Would You Try This Award-Winning Grape Pizza (Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas)?
What happens when you take New York nostalgia, wild creativity, and a family-run pizza shop—and bring it all to the world stage in Las Vegas?
In this episode, we head to Las Vegas to hang out with the crew from Yukon Pizza, a family-run shop that blends New York nostalgia with bold, competition-level creativity. From balancing 800g dough balls to topping pies with mortadella, marinated grapes, and pistachios, they’ve built a style that’s all their own. We talk about chasing perfection, the cost of cheese, competing on the world stage, and why—at the end of the day—it’s all about community.
Highlights:
- 0:00 – Introducing The Grapes of Thrash: the award-winning nontraditional pie
- 0:26 – A sourdough starter with 128 years of history
- 1:50 – Dough-making process: ice-cold water, mixing, and the “salt and oil” method
- 4:40 – Why Yukon Pizza uses 100% sourdough and no commercial yeast
- 5:00 – Starting the day: wood fire, dough prep, and building rhythm in the kitchen
- 6:11 – Recreating the perfect New York slice from childhood memories
- 7:12 – Balancing service: cheese, pepperoni, half-and-half, and specialty pies
- 8:47 – The reality of cheese costs and how operators can protect margins
- 9:35 – Struggles with “competition dough” and embracing what works
- 10:49 – Crafting the competition pizza: mortadella, balsamic grapes, herbs, pistachios
- 12:18 – Taste test reactions: crunch, structure, and flavor explosion
- 13:04 – Winning at Pizza Expo: from “just having fun” to bringing home the plate
- 13:18 – Roots and inspiration: family, rice farming, and food memories
- 13:34 – Promoting the team and uplifting the pizza community
- 14:25 – Final reflections: pizza is for the people, and family comes first
Check them out:https://yukonpizza.com/
https://www.instagram.com/yukonpizza
https://www.facebook.com/yukonpizza
Thank you to our show sponsors:
Bacio Cheese:
Corto:https://bit.ly/457DNII
Join my Instagram Community Channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbWnReTYIlCfO21/
Patreon Page: patreon.com/whatsgooddough
DM @whatsgooddoughhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsgooddough/email me: claire@whatsgooddough.com
Shot by Marlin MackEdited By Valentine Phelippeau
Topics:pizza podcast, Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas Pizza Expo, New York style pizza, competition pizza, sourdough pizza, mortadella pizza, pistachio pizza, best pizza Las Vegas, family run pizzeria, artisan dough, pizza competition 2024, wood fired pizza, unique pizza toppings, pizza community, pizza business stories, pizza makers interview, craft pizza, gourmet pizza, pizza industry insights
