BACK
BACK EVERYONE. EIGHT FORTY SEVEN ON OUR TUESDAY MORNING NOW WITH A PASSION FOR THE
RESTAURANT AND HOSPITALITY
INDUSTRY FROM BIG WILLIE'S
PIZZA WAS INSPIRED TO FIND A
CREATIVE WAY TO GIVE BACK TO
WORKERS WITHIN THE INDUSTRY WHO
HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE
PANDEMIC JOINS US THIS MORNING
TO TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW HE'S
HELPING OUT LOCAL RESTAURANTS
AND SERVICE WORKERS. AND WE'RE
SO EXCITED TO HAVE HIM HERE NOT
ONLY BECAUSE HE'S SHOWING US
HOW HE MAKES PIZZA WHERE HE IS
BUT HE ALSO SENT SOME IN FOR US
TO ENJOY HERE IN THE STUDIO.
GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING
WITH US THIS MORNING. HOW ARE
YOU? I'M DOING GREAT. HOW ARE
YOU DOING? I'M DOING GOOD. I'M
GOOD. I'M DOING GOOD. I'M
GETTING READY TO MAKE SOME
PIZZAS TODAY. THAT'S RIGHT. AND
YOU'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR A
WHILE NOW. I WAS CHECKING UP ON
YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE. YOU'RE
YOU'RE WORKING HARD MAKING
THESE AWESOME PIZZAS. TELL US
ABOUT WHAT KIND OF INSPIRED YOU
TO START BIG WILLIE'S PIZZA
PIES FOR A CAUSE? WELL, YOU
KNOW, WHEN THEY'RE CAME ALONG
YOU KNOW WHAT MY FRIENDS AND MY
MY CUSTOMERS I WORKED FOR THIS
COMPANY. EVERYBODY GOT LAID OFF
AND YOU KNOW, NOBODY WAS ABLE
TO WORK ON WAS HARD GETTING
FOOD ON PEOPLE'S PLATES AND I
WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH I WAS
ABOUT SIX MONTHS AWAY FROM
RETIRING SO I KIND OF FORCED ME
INTO GOING INTO EARLY
RETIREMENT AND I THOUGHT ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, HOW CAN I GET BACK TO
THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN
PART OF MY LIFE FOR FORTY FIVE
YEARS. I WAS THE EXECUTIVE CHEF
THE U.S. GRANTS THE SHERATON
HOTEL AND THESE PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN BY MY SIDE FOREVER. THE
WINE, THE SOUS CHEFS, THE
WAITERS, THE BARTENDERS, THE
DISHWASHERS AND THOSE PEOPLE
ARE REALLY STRUGGLING, YOU
KNOW, AND THEY'RE STILL
STRUGGLE AND THEN SO I GET BACK
ALL THE PROCEEDS. I TAKE THE
MONEY FOR MY WOOD, THE BOXES
AND THE PRODUCT AND ANY MONEY
LEFT OVER AT THE END OF THE
MONTH I GIVE A FIVE HUNDRED
DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATES TO
ANYBODY IN THE HOSPITALITY
INDUSTRY THAT NEEDS SOME HELP.
THAT'S A SO FAR TODAY OF THE
FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. WOW. I
MEAN THAT'S INCREDIBLE TO HEAR
AND I EVEN SAW ON YOUR FACEBOOK
PAGE YOU'VE GOT YOUR PHONE
NUMBER THERE AND HOW PEOPLE CAN
CONTACT YOU IF THEY'RE IN NEED
OF THIS MONEY. SHOW US YOU'RE
THEY'RE MAKING PIZZAS RIGHT NOW
OF THE DIFFERENT PIZZAS THAT
YOU HAVE THERE, WHAT KIND
OF PIZZAS YOU OFFER AND HOW YOU
GET THOSE GOING BY. DO I MAKE
DOUGH AND MANAGEMENT IS VERY
IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU GOT TO BE
ABLE TO PREDICT HOW LONG THE
DOUGH IS GOING TO LAST FOR AND
THE FERMENTATION AND
TEMPERATURE THE DOUGH I MAKE A
CLASSIC SICILIAN WHICH IS MY
GRANDMOTHER'S RECIPE FOR THE
DOUGH WHICH IS A THICK CRUST
OF PIZZA. I DO A THAT'S A
PEPPERONI CLASSIC WHICH IS MY
BIGGEST SELLER. I ALSO DO WITH
FIVE NEOPOLITAN PIZZAS THAT I
REALLY PUT A LOT OF TIME AND
RESEARCH IN TO GET IT TO BE
PERFECT. I USE ALL FRESH
INGREDIENTS. I MAKE MY OWN
MEATBALLS AND MAKE MY OWN
SAUSAGE MY BASIL MOST OF THE
TIME COMES FROM MY GARDEN AND
SAUCE IS MADE FROM SCRATCH
CHEESES GRATED BY HAND. IF I
WON'T EAT THIS PIZZA NEITHER
WILL YOU TAKE OUT YOUR PIZZA
RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS AMAZING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING
SOME OF THIS STUFF INTO US. OH
WOW IT IS AMAZING. IT'S SO
CHEESY LOVE THE CHEESY PART
OF IT. WOW CHOW DOWN ON THIS
PIECE OF PIZZA. I WANT TO ASK
YOU YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T HAVE TO
BE DOING THIS BUT YOU'RE YOU'RE
PURSUING A TREMENDOUS CAUSE TO
HELP PEOPLE IN THE SERVICE
INDUSTRY. TELL US WHY YOU'RE
DOING THEM. WELL, I BECAME A
CHEF BECAUSE I LIKE TO MAKE
PEOPLE SMILE AND TO PLEASE
PEOPLE AND SO I GET TO THINGS I
GET TO PLEASE PEOPLE AND I GET
TO HELP PEOPLE AND I ENJOY
COOKING. I GOT SOME SPARE TIME
ON MY HANDS AND I'M GOING TO
KEEP DOING THIS AS LONG AS
PEOPLE NEED MONEY, YOU KNOW, TO
PUT FOOD ON THEIR PLATE OR
CLOTHES ON THEIR BACK. ALL
RIGHT. BIG WILLIE'S PIZZA PIES
FOR A CAUSE TELL US HOW WE CAN
GET INVOLVED IF PEOPLE ARE
WATCHING THIS MORNING AND YOU
CAN ALSO WALK US THROUGH YOU
MAKING THAT PIZZA THERE. SO HOW
CAN PEOPLE PURCHASE THOSE
PIZZAS? YOU CAN CALL ME AT SIX
ONE NINE NINE TWO ONE TWO SIX
TWO ONE. I LIKE TO TAKE THE
ORDERS BABY FOUR I CAN ONLY DO
ABOUT TWENTY PIZZAS A DAY AND
ABOUT FIFTEEN CANNOLIS A DAY.
I'M A ONE MAN SHOW. I DO THE
ORDERING, I DO THE PREP THE
MEALS AND PLUS I TAKE THE
ORDERS, I DO THE SOCIAL MEDIA,
I DO THE DELIVERY AND I DO THE
FOLLOW UP CALL SO IT'S A LOT
OF ORGANIZATION. I LOVE IT
KEEPS ME BUSY, KEEPS ME OUT
OF TROUBLE AND AND YOU'VE GOT
TO GO TO MY FACEBOOK PAGE
MESSAGE ME YOU CAN GO TO THE
WEBSITE. WOW. BIG WILLIE'S
PIZZA DOT COM CAN YOU SHOW US
THAT SET UP THAT YOU'VE GOT OUT
THERE THAT THAT WOOD BURNING
STOVE IF YOU'VE GOT THAT KIND
OF SETUP THAT YOU HAVE AROUND
YOU, IT LOOKS AWESOME. OK, SO I
GOT A REFRIGERATED UNIT OUT
HERE. IT KEEPS EVERYTHING COLD
OF PROPER TEMPERATURES WHEN I'M
OUT HERE HAVE AN UMBRELLA TO
BLOCK THE ELEMENTS, ANOTHER
REFRIGERATOR DOWN BELOW THE
KEEP MY BACK UP AND I HAVE THIS
OVEN PUT. IT'S MY THIRD ONE
THAT I'VE BOUGHT BECAUSE I
WANTED TO GET BIGGER AND BIGGER
AND BIGGER AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE
GOING TO POP A LITTLE
MARGHERITA PIZZA IN AND
DEPENDING UPON THE TEMPERATURE
OF ST. ANYWHERE FROM NINETY
SECONDS TO TWO AND A HALF
MINUTES. SO THAT'S POPPING UP
PRETTY GOOD. PRETTY SOON YOU'LL
SEE THE CRUST STARTS TO COME
UP. THE BIGGEST THING IS IF YOU
STRETCHED AS THOUGH TOO THIN
YOU'RE GOING TO GET A BLOW OUT
AND THAT'S GOING TO THAT'S
GOING TO HURT YOU IN A NORMAL
PEOPLE IT'S A BLOWOUT. IT'S GOT
A LITTLE HOLE IN IT. YOU WOULD
BE ABLE TO SLICE IT WILL WEAR
OUT THIS MORNING. I GOT IT. I
GOT TO WRAP YOU UP.