect that would have on the restaurant industry.

Part of my comments were in regards to what our company needs to do in order to remain competitive – which is to cut hours off of our schedule or to increase sales substantially. The former is easier, the latter is difficult to do in the best of times, never mind in the current economic conditions. Since the article was in the paper, many restaurants have already raised their prices as a result of the government’s decision. I was also expressing my outrage that the day after the NDP government announced the wage hike, they have the audacity to ask all the unions for a 2 year wage freeze ‘due to economic difficulties’. Apparently this government doesn’t think that businesses have been living through those same economic difficulties and therefore could (and should!) also benefit from wage freezes. I might find the hypocrisy amusing, if it wasn’t going to add $16,000 to my payroll.

The other part of my comments were in regard to independent restaurants in general, the truth being that many would close their doors because they’re unable to absorb another fifty cent wage increase in addition to increases for all other input costs. The restaurant industry operates on very slim profit margins, typically between 2-5% and almost all independent restaurants are operated by the owners. It would seem that some people think that all small business owners are evil, greedy and are cutting ourselves million dollar cheques, when in fact, most of us work side by side our staff, putting in longer hours and often without a paycheque. We come in when employees call in sick, we pay thousands of dollars into EI for our employees, yet as owners we aren’t eligible for the same benefits, like maternity leave.

There are 500 fewer restaurants in Manitoba today than 10 years ago, that’s one restaurant a week shutting down. I have personally met many of the families behind these closings and can tell you first hand that many of them have sunk all their life savings in their dream of owning a restaurant, only to discover that this industry requires an incredible amount of work and has an insatiable appetite for cash. I often say that the restaurant industry is the easiest business to get into, the hardest to stay in and the most difficult to make a profit.

Many people posted comments online, almost half of whom were ill informed of the facts. Some people wrote things like ‘it’s only fifty cents’, not doing the math correctly. It would ‘only be fifty cents’ if it was only one employee, who only worked for one hour each payroll. I don’t know any businesses, big or small that have one employee working one hour every pay period.

What wasn’t in the article was the fact that many of my staff already make more than minimum wage, they’ve been with us a while and have mastered the skills needed to work with us AND that is reflected in their wages. We all can’t fathom paying a new hire the same wage as the trainee – and everybody needs training, people no longer come with skills. This means that we need to have a trainer teach the new guy that just running cold water over a dirty dish isn’t actually ‘doing the dishes’. It may surprise you to know that it costs an average of $1500 - $2500 to train a new employee and also not all employees work out. In the more than 12 years that we’ve owned our business we have worked with many great people, but we’ve also had to let people go for not showing up (or only showing up when it’s convenient for them), not treating our customers right, not treating other staff members right, stealing, poor work ethic, closing early, damaging equipment and a host of other things I’d rather not get into. This is the reality of owning a business these days and when the government decides to increase minimum wage it increases the cost of training while devaluing those same skills required for our industry.

Some people misread the article and comments and then incorrectly assumed that Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria is closing down – which is not true. We are well established, well known and have a loyal clientele for which we are very grateful for. Most independent restaurants are not as fortunate, and as a director for the CRFA I spoke up on their behalf. Someone needed to.

For the record, I strongly disagree with the government induced inflation. Raising minimum wage does nothing to lower poverty rates, if it did, we would have seen positive results within the past 3 years while minimum wage has increased 33%. There is no data to support the argument that raising minimum wage lowers poverty rates; in fact there is evidence that shows just the opposite. Raising minimum wage is a ploy to look good for the voters; however it is really increasing taxes for the minimum wage earner. What we should all ask for, what would make a difference for everyone, is to increase the minimum taxation level. That way, every Manitoban with an income will get a raise. Some Manitobans will spend all their money, others will invest part and spend part, others will save part and many will donate more to charities – and all this will stimulate the economy. The government will collect more taxes from the increased spending and we the people would get to enjoy more of the money we earn. It’s a win-win-win situation.

Should you happen hear a rumour that Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria is closing, please set the record straight with the facts taken directly from the top; we’re not going anywhere. We have adjusted our hours of operation and are now closing one hour earlier, however you’ll still find us open for lunch and dinner each and every day.

You Didn’t Think You Were Getting REAL Mozzarella Cheese On That $5 Pizza, Did’ya?

2008-10-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

You Didn’t Think You Were Getting REAL Mozzarella Cheese On That $5 Pizza, Did’ya?

I got a flyer in the mail the other day from one of the Top 3 pizza chains, advertising a ‘new’ line of designer pizzas, with, (of all things) 100% REAL Canadian Mozzarella cheese. Yes, it appears that they are now offering to put REAL mozzarella on their pizzas, but not for the usual $5 a pizza price, no. They are marketing this designer line of pizzas as ‘gourmet’ because they put REAL mozzarella on them, so they’re $8 each.
This is no surprise to us at Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria, we’ve been educating people for years. The facts are that the top pizza chains are NOT using REAL mozzarella, they are using either soy or canola based imitation cheeses. One fellow came in on the weekend to pick up his pizza and asked if our pizzas had any transfats, (which they do not!) because he was disgusted to find out that the ’30 minute delivery place’ uses imitation cheese that are loaded with transfats.
I hate to say it, but it seems like a gimme in the twenty-first century, ‘You didn’t think you were getting REAL mozzarella cheese on that $5 Pizza, did’ya?’ If you really, truly did, then I have a bridge you might be interested in buying.