About John Arena

From Las Vegas, NV

Professional Credentials and Awards:
    • Created and taught the nation’s first accredited university-level pizza class, History and Culture of Pizza at UNLV’s School of Hospitality
    • Third-generation pizza chef with 40+ years of experience
    • First independent pizza operator to receive “Pizza Operator of the Year” Award from the National Association of Pizza Operators.
    • Teacher of the first three-time World’s Pizza Making Champion
    • Owner/founder of Metro Pizza with five successful locations
    • Selected as one of the “Top Ten Pizzerias in America” in “Everybody Loves Pizza” by Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby
    • Featured on Entertainment Tonight and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee
    • Listed as one of the ten best pizzerias in the country by USA Today
    • Five-time Zagat’s “Best Pizza” Award winner
    • Multiple winner-“Best Of” in the Las Vegas Review Journal
    • Repeat winner-“Best Pizza” at Citysearch.com
    • Instructor of pizza making team building classes for corporate clients including: AMEX, Coca Cola and Avis
    • Teacher of over 2500 cooking students at monthly pizza making classes
    • Seminar Leader for International Pizza Expo
    • Extensive international travel to research the history and development of pizza and its many variations
    • Pizza maker to three US Presidents

      The Latest Slice from John Arena

      Pizza Rorschach Test

      Pizza Rorschach Test

      I just returned from a very interesting trip to New York City, where I was fortunate enough to participate as a judge for an international pizza-making contest. While several of the pizzas were quite interesting (or at least unique), what I found most revealing were the comments of my fellow judges and the audience. It [...]

      Magic Ovens?

      Magic Ovens?

      The most frequently asked question in the pizza world is “What type of oven should I use?” In Naples, of course, they will tell you that you can only bake an authentic pizza in a wood-fired oven, preferably constructed by the cousin of the guy who is answering the question. Naturally, new world pizza purists [...]

      A pie with everything, please!

      A pie with everything, please!

      It happens just about every time a group of pizza fanatics get together to share their favorite food. Somebody asks for “a pie with everything”, and the purist in the bunch sniffs, “That’s not a pizza. The only true pizza is the pizza margherita!”
      Well, like all things Italian, the rules are, let’s just say, open [...]

      Featured Video

      Keste: West Village Pizza
      Keste: West Village Pizza

      A look at Keste’s in the West Village

      That’s Italian: Pizza and its Homeland
      That’s Italian: Pizza and its Homeland

      A history of Pizza, starting at its roots in Italy.

      Pizza: A Love Story
      Pizza: A Love Story
      The Cognitive Theory of Pizza
      The Cognitive Theory of Pizza

      See All Videos