Welcome back to Pizza Quest for another new season of conversations with very interesting people.

Ellen King, whose bakery in Evanston, Illinois, Hewn, has become legendary for its beautifully crafted breads and pastries using regionally specific flour and local grains. Ellen explains the vision behind the bakery's name and she shares the story of her long and winding journey to fulfill that vision, which emerged over time, to marry her love of art with her love for bread. This episode is for those of us bread geeks who never tire of drilling down deep in our quest for beauty, especially as found in a loaf of bread. Look for her book, “Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Made With Artisan Flour From Hewn Bakery” at your favorite book seller.

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Garrett McPerry fell down the sourdough rabbit hole about eight years ago, started selling loaves at his local farmers market and, fueled by the public's enthusiastic response, just kept drilling deeper until, two years ago, when he and his wife Lauren opened a brick and mortar bakery cafe called Tommy & Atticus, where the lines are often around the block, the sandwiches sell out by 1:30, and then the pizzas fly out of the oven and are gone by 3 PM. To hear how they got that name, how he finally gave up his day job as an accountant and went all in, and everything else about their phenomenal success story, join me in this lively conversation with Garrett McPerry of Tommy & Atticus.

Also, to see the entire menu, go to their website at https://www.tommyandatticus.com/ Their journey has been a wild and crazy ride and one that will inspire you all.

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For the past 65 years I have been in an ongoing dialogue with my childhood friend, Howard (aka Howie) Brownstein. Howie used to work as a delivery driver for Mama's Pizzeria, which many of you know as the place I revere as cheesesteak heaven. When he couldn't work his shifts he would ask me to fill in for him and the inter-weaving aromas of Mama's super-cheesy pizzas and juicy cheesesteaks (both of which relying on Mama's secret 3-cheese blend) embedded a powerful taste and olfactory memory, associated specifically with Mama's, that has forever driven my never-ending quest for the perfect pizza. In the meantime, Howard became an internationally successful expert in something called "turnaround and crisis management." For the past forty years, he has regaled me with stories of his adventures interceding for companies (and their families) for whom he is often their last hope before they lose everything. His "turnaround" journey is not unlike my own adventures with pizza (except that turnaround intervention pays much better) and it also serves as another ideal metaphor for the journey of self-discovery, resilience, and the overcoming of adversity, as you will hear in this engaging conversation with the best "fixer" I know. Enjoy....

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