How obsessed is Miami with pizza? Even our top chefs will make it at this Wynwood event
Pizza, according to Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog, is the ultimate comfort food — and a portal to reliving past happiness.
“Everybody has their own special memory of pizza,” explains the chef, the owner of Square Pie City. “Everyone has their favorite spot where they grew up eating. The flavors and the experience evoke memories.”
That’s why he has revived his popular P.I.G. event after five years. The name hasn’t changed, but the intent has. Instead of “Pork is Good,” a raucous event at which chefs share their favorite pork dishes, the new P.I.G. is all about the pies. Pizza is good, too.
The former personal chef to Rick Ross, Bullfrog says the shift from pork to pizza is a natural evolution for him.
“Pizza is consuming my life right now,” he says. “We love to share it and discuss it with other pizza makers. Even guys who don’t make pizza are getting excited about it. So it feels like breathing new life into the festival.”
At the festival, which will be held at Freehold Studios in Wynwood, a ticket gets you all you can eat pizza from some of Miami’s top chefs. Meander around different stations and listen to DJ sets from Jarobi White (founder of A Tribe Called Quest) and DJ Spam while trying pies from spots like Vice City Pizza and Andiamo Pizza. Brad Kilgore, formerly of MaryGolds and Alter, will be there representing Pizza Freak, his artisanal frozen pizza company.
Other chefs are participating, too, names you associate with pizza and others you don’t: Niven Patel (Erba, Ghee Indian Kitchen, which is coming to Wynwood, and the new Paya); Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer (Boia De, Walrus Rodeo); Steve Santana (Offsite); Raheem Sealey (Drinking Pig, J&C Oyster); Justin Flit and Cary Hynes (Vice Versa); Tam Pham (Tam Tam); Karla Hoyes (Tacotomia).
For Bullfrog, holding the bash at the Freehold makes sense. After his Design District restaurant was badly damaged in a fire in May, Square Pie City, which serves Detroit-style pizza, is now based in the Freehold Space and has terminated its lease in the Design District. No one was injured in the blaze.
“It’s such a cool venue, so many nooks and spots to hang out,” he says of the Freehold. “We’ve got indoor space and outdoor space. We’re in a much better place and gearing up for the season and what that volume will be. And we’ve got some tricks up our sleeves for this particular location.”
As for how best to enjoy the P.I.G. festival, he says the best way is to pace yourself.
“You need to pace yourself to enjoy this kind of festival,” he warns.
P.I.G. 11
Where: Freehold Studios, 2219 Second Ave., Miami
When: 3-7 p.m. Nov. 3; 2 p.m. VIP; after party 7-10 p.m.
Cost: $60 general admission; $110 VIP; afterparty free; $20 beer pairing from BXLDR/Offsite; $20 wine pairing from Magie Wine Bar
Tickets: https://linktr.ee/PIGpizzaisgood