December 2008 Times Publications Cover
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This month's top stories from the Valley's most popular newspaper - The Zany Press
 
Renowned restaurant critics' suggested Valley eats.
A closer look into the private workspaces of some of the Valley's high-profile personalities.
OPEN DOOR POLICY
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Read The Times most recent Arizona Press Club award-winning stories, the most revered awards in Arizona journalism.
Walking Tall
Guilty
Frozen Assets
The Vanity Tax
Addicted Youth
Silicone Valley
Fatal Lapse
Shooting Stars
Finding Love Again
Auction Action
 
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Chris Bianco
If you stumbled upon Chris Bianco trying out a new recipe in his test kitchen or trolling a farmers market for fresh ingredients, you probably wouldn’t place him as one of the most revered chefs in the country. However, the Valley’s renowned culinary genius has earned the most prestigious awards in the culinary kingdom, from the New York Times’ “best pizza in the U.S.” (a real slam on New York and Chicago) to Vogue’s “best pizza in the world.” He’s also one of the few chefs to be named a James Beard award recipient.

Bianco invited The Times into his office for a look at his culinary workspace. You won’t find a single award displayed in Bianco’s office, or even a phone for that matter. You will find a Bianco-designed 8- by 8-foot brick oven and loads of fresh ingredients. Bianco leaves all finances to his business partner, focusing his energies on his celebrated sandwiches and pies.

Though Bianco could open a lucrative chain of restaurants, he has opted not to, expressing instead his desire to personally touch every pizza served at his pizzeria. He buys Arizona-grown ingredients at Arizona farmers markets, from farmers he knows by name. “When you break it down to individuals, that’s when it gets important. It’s every ingredient,” Bianco says.

Food connoisseurs the world over agree: Bianco’s pizza is something you have to taste for yourself. But you’ll have to get in line.

Pizzeria Bianco opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit pizzeriabianco.com.
Chris Bianco




1. If he slows down long enough to sit, Bianco usually sits on these stairs, rarely on a chair. “I sit here for a few minutes and catch up on everything I didn’t do yesterday.”
2. Bianco designed his own eight-foot square oven, with two-foot thick walls and steel insulation.
3. “I’m better at working than organizing.”
4. “I probably have 1,000 cookbooks at home.”
5. “Airborne. I eat it like candy.”
6. Hildon water.
7. Gift-wrapped New York City map.
8. New York Times Dining and Living section. “The Food section is unreal, a real gift.”
9. Metal work by Bianco’s artist-friend Pete Deis.		 10. Note from a friend in Tokyo.
11. Pentax glasses case. “Since I turned 40, I need reading glasses.”
12. “This space is a bridge between where I was and where I am,” Bianco says of his test kitchen and office.
13. “Everything’s on wheels.”
14. “The pizzeria is stressful. I’m grateful for that problem. But this is a more relaxing space. It’s a really good space. I always feel good.”
15. Artwork by John Hall, a local photographer.
16. A hair-washing station used to sit here, before Bianco bought the abandoned beauty parlor and turned it into his test kitchen and office.
17. Espresso. Always from Lux next door.
Chris Bianco
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ODD JOBS
A closer look at some of the Valley's more interesting gigs. This month meet Jayson James the stunt man!