From the Editor: What’s ahead for 2020!

How do you like our new look? It’s just one of our exciting changes in store for 2020. This year Canadian Pizza turns 25, so I’m taking a moment to celebrate the milestone by telling you what’s ahead for 2020!

We decided to treat ourselves to a makeover. Along with the new cover and layout changes, we’ve added a new back-page column called Cross-Canada Viewpoint. Here you’ll read about pizzeria operators from across Canada and have a chance to share your own views on a wide range of topics. Each column will pose a question and share the views of different operators. Questions can be sparked by any conversation, so reach out to us on any subject of concern. If it’s on your mind, you can bet it’s on someone else’s. Cross-Country Viewpoint is meant as a place to air your opinions for the benefit of other readers and we hope you’ll turn to it eagerly with every issue.

Our website was updated late last year, so if you haven’t checked it out, head over to canadianpizzamag.com. We hope you’ll find the new site easy to navigate. A tip: hold down the menu button in the top-left part of the screen to see a drop-down menu that shows you every section of the website – products, events, videos, podcasts, the pizza summit and more. We also share some of our news and features on social media and through our enewsletter every other Thursday, so those are other ways to keep in the loop.

Interested in dough and crust trends? We are hard at work on a very cool digital edition for you. Last fall, our digital magazine, “About the Pizza!,” took readers on a virtual tour of Canadian pizza styles from coast to coast to coast. “About the Dough!” will explore innovative ingredients, inclusions, infusions, fermentations and pizza shapes. Watch for that eblast coming to you in April!

Now for exciting news of a different kind. In addition to our Canadian Pizza Summit in Toronto, Ont., on Oct. 19 at Faema Canada, we are proud to bring you Pizza Summit West in Burnaby, B.C., at EM Bakery Equipment on June 8! With so many engaged readers in western Canada, we at Canadian Pizza for some time have wanted to stage an event west of the Rockies. We’ll now have a Pizza Summit West in June and Pizza Summit East in October, each offering a chance to win a trip to compete at the Las Vegas Pizza Expo in 2021! That means pizza chefs can compete in either B.C. or Ontario. It also means there’ll be two Chefs of the Year, two exciting Mystery Ingredient Challenges, two rip-roaring Great Pizza Box Fold-Offs and two opportunities to network and research trends! Check back with canadianpizzashow.com later in March for details on how to enter and attend!

Speaking of trends, this issue we take an in-depth look at what plant-based eating may mean for your menu and see the forest through the eyes of a seasoned forager in Newfoundland. We learn what Rodolfo Santo, our Chef of the Year in the Traditional division, is up to in the kitchen.

On the operations side, we learn what to consider when handing off your business to the next generation. And, in our first Cross-Canada Viewpoint, we’ll hear from operators on the topic of delivery and how – if at all – they are changing their delivery model. Enjoy!

Tell us what you’d like to read about in 2020. This magazine is for you and about you and we’re committed to bringing you the information and inspiration you need to run your business effectively. Don’t be shy!

May 2020 bring you happiness in your life and prosperity in your business!