Slice
Pizza By Design: Vera Wang Slings Slices
We never thought we'd have occasion to mention Fashion Week on these rather unfashionable pages. You see, if Slice existed in print form, it'd best be described as "grease-stained pizza pulp."
That's why we were surprised to receive, in print form, The Daily Front Row, the magazine that materializes twice a year (spring and fall) along with the haute couture extravaganza in Bryant Park. In Sunday's edition: Fashion designer Vera Wang cooking pizza! I mean, what the hell!? But, as you can see from Sunday's cover (above) and the spread (below), we are not making this up. Ms. Wang is apparently a studied pizza aficionado, so The Daily Front Row took her to Joe's to craft some pies.
We couldn't find this item online, so we were forced to scan it for your reading pleasure. And then we realized our scans were illegible, more or less, even if enlarged. So we'll excerpt the relevant pizza info here:
DFR: What's the Vera–pizza connection?
Vera Wang: I used to go to school in the Lower East Side and get pizza after school. That habit and tradition has gone on for the last 50 years [she's 55]. Pizza's a part of my life. I just love it. Aside from the fact that it's tasty, it's also nutritious. It gives me energy and it's comforting.
There was one point in your life where you ate nothing but pizza...
Well, when I was design director at Ralph Lauren and I was getting married, I wanted to lose a few pounds. So for about six weeks, I went on a pizza diet and I lost about five pounds on it—the reason being, if you just keep it to one slice and it isn't too oily—which Joe's slice isn't—it's very filling and you don't snack or do other things and it really works. In New York, you can almost be anywhere to eat it. I mean, they aren't all as good as Joe's, but you can get average-joe pizza quickly.
The author then asks Joe's owner, Joe Pozuolli, what he thought of Ms. Wang's slice skills:
What did you know about Vera Wang before today?
Joe Pozzuoli: I didn't know much.
But you knew her name?
Yes, of course, I knew her name. But I didn't know what she did.
What was your first impression?
Very nice, very polite, very social.
Does she have pizza potential?
Oh yes. She could do it. She tries. With a little time, she could do it. I could teach her.
If you were to pick a topping for her, what would you pick?
Pepperoni, because the first thing she grabbed was pepperoni and she seemed to really like it. Pepperoni is a little spicy; it's our biggest seller by far.
Describe her in 1 word, in Italian:
Educada. (She seems very educated.)
[Thanks to our supremely fashionable Queens correspondent Claire L. for bringing us a copy of Sunday's Fashion Week magazine. ]