Word from Peter: I met Mike Kurtz at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas a few years in the past and have become fascinated with the exponential development of the product he created, Mike’s Sizzling Honey, particularly once I served as a choose at pizza competitions and seen what number of rivals had been utilizing it on their pizzas. As a specialty product, it seemingly tipped over into ubiquity quite abruptly. When somebody creates something that turns into “an thought whose time has come,” I can’t assist however marvel about all of the components that converged to make it occur. A so-called “in a single day success” often has a protracted gestation on its technique to abruptly changing into “scorching,” so I wished to listen to straight from Mike himself how this all happened. Right here’s what I realized from the Sizzling Honey King (picture credit score to Gabriella Bhaskar):
Mike Kurtz and his Sizzling Honey
PQ (Peter): By now, a variety of our viewers have heard of Mike’s Sizzling Honey however could not have tried it but or know the place to seek out it. Are you able to give us the again story on the way you created it and, additionally, your model?
Mike: Many individuals don’t understand that the inspiration for Mike’s Sizzling Honey got here from Brazil. As a school pupil, I used to be a Portuguese main and spent a yr finding out overseas in Northeastern Brazil. Whereas dwelling there I visited a small pizzeria that had jars of honey with chili peppers in them for drizzling on the pizzas. I cherished the flavour mixture and once I returned to the States a yr later I began experimenting in my faculty condominium, testing out completely different strategies for infusing chili peppers into honey. After testing out a spread of various infusion strategies and varieties of chilies I finally settled on the recipe that we nonetheless use as we speak.
Even on a traditional Margherita pizza!
For years I made it only for my very own private use to drizzle on prime of pizza. Across the holidays I’d make an enormous batch to present out to family and friends. From Day One I referred to as it Mike’s Sizzling Honey. I moved to NYC in 2005 and began working for a file label. I at all times stored a bottle of MHH in our break room on the label. It remained a pastime till 2010 once I first met Paulie Gee. I used to be an avid reader of the Slice weblog on Critical Eats and examine his opening in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. On the time, I used to be making numerous pizza at house. After I visited the pizzeria, I met Paulie and we struck up a dialog about dough, his oven and so forth. He invited me to begin coming in after my day job to apprentice.
I began practising on the pizzeria after work. Finally I received expert sufficient to begin working dinner shifts making pies. I introduced in a bottle of MHH for Paulie to try to he favored it and requested if I may make sufficient for the restaurant to begin utilizing it on their pies. It received added to the menu in the summertime of 2010 and was successful.
PQ: I used to be listening to you and different pizza luminaries on the Zoom Pizza Celebration net broadcast in March, and I sensed that you just and Paulie Gee have a particular form of relationship. What has Paulie meant to you when it comes to the larger image?
Mike with Paulie Gee
Mike: With out Paulie’s encouragement I don’t know if my enterprise would exist. After I first began making MHH for his pizzeria and moonlighting there making pies, I used to be nonetheless working full time within the music enterprise. I began to see a possibility to broaden manufacturing of the honey however I used to be afraid of leaving the entire years I had devoted to my profession in music behind to pursue one thing new. I used to be solely in my late twenties however I had it in my head that it was too late for me to vary gears. Witnessing Paulie in that first yr on the pizzeria was highly effective. He was so joyful and fulfilled operating the restaurant, feeding his clients each night time. He had taken the plunge at age 57 to open a pizzeria with no prior expertise and, as soon as I noticed his success, I knew it wasn’t too late for me to pursue a brand new profession.
Right this moment Paulie and I are neighbors in Greenpoint. He’s Mike’s Sizzling Honey’s largest supporter and ambassador. A lot of my clients had been first launched to MHH at his restaurant. He has no formal stake in my enterprise nor I in his however we at all times help one another.
I’ve realized quite a bit from Paulie through the years. He confirmed me the ability of dedication. That if you happen to decide to one thing and the individuals round you see that you’ve dedicated to it, they are going to be there to help you. He’s is also a testomony to the ability of constructing group. Paulie wears a special cap day-after-day however virtually by no means his personal. He’s at all times sporting the hat of one other pizzeria. He continuously promotes the native companies and other people round him they usually in flip reciprocate the love. I’ve even realized some driving and life classes from him too, like, “Velocity to the sunshine, not by the sunshine.”
PQ: A lot of our followers know you within the context of pizza. However what are another nice methods to make use of your honey? Do you may have three favourite non pizza functions that you would be able to share, and the way can of us write to you for some recipes?
Nice on grilled cheese or hen — or each!
Mike: Pizza is completely the native habitat for Mike’s Sizzling Honey. That’s the place the product was initially meant to reside, however there are numerous different nice pairings. I like to recommend making an attempt MHH combined right into a cocktail, paired with a pointy cheddar or smelly blue cheese, drizzled over fried hen or a plate of roasted veggies. The probabilities are actually infinite and that’s been one of many joys of the enterprise for me. Of us can get extra recipes by visiting the recipes web page on our web site at www.mikeshothoney.com or by checking us out on Instagram @mikeshothoney.
After all, hen and waffles are a pure.
PQ: I like it drizzled over grilled or baked salmon and likewise with hen wings. However, Mike’s Sizzling Honey is one in every of many new merchandise which have come out in the previous couple of years that illustrate the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of each American and Worldwide meals artisans. Do you see another new merchandise that appear to have caught the zeitgeist and will probably go huge or make an impression on the pizza or meals group?
On fried hen or wings — wonderful!
Mike: When it comes to the pizza group I see a variety of innovation with regard to ovens. The emergence and availability of excessive warmth electrical ovens within the US has made a huge impact for eating places and residential pizza fans alike. And a few of the smaller, home-use fuel ovens have made it doable for people to make nice Neapolitan fashion pizzas at house with out constructing or proudly owning a big wooden burning oven.
So far as new merchandise go, I’ve been actually impressed by NUMU, the vegan mozzarella that’s been exhibiting up at some eating places in NYC. Previous to making an attempt NUMU, I’d by no means had a vegan mozzarella that got here anyplace near the actual factor. I’m additionally seeing extra American meals producers actually dial in on perfecting a single product like Salvatore Bklyn, a Brooklyn-based ricotta cheese producer. They make the perfect ricotta I’ve ever had.
With all kinds of cheeses and appetizers.
PQ: How do you envisage rising Mike’s Sizzling Honey and do you propose so as to add any new merchandise to your combine? The place do you see the corporate in, say, 5 and even 10 years from now?
Mike: Proper now we’re targeted on rolling out new pack sizes for particular utilization events. Our enterprise is cut up pretty evenly between retail and meals service. Working with eating places has at all times been the spine of our enterprise. As eating places adapt to the brand new setting wherein we discover ourselves we, too, should adapt. This spring we’re rolling out new dip cups designed to accommodate a rise in takeout and supply. You’ll see the dip cups in addition to our packets exhibiting up extra at eating places and pizzerias.
Farther down the road you’ll begin to see extra line extensions that construct off of the core taste of our authentic product. I can’t reveal what we’ve got within the pipeline simply but however we do have some stuff in growth that you just’ll see within the not so distant future!
Dipping cups is one product extension.
PQ: Is there something you need to say to our viewers, any life classes you’ve picked up when it comes to rising a enterprise, treating individuals or be handled, and your outlook for the longer term?
Mike: I discussed this earlier however I’ll say it once more: there’s actual energy in dedication. For those who’ve been contemplating beginning a enterprise I encourage you to go for it. As soon as your group sees that you just’re all in, they’ll help you. You’ll make some errors however you may usually study extra by making an attempt, failing, and iterating than by spending a variety of time fine-tuning your marketing strategy with out placing it into motion.
And unfold love, kindness, and present compassion each time doable. The world wants this now greater than ever.
PQ: Thanks Mike! Can’t wait to see you on the Atlantic Metropolis Pizza and Pasta Present in September, and in Las Vegas subsequent yr at Pizza Expo. Congratulations, once more, on all of your success! See you in September!
Mike: Thanks Peter! It’s a real honor to be part of Pizza Quest!
—
Word from Peter: Right here’s Mike’s contact data: Mike Kurtz, Founder
, Mike’s Sizzling Honey
, 67 West Avenue, Suite 202,
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Cell: +1-413-687-1828
Workplace: +1-212-655-0574
http://mikeshothoney.com
honey@mikeshothoney.com
and @mikeshothoney
With pizza and pepperoni — a wedding made in honeybee heaven!
Word from Peter: I met Mike Kurtz at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas a few years in the past and have become fascinated with the exponential development of the product he created, Mike’s Sizzling Honey, particularly once I served as a choose at pizza competitions and seen what number of rivals had been utilizing it on their pizzas. As a specialty product, it seemingly tipped over into ubiquity quite abruptly. When somebody creates something that turns into “an thought whose time has come,” I can’t assist however marvel about all of the components that converged to make it occur. A so-called “in a single day success” often has a protracted gestation on its technique to abruptly changing into “scorching,” so I wished to listen to straight from Mike himself how this all happened. Right here’s what I realized from the Sizzling Honey King (picture credit score to Gabriella Bhaskar):
Mike Kurtz and his Sizzling Honey
PQ (Peter): By now, a variety of our viewers have heard of Mike’s Sizzling Honey however could not have tried it but or know the place to seek out it. Are you able to give us the again story on the way you created it and, additionally, your model?
Mike: Many individuals don’t understand that the inspiration for Mike’s Sizzling Honey got here from Brazil. As a school pupil, I used to be a Portuguese main and spent a yr finding out overseas in Northeastern Brazil. Whereas dwelling there I visited a small pizzeria that had jars of honey with chili peppers in them for drizzling on the pizzas. I cherished the flavour mixture and once I returned to the States a yr later I began experimenting in my faculty condominium, testing out completely different strategies for infusing chili peppers into honey. After testing out a spread of various infusion strategies and varieties of chilies I finally settled on the recipe that we nonetheless use as we speak.
Even on a traditional Margherita pizza!
For years I made it only for my very own private use to drizzle on prime of pizza. Across the holidays I’d make an enormous batch to present out to family and friends. From Day One I referred to as it Mike’s Sizzling Honey. I moved to NYC in 2005 and began working for a file label. I at all times stored a bottle of MHH in our break room on the label. It remained a pastime till 2010 once I first met Paulie Gee. I used to be an avid reader of the Slice weblog on Critical Eats and examine his opening in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. On the time, I used to be making numerous pizza at house. After I visited the pizzeria, I met Paulie and we struck up a dialog about dough, his oven and so forth. He invited me to begin coming in after my day job to apprentice.
I began practising on the pizzeria after work. Finally I received expert sufficient to begin working dinner shifts making pies. I introduced in a bottle of MHH for Paulie to try to he favored it and requested if I may make sufficient for the restaurant to begin utilizing it on their pies. It received added to the menu in the summertime of 2010 and was successful.
PQ: I used to be listening to you and different pizza luminaries on the Zoom Pizza Celebration net broadcast in March, and I sensed that you just and Paulie Gee have a particular form of relationship. What has Paulie meant to you when it comes to the larger image?
Mike with Paulie Gee
Mike: With out Paulie’s encouragement I don’t know if my enterprise would exist. After I first began making MHH for his pizzeria and moonlighting there making pies, I used to be nonetheless working full time within the music enterprise. I began to see a possibility to broaden manufacturing of the honey however I used to be afraid of leaving the entire years I had devoted to my profession in music behind to pursue one thing new. I used to be solely in my late twenties however I had it in my head that it was too late for me to vary gears. Witnessing Paulie in that first yr on the pizzeria was highly effective. He was so joyful and fulfilled operating the restaurant, feeding his clients each night time. He had taken the plunge at age 57 to open a pizzeria with no prior expertise and, as soon as I noticed his success, I knew it wasn’t too late for me to pursue a brand new profession.
Right this moment Paulie and I are neighbors in Greenpoint. He’s Mike’s Sizzling Honey’s largest supporter and ambassador. A lot of my clients had been first launched to MHH at his restaurant. He has no formal stake in my enterprise nor I in his however we at all times help one another.
I’ve realized quite a bit from Paulie through the years. He confirmed me the ability of dedication. That if you happen to decide to one thing and the individuals round you see that you’ve dedicated to it, they are going to be there to help you. He’s is also a testomony to the ability of constructing group. Paulie wears a special cap day-after-day however virtually by no means his personal. He’s at all times sporting the hat of one other pizzeria. He continuously promotes the native companies and other people round him they usually in flip reciprocate the love. I’ve even realized some driving and life classes from him too, like, “Velocity to the sunshine, not by the sunshine.”
PQ: A lot of our followers know you within the context of pizza. However what are another nice methods to make use of your honey? Do you may have three favourite non pizza functions that you would be able to share, and the way can of us write to you for some recipes?
Nice on grilled cheese or hen — or each!
Mike: Pizza is completely the native habitat for Mike’s Sizzling Honey. That’s the place the product was initially meant to reside, however there are numerous different nice pairings. I like to recommend making an attempt MHH combined right into a cocktail, paired with a pointy cheddar or smelly blue cheese, drizzled over fried hen or a plate of roasted veggies. The probabilities are actually infinite and that’s been one of many joys of the enterprise for me. Of us can get extra recipes by visiting the recipes web page on our web site at www.mikeshothoney.com or by checking us out on Instagram @mikeshothoney.
After all, hen and waffles are a pure.
PQ: I like it drizzled over grilled or baked salmon and likewise with hen wings. However, Mike’s Sizzling Honey is one in every of many new merchandise which have come out in the previous couple of years that illustrate the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of each American and Worldwide meals artisans. Do you see another new merchandise that appear to have caught the zeitgeist and will probably go huge or make an impression on the pizza or meals group?
On fried hen or wings — wonderful!
Mike: When it comes to the pizza group I see a variety of innovation with regard to ovens. The emergence and availability of excessive warmth electrical ovens within the US has made a huge impact for eating places and residential pizza fans alike. And a few of the smaller, home-use fuel ovens have made it doable for people to make nice Neapolitan fashion pizzas at house with out constructing or proudly owning a big wooden burning oven.
So far as new merchandise go, I’ve been actually impressed by NUMU, the vegan mozzarella that’s been exhibiting up at some eating places in NYC. Previous to making an attempt NUMU, I’d by no means had a vegan mozzarella that got here anyplace near the actual factor. I’m additionally seeing extra American meals producers actually dial in on perfecting a single product like Salvatore Bklyn, a Brooklyn-based ricotta cheese producer. They make the perfect ricotta I’ve ever had.
With all kinds of cheeses and appetizers.
PQ: How do you envisage rising Mike’s Sizzling Honey and do you propose so as to add any new merchandise to your combine? The place do you see the corporate in, say, 5 and even 10 years from now?
Mike: Proper now we’re targeted on rolling out new pack sizes for particular utilization events. Our enterprise is cut up pretty evenly between retail and meals service. Working with eating places has at all times been the spine of our enterprise. As eating places adapt to the brand new setting wherein we discover ourselves we, too, should adapt. This spring we’re rolling out new dip cups designed to accommodate a rise in takeout and supply. You’ll see the dip cups in addition to our packets exhibiting up extra at eating places and pizzerias.
Farther down the road you’ll begin to see extra line extensions that construct off of the core taste of our authentic product. I can’t reveal what we’ve got within the pipeline simply but however we do have some stuff in growth that you just’ll see within the not so distant future!
Dipping cups is one product extension.
PQ: Is there something you need to say to our viewers, any life classes you’ve picked up when it comes to rising a enterprise, treating individuals or be handled, and your outlook for the longer term?
Mike: I discussed this earlier however I’ll say it once more: there’s actual energy in dedication. For those who’ve been contemplating beginning a enterprise I encourage you to go for it. As soon as your group sees that you just’re all in, they’ll help you. You’ll make some errors however you may usually study extra by making an attempt, failing, and iterating than by spending a variety of time fine-tuning your marketing strategy with out placing it into motion.
And unfold love, kindness, and present compassion each time doable. The world wants this now greater than ever.
PQ: Thanks Mike! Can’t wait to see you on the Atlantic Metropolis Pizza and Pasta Present in September, and in Las Vegas subsequent yr at Pizza Expo. Congratulations, once more, on all of your success! See you in September!
Mike: Thanks Peter! It’s a real honor to be part of Pizza Quest!
—
Word from Peter: Right here’s Mike’s contact data: Mike Kurtz, Founder
, Mike’s Sizzling Honey
, 67 West Avenue, Suite 202,
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Cell: +1-413-687-1828
Workplace: +1-212-655-0574
http://mikeshothoney.com
honey@mikeshothoney.com
and @mikeshothoney
With pizza and pepperoni — a wedding made in honeybee heaven!
