This Episode’s Sponsors→ 🍕 Be in Business for yourself, not by yourself w/ SLICE : https://bit.ly/SLICENOW 🌶️ Join The Pepper Flake Revolution: https://bit.ly/flatironpepper 🎶 Maestro Sausage: https://bit.ly/maestro-sausage   Get a NEW GOZNEY: https://us.gozney.com/?dt_id=1529737   Here's some FREE stuff → 🚀HOW TO STEAL A RECIPE https://www.subscribepage.com/howtostealarecipe 🍕 Thinking of Opening a Pizza Shop? Start here: https://howtoopenapizzashop.com/   My Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/alexkoons     In this raw and inspiring episode, we sit down with Mike Fitzick, owner of Bakeria 1010, a beloved pizzeria and small batch bakery in Ocean City, on the Jersey Shore. This is a story of passion, and the relentless pursuit of pizza perfection. This episode showcases the gritty reality of running a high-quality pizza operation while maintaining work-life balance in a demanding seasonal market. It's a testament to how passion, persistence, and authentic storytelling can build a successful business from the ground up.   Featured Topics: • Detroit-style square pizza technique • Sourdough starter maintenance and fermentation • Seasonal restaurant operations • Instagram marketing for restaurants • Addiction recovery in the food industry • Italian pizza culture vs. American adaptation • Equipment: Gozney ovens, King Arthur flour blends • Shore town business dynamics   Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 3:20 75 days straight working - the seasonal grind 7:44 Early pizza career and addiction struggles 16:12 Mike’s recovery journey 20:24 Learning Neapolitan pizza and falling out with partners 24:09 One of the first Gozney influencers in North America 27:11 The pop-up era and building a following 35:15 Smuggling sourdough starter from Naples 42:17 The science of square pizza dough and hydration 58:00 Organic flour and the weevil problem 1:03:16 The neighbor pizzeria situation 1:17:02 Customer education and the Jersey Shore pizza scene