Passion for Pizza A Journey Through Thick and Thin to Find the Pizza Elite

Passion for Pizza celebrates the people, personalities, and stories behind one of the world's favorite foods. Not only a cookbook and a history book, it is also a tribute to the people and places that makes this dish a global favorite. It is a beautifully illustrated volume by a team of award-winning authors, photographers, and designers who diligently followed the smell of great pizza to wherever it led them. Passion for Pizza begins in Italy, introducing readers to pizzaioli in places such as Naples, Rome, and Palermo. Next up is the pizza of New York, Chicago, and California, where it's as essential as baseball and mom's apple pie. The authors visit the people who produce the cheeses, tomatoes, flour, and other ingredients used in pizza making, showing the global reach of locally sourced foods. This exuberant tour guide digs deep into pizza culture with interviews of oven-makers, consultants, professors, acrobats, and journalists.

With more than 50 easy-to-follow recipes for individual pizzas and crusts, over 40 pizzeria profiles, and 20 profiles of the people behind the pizza, this book inspires home cooks and aficionados alike.

Craig Whitson is a restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known as the Grill King of Norway, and has lived there since moving from his native Oklahoma in 1980. He won the award for "Food Person" of the year at Norway's largest culinary festival in 2003.

Tore Gjesteland is the owner of the Jonas B. Gunderson restaurants, and has received a total of six gold medals in the Hospitality Service Management Association International (HSMAI) marketing competition.

Mats Widen’s photography has been published in more than 10 cookbooks. Mats did the photography for Cognac, Calvados and Armagnac, which was a winner of a Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2001, and was also a prize winner in Norway for best photo and design.

Kenneth Hansen was the designer for Cognac, Calvados and Armagnac as well as several other titles with the Bølgen & Moi team. He also operates his own company Blaane Guiding Great Brands AS, where he serves as the Senior Creative Director/Art Director.