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Speaker 1: What's up his way up at Angela Yee. And this

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Speaker 1: is a very special Wealth Wednesday for us today. I

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Speaker 1: got Stacy Tisdale here.

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Speaker 2: Happy Wealth Wednesdays, everybody.

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Speaker 3: We are so excited today to talk about how someone

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Speaker 3: is transforming lives one slice at a time. I had

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Speaker 3: to say this life, slice of Life. We're really super

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Speaker 3: excited to have Mohammad Abdulhadi, who is the founder and

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Speaker 3: owner of Down North Pizza, which is an incredible mission

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Speaker 3: driven movement and also the author of We the Pizza,

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Speaker 3: which when we're done talking about all of you guys

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Speaker 3: are going to run to Amazon out West Cafe, He's

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Speaker 3: going to talk about in a new coffee shop. You're

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Speaker 3: a serial or right, and prior to all of that,

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Speaker 3: you built a career in real estate and developing. But

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Speaker 3: Down North Pizza is amazing. First of all, tell everyone

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Speaker 3: what it is so.

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Speaker 4: Down North Pizza is a mission based, for profit restaurant

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Speaker 4: in the heart of Strawberry Mansion, which is a very

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Speaker 4: decorated neighborhood in Philadelphia. And what we do is that

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Speaker 4: we exclusively hire formally incarcerated individuals and provide them with

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Speaker 4: resources so that they can navigate society post incarceration, and

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Speaker 4: it's very important because we are in the area which

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Speaker 4: is high on recidivism rate. Recidivism meaning people are being

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Speaker 4: recycled in and out of the system. So for me,

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Speaker 4: it was very important to go into where the problem

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Speaker 4: is so prevalent and try to help from within. So

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Speaker 4: that's exactly what we did with Down North Pizza, and

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Speaker 4: it was strategically placed you in this area so we

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Speaker 4: can from within inspire as well, because Strawberry Mansion is

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Speaker 4: the area that, for the most part, when you hear

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Speaker 4: about it, it's all negativity. It's all you know, nefarious

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Speaker 4: thing's going on. So for us, we wanted to change

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Speaker 4: the narrative and bring some positivity into Strawberry Mansion, and

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Speaker 4: that's what we've been doing for the past five years.

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Speaker 3: It's so personal for you. You started it during lockdown,

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Speaker 3: which is amazing in and of itself, and you were

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Speaker 3: actually under house arrests. Yes, so tell us how that happened.

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Speaker 5: Uh.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I started while everybody was on lockdown, and I

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Speaker 4: was actually on lockdown too, so it was crazy when

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Speaker 4: I think back on it, and I was going through

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Speaker 4: my own legal troubles and before the shop opened, that's

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Speaker 4: when I actually got my sentence handed down to me,

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Speaker 4: maybe like three or four months prior to the shop opening,

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Speaker 4: and I thought at the time that I was going

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Speaker 4: to actually have to go inside for a year.

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Speaker 6: And I was blessed.

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Speaker 4: Enough for my lawyer and my team to be able

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Speaker 4: to get me a year on house arrest. So when

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Speaker 4: I got the sentence and I knew that I was

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Speaker 4: going to be on house arrest for a year, I

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Speaker 4: had to think, like, how am I going to do this.

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Speaker 4: I'm in the middle of trying to open up a

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Speaker 4: restaurant and my time is limited. I had literally six

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Speaker 4: hours a day to be out the house. But for

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Speaker 4: me very I had an opportunity to make an excuse

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Speaker 4: to not push forward, but that's not what I wanted

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Speaker 4: to do, and I had a valid excuse, but I

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Speaker 4: chose to turn into something positive and push forward because

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Speaker 4: I noticed how my life was impacted by being a

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Speaker 4: felon now and really the people that I'm doing it for,

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Speaker 4: you know. And I had resources, so I'm thinking about

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Speaker 4: the people that don't have the resources when they land

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Speaker 4: in these situations. So that was my motivation to keep

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Speaker 4: it pushing and make sure that I keep it going.

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Speaker 1: When you even think about your conviction, because I read

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Speaker 1: about it and what happened. People would hear that, right,

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Speaker 1: you had no record of anything before that, something happened

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Speaker 1: to you, Like you've said, you were involved with the

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Speaker 1: wrong people. Sometimes we're not aware we're doing something that

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Speaker 1: we could get in trouble for. But people just hear

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Speaker 1: conviction and they don't care what it is. You're automatically like, oh,

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Speaker 1: I don't know if we want to you know, fell

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Speaker 1: in working here.

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Speaker 6: Or yeah, all of that.

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Speaker 4: It's hard to even get a place to live, and

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Speaker 4: you can have all the money in the world and

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Speaker 4: they look at you as a felon and then they're like, well,

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Speaker 4: we don't want them.

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Speaker 6: Living in this particular complex or this building.

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Speaker 4: So even myself, I've seen how my life just changed

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Speaker 4: once the conviction got handed down, and it was like

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Speaker 4: all the things that we took for granted, even something

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Speaker 4: simple as.

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Speaker 6: Pre check right PreCheck.

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Speaker 4: So I was like, they let you know very early

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Speaker 4: on that these things have been suspended. So it was

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Speaker 4: like me just noticing, like, oh, my life will be

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Speaker 4: very v You can't even.

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Speaker 1: Get a real estate license at first, like you have

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Speaker 1: to go through a whole process. You'll never get global entry.

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Speaker 1: Forget you can't even get global entry. And there's so

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Speaker 1: many things because even like getting a real estate license

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Speaker 1: is you can take the test, you can pass, you

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Speaker 1: can have an agency of brokers that's like okay, we'll

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Speaker 1: have you on as an agent, but you can't automatically

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Speaker 1: get that done.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: You have to go through a whole process, you know,

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Speaker 1: to make it happen. And sometimes it's also something that

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Speaker 1: people are ashamed to even have to talk about.

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Speaker 4: Yes, it's very it's a very sensitive subject matter because

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Speaker 4: they're thinking about what's going to happen. Happen after they

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Speaker 4: people notice what their situation was. So it's like sometimes

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Speaker 4: people will lie on.

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Speaker 6: Their applications because they're housing.

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Speaker 4: You know, out of survival. It's like, I need this

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Speaker 4: job at least to get me a couple of dollars

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Speaker 4: and maybe when they find out that I'm a felon

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Speaker 4: and they eventually fire me, then not at.

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Speaker 6: Least have a couple of checks get me through the

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Speaker 6: next couple months.

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Speaker 1: Oh, you'll be thinking, well, at least they know me

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Speaker 1: now and I'm in here, so maybe they'll know that.

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Speaker 1: But that's why I love what it is that you're

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Speaker 1: doing right, because this is also what I find is

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Speaker 1: that people that have uh, these convictions and these felonies

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Speaker 1: on their record, they want to be able to work,

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Speaker 1: They want to be able to be productive members of society.

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Speaker 5: They just need a chance.

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Speaker 3: You hire, just for everybody to be clear, you hire formally, incurious.

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Speaker 4: As all we do, all right, So everybody in that

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Speaker 4: shop has been you know, justice impacted.

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Speaker 3: What do you think other businesses, society as a whole

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Speaker 3: are overlooking about this population?

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Speaker 4: I mean a wealth of talent, a wealth of dedicated,

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Speaker 4: you know, skilled individuals that want to prove you wrong.

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Speaker 4: And I think when we look at it from that

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Speaker 4: lens of somebody like just waiting for some a person

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Speaker 4: to give them a chance to say yes, and then

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Speaker 4: they're going to show you what they can do behind

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Speaker 4: the yes, versus people just no, no, no, you can't

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Speaker 4: do this, or not even knowing them and then looking

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Speaker 4: at them just because they have a record and saying that, oh,

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Speaker 4: because you have a record, you cannot do this, and

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Speaker 4: don't even know from a canapign So it's like very

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Speaker 4: important for the people to just give them a chance

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Speaker 4: to show you what they can do do.

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Speaker 1: You think you were treated fairly by the justice system.

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Speaker 4: No, not at all, and for multitude reasons. And you know,

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Speaker 4: for me, looking back at when I was going through

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Speaker 4: what I was going through, I was just looked at

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Speaker 4: as a feeling. It wasn't looked at the people lives

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Speaker 4: that I changed and saved when I was you know,

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Speaker 4: in that industry, right the countless the hundreds of people

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Speaker 4: that I still in contact with that you know I've

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Speaker 4: affected their life in a positive way.

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Speaker 6: None of that was discussed.

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Speaker 4: It was just, now, this is your situation, this is you,

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Speaker 4: and this is what you've done, and that's what you

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Speaker 4: know continues to follow me to this day. But for me,

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Speaker 4: I don't look at it from that negative perspective. I

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Speaker 4: just try to stay focused on what we're doing is

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Speaker 4: try to stay grounded in what this movement that we're

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Speaker 4: pushing and then continue to push forward.

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Speaker 3: How do you do that? Sorry, Like, how do you

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Speaker 3: find the resilience and the financial, not financial, the psychological

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Speaker 3: strength to do that?

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Speaker 4: I mean, if we don't do it, then who's going

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Speaker 4: to do it? I think, you know, there's nobody that's

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Speaker 4: going to attempt to try to save us from you know,

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Speaker 4: the things that you know have been following us, you know,

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Speaker 4: since somebody has gotten convicted. Once you get convicted, it's

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Speaker 4: essentially like a life sentence, right, because whatever you've done

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Speaker 4: follows you for the rest of your life. A lot

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Speaker 4: of people who've been justice impacted when they are starting

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Speaker 4: businesses and want to and aspire to be entrepreneurs, it's

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Speaker 4: out of survival. A lot of times people don't have options.

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Speaker 4: If you know that you're unable to get a job

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Speaker 4: and that you have walked into countless interviews and somebody

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Speaker 4: has just excluded you just because that simple fact, then

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Speaker 4: it's like, what can I do. I don't want to

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Speaker 4: go back to what I was doing before, which is

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Speaker 4: the common misconception that people think that people just want

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Speaker 4: to go back to the things that got him in jail.

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Speaker 6: That'd be the last option, right. A lot of people

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Speaker 6: want to change.

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Speaker 4: When you give people opportunities and people have certain boxes checked,

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Speaker 4: which is, you know, having somewhere to live and having employment,

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Speaker 4: you reduced forcidivism by a lot. So those two basic

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Speaker 4: are the two basic drivers other citivism. So if we

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Speaker 4: can you know, cover those, then people can at least

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Speaker 4: get a start to try.

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Speaker 6: To do something.

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Speaker 1: I also wanted to ask you because I know your

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Speaker 1: family also was definitely for the movement as well and

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Speaker 1: did a lot of positive things in the neighborhood you

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Speaker 1: know too. So was this something you feel like was

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Speaker 1: ingrained in you when you think about even aside from

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Speaker 1: your personal situation, but just wanting to make sure that you.

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Speaker 5: Were part of this solution.

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Speaker 1: Was it something that even when you were young, you

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Speaker 1: knew somehow, some way this was going to be your path.

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Speaker 4: Yes, my father was very heavily involved in community, and

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Speaker 4: you know, he was on a movement. I have, you know,

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Speaker 4: family members that were part of the Black Panther Party

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Speaker 4: Philadelphia chapters. So I feel like this definitely was something

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Speaker 4: in me. And also have a family of entrepreneurs. You know,

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Speaker 4: my older brother his name is Kenya, and he started

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Speaker 4: a scheme which is a holding line that you know,

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Speaker 4: one of the top clue line that ever come out

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Speaker 4: of Philadelphia. Yeah, that's a bit back in two thousands.

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Speaker 4: So I was able to see, you know, very early

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Speaker 4: on that entrepreneurship was possible because I had people around

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Speaker 4: my life that showed me and to this day he's

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Speaker 4: still an entrepreneur and still pushing that movement. So for me,

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Speaker 4: I was blessed to be around individuals who I can,

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Speaker 4: you know, be exposed.

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Speaker 6: To and see that something is actually possible.

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Speaker 1: So let's talk about Down North Pizza for a minute.

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Speaker 1: Because when you first opened, there was so much press

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Speaker 1: around it, so much going on that you guys were

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Speaker 1: like not even prepared for what was going to happen

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Speaker 1: that first day.

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Speaker 6: No, not at all.

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Speaker 4: When I think back and we laugh about this now,

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Speaker 4: because Miji opened a restaurant with no restaurant experience.

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Speaker 1: You know, none, because even with restaurant experience, it's hard

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Speaker 1: to open a restaurant.

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Speaker 4: Yes, And I remember when I was telling people about

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Speaker 4: Down North in my idea and it's like, dude, what

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Speaker 4: are you talking about.

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Speaker 6: You don't make pizza.

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Speaker 4: You going in like probably one of the worst neighborhoods,

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Speaker 4: which is in Philadelphia, and you don't have any experience.

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Speaker 1: And black people with pizza shops. Yeah, I mean there's

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Speaker 1: a few, but that's.

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Speaker 6: Not normally say yeah. So it's like you sure about this?

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Speaker 4: And I think that was one of the driving reasons

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Speaker 4: why I wanted to do it, because I'm very competitive,

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Speaker 4: so I wanted to prove people wrong. And I was like,

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Speaker 4: you know, and the fact that I was hiring felons,

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Speaker 4: They're like, this sounds like a recipe for a disaster,

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Speaker 4: and I was like, actually, I think about it the

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Speaker 4: other ways. I feel like this is a recipe for

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Speaker 4: success because for me, when I approach like business, it's like,

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Speaker 4: where's the void in the marketplace for something? So that's

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Speaker 4: my guide in light. So it's like, if we can

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Speaker 4: find out things that doesn't exist and push the envelope

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Speaker 4: and for me to be creative, the creative mind that

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Speaker 4: I am, that's where I am.

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Speaker 6: I'm at the intersection. So for me, that's what I'm

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Speaker 6: looking for.

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Speaker 4: So I saw this as a very unique opportunity to

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Speaker 4: as we say, bank some poles and save some lives.

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Speaker 3: Lank and Pime, I love that that you just stay

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Speaker 3: you listen to your voice.

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Speaker 6: Yeah noise, Yeah, it's always going to be noise.

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Speaker 4: And my biggest thing is focused, Like you have to

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Speaker 4: stay focused because there's always going to be noise around you.

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Speaker 6: And if you can stay focused to stay of course

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Speaker 6: and you know, you can do something.

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Speaker 1: You know, as an entrepreneur, I have to ask you,

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Speaker 1: like you said you had no experience in the restaurant business.

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Speaker 1: So that means you have to figure out, like all

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Speaker 1: of the permits, what is the things that I need?

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Speaker 1: You got to have all kinds of like, hey, we

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Speaker 1: got to have our food handlers license. We got to

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Speaker 1: make sure somebody's on site to handle this. You got

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Speaker 1: to worry about inspections, all of those things. Did you

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Speaker 1: have to Did you sit down and have like a plan.

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Speaker 1: Some people will tell you, all right, I put together

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Speaker 1: a business plan. I did X, Y and Z, Like

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Speaker 1: how did you even say okay, we're ready for opening day?

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Speaker 1: What was that process?

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Speaker 4: So now I started account as business before, so I

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Speaker 4: feel like business at the core there is the same.

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Speaker 4: It's just different systems. Systems the world make or break businesses.

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Speaker 4: So I had to learn the restaurant systems. And you know,

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Speaker 4: I understand market and I understand stand all the back

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Speaker 4: end stuff. And that's why leading up to down North

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Speaker 4: opening it took about six months. People don't know about

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Speaker 4: how you know long it actually took for it to

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Speaker 4: actually open up and actually sell pizza. That in itself

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Speaker 4: was the whole process. You remember, I'm telling you I'm

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Speaker 4: going through my own legal troubles during the time, I'm

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Speaker 4: still building out the space that down No Pizza resides in.

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Speaker 4: So for me, it was a lot leading up to that,

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Speaker 4: and you know, hiring the right people and finding the

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Speaker 4: right talent because I needed to learn from them.

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Speaker 6: One of my biggest features being the entrepreneurs like humility.

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Speaker 6: You have to be humble.

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Speaker 4: You have to know what you know, and you have

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Speaker 4: to know what you don't know, right And I was

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Speaker 4: comfortable with what.

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Speaker 6: I didn't know.

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Speaker 4: I didn't know nothing about running the restaurant. The first

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Speaker 4: time being in the back of a restaurant was when

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Speaker 4: I built Down North. I'm in the back of the house.

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Speaker 6: And it's like, oh, this is a restaurant. This is

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Speaker 6: what it feels like. And I had to learn. I

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Speaker 6: learned from the chefs.

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Speaker 4: You know that we work together, you know Chef Mike,

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Speaker 4: you know, the executive chef at Down North, Like we

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Speaker 4: worked hand in hand to you know, for him to

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Speaker 4: allow me to you know, grow into it what it

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Speaker 4: is right now in the restaurant space.

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Speaker 6: You know, I was working the line essentially, we talked.

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Speaker 6: We laugh about it now.

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Speaker 4: But when I first we first opened up, I was

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Speaker 4: at the job of this fries and wings like just

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Speaker 4: put it.

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Speaker 6: And I'm like, okay, let's do it.

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Speaker 4: And it's like it's a whole kitchen culture that I

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Speaker 4: wasn't privy to prior. So it's like people moving around,

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Speaker 4: you know, all the stuff that we watch on the

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Speaker 4: Bear Bear and it's like all that language. It was

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Speaker 4: foreign to me, so all that noise, you know, and

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Speaker 4: all that yes. So it was like I'm.

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Speaker 6: Sitting there and I'm learning how to navigate within the

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Speaker 6: kitchen space. It was fun.

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Speaker 4: I made some mistakes, you know, made a lot of mistakes,

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Speaker 4: but they were cool because I was able to learn

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Speaker 4: and grow from them. And you know, we're still together today.

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Speaker 4: You know, Mike is this chef at the new restaurant.

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Speaker 4: So we were able to grow over time. And that

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Speaker 4: was very important because, like I said, had I not

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Speaker 4: had that humility, and I wouldn't be able to say

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Speaker 4: I can learn from that, you know works.

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Speaker 3: There was so much more to you. There is so

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Speaker 3: much more to you. You were in real estate developing

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Speaker 3: and property management before that, and you actually own the

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Speaker 3: building that Down North is in.

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Speaker 4: Yes, prior to down North, I had a real estate

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Speaker 4: development company in I always sort of value in individuals

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Speaker 4: who've been formally incarcerated, and my whole development team was

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Speaker 4: comprised of them.

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Speaker 3: Pre incarceration was because your family, Yeah, yeah, justice impacted

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Speaker 3: and who knew that whatever happened to you.

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Speaker 4: Yes, And my thing was, I had a whole staff,

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Speaker 4: a whole you know, electricians, you know, tradesmen that were

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Speaker 4: formingly incarcerated or impacted by you know, some type of

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Speaker 4: addiction that worked and actually built that building as well.

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Speaker 4: So the full circle moment was building was actually built

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Speaker 4: by hands of individuals who've been justice impacted. So for me,

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Speaker 4: it was like, like I said, one of those full

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Speaker 4: circle moments, and then seeing the building, the shell, you

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Speaker 4: know initially that was there, and then from the shell

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Speaker 4: to the first slice of pizza, it was like a

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Speaker 4: surreal feeling to see a customer walk out the door

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Speaker 4: with the pizza. Because, like I said, opening the business

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Speaker 4: is not easy, opening business during the pandemic.

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Speaker 5: It's definitely not easy.

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Speaker 6: And what we.

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Speaker 4: Were trying to do, and I attributed a lot of

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Speaker 4: that to timing as well. So you know, sometimes you

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Speaker 4: just get caught at the right time with a business

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Speaker 4: concept and it can take off from there.

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Speaker 6: I think timing is very important.

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Speaker 1: And dealing with what you dealt with also put another

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Speaker 1: fire behind you to say this has to happen.

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Speaker 6: Yes, it has to happen.

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Speaker 1: And you had the InKo monitor and people didn't even

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Speaker 1: know while you were working that you were in the

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Speaker 1: pizza shop with an ankle monitor on.

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Speaker 6: No nobody knew.

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Speaker 4: I think a lot of people found out through the

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Speaker 4: book because I didn't.

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Speaker 6: I wanted to.

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Speaker 4: I'm all, I'm a big person when it comes to accountability,

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Speaker 4: and I wanted to be held accountable for what my

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Speaker 4: role was within that. So don't look at my ankle

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Speaker 4: monitor and say, oh, I'm gonna let you off the hook.

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Speaker 4: Let me know what I have to do, and even

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Speaker 4: if it's not myself, I can utilize resources around me

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Speaker 4: to you know, take care of what I'm responsible for.

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Speaker 4: So and I also did not want this to be

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Speaker 4: a big media thing where they focused on myself and

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Speaker 4: it never was about.

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Speaker 3: Me being a James Beard Award winner. As much as

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Speaker 3: you can step back, I love your business and kind

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Speaker 3: of life.

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Speaker 2: Mantra.

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Speaker 3: Competition is at the bottom and collaboration is at the top.

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Speaker 6: Yep, what do you mean by that?

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Speaker 4: I mean we always open collaborations with pizza shops, other cafes,

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Speaker 4: other restaurants, because we don't look at it as a

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Speaker 4: competitive thing. We you know, understand that they have a

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Speaker 4: customer base. We have a customer base, and you know,

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Speaker 4: you also can share a customer base. And we've done

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Speaker 4: collaborations with other pizza spots. One of our favorites, you know,

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Speaker 4: Scars in New York. We do a lot of collaborations

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Speaker 4: with them. And sometimes people can understand, like how you

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Speaker 4: collaborating with the pizza shop. It's like it's easy. You know,

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Speaker 4: you both do something different, right, every business, even whether

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Speaker 4: it's in the same business, you do something different. So

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Speaker 4: how can we come together and formulate something based off

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Speaker 4: of what you do, based off of what I do?

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Speaker 4: And I'm always open for that.

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Speaker 3: I'm going to step out of this conversation for a minute, everybody,

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Speaker 3: because I'm a non coffee drinker and I have someone

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Speaker 3: who has started as shame by the way I want to.

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Speaker 3: I still push friends of mine who have coffee and

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Speaker 3: push their coffee and.

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Speaker 6: I don't even know if it's good coffee.

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Speaker 3: Everything she does is good. Come on, because she was

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Speaker 3: I saw how hard she worked in learning and studying coffee.

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Speaker 3: She went to Columbia. Yes, to study and learn about coffee.

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Speaker 3: You're opening a new cafe that's coffee, And now I'm

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Speaker 3: just gonna not say anything for a while.

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Speaker 6: No.

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Speaker 1: I opened my coffee shop during the pandemic as well,

404
00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:43,719
Speaker 1: coffee up those people. So that was definitely a very

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Speaker 1: challenging time build out wise, as far as the materials

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Speaker 1: and getting people to come and get things done and

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Speaker 1: getting even permits and stuff like that that we needed

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Speaker 1: to make happen. It was probably like three times more

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Speaker 1: expensive than it would have been to do it right now,

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Speaker 1: just as far as that's but definitely want to hear

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Speaker 1: about the coffee and talk to me about it.

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Speaker 6: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: So I thought that the concept about West in twenty

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Speaker 4: twenty one when I'm West and it's a play on words,

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Speaker 4: just like down with pizza. It's like you gotta be

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Speaker 4: facility to understand.

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Speaker 5: Oh, okay, you're from West Philadelphia.

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Speaker 6: Yes, West Philadelphia actually a block away from.

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Speaker 5: Where the Morning raised.

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Speaker 4: Sorry, And I thought of the concept of like, you know,

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Speaker 4: I want to do coffee.

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Speaker 6: I always love coffee.

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Speaker 4: I was always on the consumer side, but I actually

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Speaker 4: wanted to open up a cafe and I'm like, I

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Speaker 4: want to do it. I want to continue the mission.

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Speaker 4: I know that we had to open up a spot

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Speaker 4: so we can provide more opportunities for individuals who've been

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Speaker 4: justice impacted. So I thought about it back then and

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Speaker 4: in the midst of it. I'm the type of person

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Speaker 4: that if I'm going to get into something new, I.

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Speaker 6: Need to learn as much area.

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Speaker 4: I love that, no need to learn to be able to,

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Speaker 4: you know, open up this business, because I feel like

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Speaker 4: when you're opening something, there shouldn't be You never should

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Speaker 4: be put in a position where it's somebody can tell

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Speaker 4: you something about your business that you can't confirm it deny,

437
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:05,399
Speaker 4: and if you don't know something about it, then you

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Speaker 4: at the mercy of somebody telling you you need this

439
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Speaker 4: or this doesn't work because you.

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Speaker 6: Had no knowledge about it.

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Speaker 4: So for me, I wanted to like study coffee like

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Speaker 4: in every you know form that it was. So had

443
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,600
Speaker 4: an opportunity to study coffee and I think Staten Island

444
00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:21,880
Speaker 4: or Columbia, those are my two options.

445
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:22,840
Speaker 5: Which one did you pick?

446
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:29,240
Speaker 6: Yeah?

447
00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,520
Speaker 4: So I took up the opportunity. And there's a univer

448
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:37,080
Speaker 4: it's university nights more so university diversity, but Coffee Academy

449
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:44,840
Speaker 4: in Bogota, Columbia, and they literally teach you everything about coffee.

450
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,320
Speaker 6: That was the first time I actually knew coffee.

451
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,399
Speaker 4: Was a fruit and I think he's a fruit. Yes,

452
00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:53,880
Speaker 4: it's a very.

453
00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,040
Speaker 1: And then because you know what a lot of people

454
00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,720
Speaker 1: don't understand too about coffee is like light rose versus

455
00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,479
Speaker 1: dark roast, and which one is more caffeine?

456
00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,320
Speaker 5: And why onenes a light roast? Why on it? There

457
00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:03,639
Speaker 5: is so many different things.

458
00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:05,720
Speaker 6: It's so many different layers. I don't you know.

459
00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:08,680
Speaker 4: We traveled, you know, eleven thousand feet above sea level

460
00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,560
Speaker 4: to actually see the coffee trees and where they grow,

461
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,959
Speaker 4: and it was an experience.

462
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:16,800
Speaker 1: And even thinking about how people have to pick coffee

463
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:20,120
Speaker 1: beans or just how people are also compensated in these

464
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:23,880
Speaker 1: black and brown countries where coffee is grown, and why

465
00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:26,240
Speaker 1: it's important for us to be part of that whole,

466
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,320
Speaker 1: you know, just bringing we talk about fair trade, but

467
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:30,600
Speaker 1: it has to go even deeper than that.

468
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,520
Speaker 4: Yes, that definitely has to go. And I was blown

469
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,240
Speaker 4: away just by the experience. I spent by a total

470
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:37,320
Speaker 4: like three months there.

471
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:38,880
Speaker 5: That's amazing, and really.

472
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,120
Speaker 4: Getting into them with like coffee in different ways. And yeah,

473
00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:44,119
Speaker 4: because I know another thing people probably be like, well,

474
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:45,800
Speaker 4: y'all know it's about coffee.

475
00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:47,159
Speaker 5: Yeah, people would just assume that.

476
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,280
Speaker 6: I assume that, And it's like, no, we we stamped.

477
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:53,400
Speaker 1: What do you say to a non coffee drinker like Stacey?

478
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:57,600
Speaker 1: Because because I also believe that people have this notion

479
00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:00,880
Speaker 1: that coffee is not good for you for reason and there,

480
00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:02,840
Speaker 1: and coffee does have a lot of benefits.

481
00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:04,399
Speaker 3: I think it's great.

482
00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:05,000
Speaker 5: I just grew.

483
00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,560
Speaker 3: I think it's because my mother didn't drink coffee. My

484
00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:09,520
Speaker 3: father was a big coffee drinker, but I just I

485
00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:11,320
Speaker 3: just never drank it. I think I've had two cups

486
00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:12,800
Speaker 3: of coffee in my entire life.

487
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,720
Speaker 4: It's an acquired taste. I would say, if you don't

488
00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:16,760
Speaker 4: like coffee, try macha.

489
00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:18,919
Speaker 5: Okay, that's a fact matcha would give you.

490
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:24,520
Speaker 4: But Macha has a much more earthier taste, so or

491
00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:25,119
Speaker 4: a tea.

492
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,720
Speaker 3: I can barely contain my energy. I never wanted to

493
00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:29,919
Speaker 3: ingest anything that gave me more energy.

494
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:33,280
Speaker 4: Macha is a little different when it comes to I

495
00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,200
Speaker 4: think coffee like takes you on that, you know, straight up,

496
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:38,919
Speaker 4: But macha is like micro dos and caffeine.

497
00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:39,720
Speaker 3: Nothing against it.

498
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:41,959
Speaker 1: I just but you know, I love what you had

499
00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,240
Speaker 1: to say about actually going and studying what it is

500
00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,359
Speaker 1: that you want to do, because you know, even for

501
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,360
Speaker 1: us when we started our coffee company, we started underneath

502
00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,000
Speaker 1: another brand and then we were able to get our

503
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,360
Speaker 1: education that way and then eventually start roasting our own

504
00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:57,439
Speaker 1: beans as well and learn how to do that. And

505
00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:59,760
Speaker 1: I'm a big fan of once you decide to get

506
00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:02,240
Speaker 1: into to a business, just like you said, to learn

507
00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:04,760
Speaker 1: every aspect of it that you possibly can, and to

508
00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,639
Speaker 1: continue to learn and grow because industries are always evolving, yes,

509
00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:08,520
Speaker 1: you know as well.

510
00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,399
Speaker 4: And so no, that was that's very important because you know,

511
00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,080
Speaker 4: like you said, industries are evolving. Coffee is being roasted

512
00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,360
Speaker 4: in different ways as opposed to just the traditional way

513
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,679
Speaker 4: that people have been roasting. There's a lot of local roasters.

514
00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,520
Speaker 4: We deal with local roasters in Philly that we get

515
00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:27,879
Speaker 4: coffee from. And I think the evolution of coffee is

516
00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:29,480
Speaker 4: could be a benefit for everybody.

517
00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:32,000
Speaker 3: What kind of coffee are you going to serve? A

518
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:32,720
Speaker 3: new cafe?

519
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:34,800
Speaker 6: So right now we've been open for two weeks.

520
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,360
Speaker 5: Oh this is fresh fresh, Okay.

521
00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:40,919
Speaker 4: It took about two and a half years to you know,

522
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:44,280
Speaker 4: build out the space, equipment, staff and everything. So week

523
00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:48,640
Speaker 4: two weeks and it's been a hack Fay experience. And

524
00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:52,400
Speaker 4: we not only sell coffee, we also sell premium breakfast sandwiches.

525
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,320
Speaker 3: So you're selling your own blends of coffee.

526
00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,639
Speaker 4: Not yet, we're going with the local roaster Poem Roasting

527
00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:01,760
Speaker 4: in Philly. Definitely that you know the best, you know

528
00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:03,120
Speaker 4: roads locally.

529
00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:07,920
Speaker 6: That you can get another rose. We always opened.

530
00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,280
Speaker 1: We all love doing collapse with each other. As a

531
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,199
Speaker 1: matter of fact about that, we.

532
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:15,399
Speaker 6: Talked about.

533
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,679
Speaker 3: You want to touch on your book before you go,

534
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:20,280
Speaker 3: but I also just really want to give you a

535
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,440
Speaker 3: shout out that you have a foundation, new pizza foundation,

536
00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:24,800
Speaker 3: tell everybody what that does.

537
00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,879
Speaker 4: So when and I opened Down North Pizza maybe a

538
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,399
Speaker 4: year or so later, we figured that we're doing a

539
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:35,199
Speaker 4: lot of community based things and we also wanted to

540
00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,399
Speaker 4: know how can we like transform that and elevate that

541
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,959
Speaker 4: because we're doing a lot of like this volunteer stuff.

542
00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:43,120
Speaker 4: And that's when the idea of the Down North Foundation

543
00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:47,200
Speaker 4: was birthed and we operated a little different than traditional foundations.

544
00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:50,960
Speaker 4: So with us, we actually work with community, whether it's

545
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,320
Speaker 4: the justice impact community or the community within Strawberry Mansion

546
00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,159
Speaker 4: at Down North Pizza resides in and we talked to

547
00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,280
Speaker 4: them and we you know, connect with them to see

548
00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,159
Speaker 4: what they're need. We go out raise the money and

549
00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,480
Speaker 4: then we take the you know, the resources back to them.

550
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,920
Speaker 4: So we build out initiatives underneath the foundation based off

551
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,040
Speaker 4: the community's needs. That's amazing and that's what we've been

552
00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,359
Speaker 4: doing for the past three years. And I was telling

553
00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:16,880
Speaker 4: you about one of the programs that we got called

554
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,840
Speaker 4: Protect Your Crib. As we see how gentrification is like

555
00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:24,000
Speaker 4: ravaging through our communities, like how can we help? And

556
00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,359
Speaker 4: a lot of people are losing their houses simply because

557
00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:29,200
Speaker 4: they're defaulting on like property taxes right like a big

558
00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:32,520
Speaker 4: and then in Philadelphia County you can actually your house

559
00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,879
Speaker 4: will be going to what's it called sheriff cele with

560
00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:36,040
Speaker 4: the sheriff or auction.

561
00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,360
Speaker 5: Off, your auction off your house just because of these taxes.

562
00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,080
Speaker 4: Because of these taxes. So we like, well, how can

563
00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:42,800
Speaker 4: we help? And two years ago we started Protect your

564
00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:45,760
Speaker 4: Crib And I'm like, well about we just pay their taxes,

565
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,679
Speaker 4: get them a fresh, clean slate. They are programs that

566
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,680
Speaker 4: will give you tax credit. They just don't know about them.

567
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,880
Speaker 4: So provide an informative session so that they can learn

568
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,679
Speaker 4: about these programs, enroll them in the programs. Now you

569
00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:00,840
Speaker 4: have a Ziro balance, so we know that at least

570
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,280
Speaker 4: for the next five or ten years. You know, based

571
00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:04,879
Speaker 4: on how you can budget your money, that you'll at

572
00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:06,879
Speaker 4: least be in your house for that and kind of

573
00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:09,639
Speaker 4: build off of that, because even though the neighborhoods are

574
00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:11,919
Speaker 4: being gentrified, you still should be able to enjoy the

575
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:13,160
Speaker 4: neighborhood when it turns over.

576
00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:16,040
Speaker 6: And a lot of people in Philly are homeowners.

577
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:17,800
Speaker 1: Right, A lot of people from New York are moving

578
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:19,480
Speaker 1: to Philly. I just want to say I was reading

579
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:20,680
Speaker 1: an article about that.

580
00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,119
Speaker 4: How Yeah, we wasn't too happy about being called the

581
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:23,879
Speaker 4: sixth borough.

582
00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:27,600
Speaker 6: I name it that. I just said, yeah, that was

583
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:28,040
Speaker 6: with the art.

584
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:30,720
Speaker 4: I saw the article and I'm like, Philly, none of

585
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:31,720
Speaker 4: the Philadelphians is.

586
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:33,879
Speaker 3: Okay, look at the football team I inherited.

587
00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,960
Speaker 6: Which one the Eagles? Okay I gave you.

588
00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:39,879
Speaker 3: Don't get me, Okay, I'm not going to turn this

589
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,000
Speaker 3: on because you're not gonna call us no sense.

590
00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:43,359
Speaker 2: Yeah.

591
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:47,760
Speaker 1: I also want to point out that not only are

592
00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,480
Speaker 1: you doing this mission based business with Down North Pizza,

593
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,000
Speaker 1: but the piece is also amazing and you guys have

594
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,600
Speaker 1: gotten tons of awards. No, because listen, it could be great,

595
00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,800
Speaker 1: good mission pieces nasty yeah, but that is not the

596
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:01,480
Speaker 1: case here.

597
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:03,720
Speaker 4: No, And that was that's important that even though, like

598
00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,280
Speaker 4: I always tell people, you know, even though there's a

599
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,879
Speaker 4: difference between a supporter and the customer, and when we

600
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,119
Speaker 4: opened Down the Earth, we had tons of supporters, it

601
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,320
Speaker 4: was our job to convert to supporters into customers and

602
00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:16,240
Speaker 4: you only can do that through products and services. So

603
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:18,240
Speaker 4: we know that we had to provide a premium product

604
00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:20,320
Speaker 4: so that all the support we can get that we

605
00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,280
Speaker 4: were getting can translate into customers. And that's what you

606
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,320
Speaker 4: need to suffice a business. You need return to customers,

607
00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,439
Speaker 4: you need customers. And we knew we had to make

608
00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,640
Speaker 4: a premium product and that was you know, at the forefront.

609
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,760
Speaker 4: And it's like, we don't want to be known at

610
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:35,960
Speaker 4: you know as just oh this great mission, but there

611
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:37,280
Speaker 4: you know, when it comes.

612
00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:37,719
Speaker 6: To these products.

613
00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,040
Speaker 4: So we know we had to be on the forefront

614
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,280
Speaker 4: of providing this premium product and that's what we worked

615
00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:45,440
Speaker 4: tirely to do to make sure that we're providing quality

616
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:47,919
Speaker 4: with everything we do and people not just thinking that

617
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:50,680
Speaker 4: they had to support because we're doing this good thing

618
00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:52,080
Speaker 4: you should want to go and spend.

619
00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,080
Speaker 6: Your money because I also like it, yes and feel

620
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 6: good about it.

621
00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:54,880
Speaker 3: Yeah.

622
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:56,600
Speaker 1: And the other thing, because I was reading, I think

623
00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:58,960
Speaker 1: you guys did like a thousand pis or something like

624
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,640
Speaker 1: that for the grand opening. But you have to give

625
00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,360
Speaker 1: people of grace too when they're first opening.

626
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,440
Speaker 6: Yes, yes, we got a lot of grace.

627
00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,440
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's important because sometimes people will give like bad

628
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,960
Speaker 1: reviews and Somethime's only been open for like a week

629
00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:12,560
Speaker 1: or two and you're like, yo, give us a moment.

630
00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:14,679
Speaker 6: Yeah, so we got a lot of grace.

631
00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:16,400
Speaker 5: Because you have to start making pies right.

632
00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,520
Speaker 4: Yes, I remember that grand opening weekend where people stood

633
00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:22,760
Speaker 4: in line for two hours just to order really, and

634
00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:24,160
Speaker 4: then probably another hour or two.

635
00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:25,320
Speaker 6: Oh that's awesome.

636
00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:25,640
Speaker 5: See.

637
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,000
Speaker 1: So don't ever think that community doesn't support when you

638
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:29,680
Speaker 1: want to do something like this. There are so many

639
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:32,280
Speaker 1: people when you get the message out there that are

640
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,040
Speaker 1: willing to support. But then it's on you to make

641
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:36,879
Speaker 1: sure that the product is something like you said, that

642
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,320
Speaker 1: turns into a customer, will turn you into a customer.

643
00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,600
Speaker 3: I'm going to call you the Renaissance Fair because in

644
00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,440
Speaker 3: addition to your foundation and all these other things, your

645
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,480
Speaker 3: incredible book, We the Pizza not only tells your story,

646
00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:53,600
Speaker 3: but it's a history lesson. Yes, it preached you schooled

647
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,080
Speaker 3: me about the thirteenth Amendment and what happened.

648
00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:58,199
Speaker 4: Yeah, because a lot of people don't know how we

649
00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:01,840
Speaker 4: got to this point we're talking about with the prison

650
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:06,080
Speaker 4: system and the evolution and why is a business model

651
00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:07,760
Speaker 4: like this even necessarily in twenty twenty five.

652
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:09,240
Speaker 6: How do we get to the point where we needed this?

653
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,800
Speaker 4: And we take you on a journey within the book

654
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:16,560
Speaker 4: that it started from slavery. Slavery just transitioned into the

655
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,879
Speaker 4: prison system, and that's where we're at right now, and

656
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,280
Speaker 4: that's where a lot of people don't know about prison.

657
00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:26,800
Speaker 4: So throughout the book, and everybody you know copy your book.

658
00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:30,639
Speaker 4: You can see that there's little footnotes throughout you know,

659
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:32,400
Speaker 4: the book on the bottom of the pages that give

660
00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:36,679
Speaker 4: you timestamped you know, events that happened to get you

661
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,200
Speaker 4: to the point of where we're at right now with

662
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 4: the carcal system.

663
00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:41,360
Speaker 6: How is evolved into.

664
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,600
Speaker 4: This this industry that employs so many people, that so

665
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:45,680
Speaker 4: many people rely on.

666
00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,000
Speaker 3: You broke it down so clearly, how the economy really

667
00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:50,960
Speaker 3: fell apart in the South when slavery.

668
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:52,160
Speaker 6: Oh yeah, stopped.

669
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:54,680
Speaker 3: So they had to figure out how to get those

670
00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,600
Speaker 3: people back in the fields. Yeah, so they just made

671
00:28:58,640 --> 00:28:59,720
Speaker 3: more things illegal.

672
00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:03,160
Speaker 4: I mean yeah, it's like convict leasing and things like

673
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,960
Speaker 4: that that were prevalent, where you know, they had to

674
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:07,680
Speaker 4: figure out how can we get people back on these

675
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:10,680
Speaker 4: fields and work. It's like, oh, well, let's create the laws,

676
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:14,040
Speaker 4: let's lock them up, and then when they can't beil

677
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:16,680
Speaker 4: themselves out, we'll show up and be like, all right,

678
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:19,200
Speaker 4: well you can come work this dead off and make

679
00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:21,880
Speaker 4: that a revolving you know, door like loitering, like one

680
00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:25,160
Speaker 4: of those laws where you can even be caught standing outside.

681
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,600
Speaker 4: Mind you, when they released the slaves, there was just like.

682
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,280
Speaker 3: Go ahead, you can't stand here.

683
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,200
Speaker 4: Yeah, so it's like that became a crime. So it's

684
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,600
Speaker 4: like when we create the laws, then we also can

685
00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,520
Speaker 4: say you know this is wrong, you can't do this,

686
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,600
Speaker 4: and then we can control the systems. And the system

687
00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:43,600
Speaker 4: evolved to what we have today where you have so

688
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,760
Speaker 4: many different systems entangled within the cartal state.

689
00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:48,720
Speaker 1: I saw you also wrote in here I think it

690
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,640
Speaker 1: was one in three black men your age will end

691
00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:52,680
Speaker 1: up getting arrested.

692
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:55,480
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, absolutely, and that's you know, something that's been

693
00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:57,800
Speaker 4: prevalent in America for a very long time.

694
00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:01,760
Speaker 2: Well, this is really moving.

695
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,560
Speaker 1: And I was telling you before we started this, I

696
00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,400
Speaker 1: was in Detroit, you know, shout out to Detroit, and

697
00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,320
Speaker 1: I was just randomly out and it's like, oh, you

698
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,920
Speaker 1: got to get this book, you know. And I saw

699
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,280
Speaker 1: I got a copy of this book while I was

700
00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:20,040
Speaker 1: in Detroit. That's how everything that you have is traveling around.

701
00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,440
Speaker 1: And it turns out, as I was reading it, this

702
00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:25,320
Speaker 1: is based on Detroit style pizza, the pizza that you

703
00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:26,920
Speaker 1: had there with the Philly twist.

704
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,000
Speaker 2: Yes, don't leave out that Philly twist.

705
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:29,280
Speaker 3: Yes.

706
00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:32,480
Speaker 4: Yeah, Now that you got the book, shout out to Ashtley, Yes,

707
00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 4: thank you as as a ray no from Detroit. They

708
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:39,680
Speaker 4: behold me down out there and for me, yeah, the

709
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,160
Speaker 4: Detroit style pizzas were inspired the Philly style pizza that

710
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:44,520
Speaker 4: we have right now.

711
00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:45,680
Speaker 6: And we were doing research.

712
00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:47,560
Speaker 4: I wanted to do a square pizza because there was

713
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:49,520
Speaker 4: a lot of nostalgia around growing up and.

714
00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,440
Speaker 6: Eating square pizza. So we were like, what are we

715
00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:52,840
Speaker 6: going to do?

716
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:55,360
Speaker 4: So we landed at oh, well, Detroit style is a

717
00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:58,959
Speaker 4: good starting point, and we saw how the Detroit style pizza.

718
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,560
Speaker 4: You know, used the Wisconsin break cheese, the line goods

719
00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:04,840
Speaker 4: that like that great fence that comes around you use

720
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,480
Speaker 4: those pants that that special pants that you have to

721
00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,640
Speaker 4: cook the Troit pizza. Detroit pizza is more like a

722
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,840
Speaker 4: rectangle though, and it's way more dense than the pizza

723
00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:16,520
Speaker 4: that we make. And that's why I think we switched

724
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,280
Speaker 4: it up. We overhydrated the dough. We made it more

725
00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:21,560
Speaker 4: of a square and it's not as dense. And we

726
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:22,520
Speaker 4: don't use Wisconsin.

727
00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:25,080
Speaker 3: You didn't bring any, he said.

728
00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:29,920
Speaker 1: It's crazy as that. He said, forget New York. You know,

729
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:31,680
Speaker 1: we're the sixth Borough and all, but we're gonna go

730
00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:32,200
Speaker 1: to Detroit.

731
00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:33,640
Speaker 6: Crazy.

732
00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:36,200
Speaker 5: I'm just kidding. I don't want nobody from Philly to

733
00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:37,400
Speaker 5: get mad at me. I'm just playing.

734
00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,680
Speaker 1: Okay, guys, but yes, and even the names of the pizza,

735
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:41,640
Speaker 1: by the way, super cute.

736
00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:42,200
Speaker 5: So I love that.

737
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,880
Speaker 4: Yeah, So we definitely get pay hamas to a lot

738
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:47,280
Speaker 4: of the Philadelphia artists. So all of our pizzas are

739
00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,320
Speaker 4: named after notable Philadelphia songs and that's like the theme

740
00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:53,800
Speaker 4: of the restaurant. So you know, you get some history too,

741
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,280
Speaker 4: because we you know, even go back to the older song.

742
00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:58,840
Speaker 4: So we pay homus to Philly in a different way,

743
00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:00,480
Speaker 4: because you know, we just prod for when it comes

744
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,240
Speaker 4: to Philly, be wed on that shoulders. You'll know a

745
00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:05,080
Speaker 4: Philadelphia anywhere, Yes you will.

746
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:06,960
Speaker 3: And we the pizzas on Amazon.

747
00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,600
Speaker 4: We the pizzas on Amazon, Barnes and Noble anywhere you know.

748
00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:14,080
Speaker 4: You can buy books online. Also a lot of local bookstores.

749
00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:16,760
Speaker 4: You want to support local bookstores, and there are a

750
00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:18,640
Speaker 4: lot of local bookstores around the United States.

751
00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,160
Speaker 2: The full name. I love it. We the pizza slinging

752
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:22,560
Speaker 2: pies and saving lives.

753
00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:25,080
Speaker 5: All right, well, thank you so much.

754
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:26,800
Speaker 1: I cannot wait to come out there and come by

755
00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:29,280
Speaker 1: the pizza shop and the cafe.

756
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:31,160
Speaker 6: So we're gonna talk about this coffee thing.

757
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:35,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, I came here with you got your coffee drinkers.

758
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:35,600
Speaker 3: I can't believe you.

759
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:37,680
Speaker 5: You know it's crazy. Can I just have a moment

760
00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:38,120
Speaker 5: of honesty.

761
00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,160
Speaker 1: I had pizza earlier today and then I was like, oh, shoot,

762
00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:42,360
Speaker 1: what if he brings pizza out?

763
00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:43,160
Speaker 5: So I stopped eating.

764
00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:44,120
Speaker 3: I didn't eat lunch.

765
00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:45,560
Speaker 6: Oh.

766
00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:49,720
Speaker 1: I was like, nobody's going to bring pizza from Philly.

767
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:51,200
Speaker 1: It'll be cold by the time it gets here.

768
00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:53,239
Speaker 3: Your heart.

769
00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:55,320
Speaker 1: That just means a road trip and I'm excited for

770
00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,280
Speaker 1: that and press some collaborationally yes that we can do

771
00:32:58,360 --> 00:32:58,840
Speaker 1: in the future.

772
00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:00,600
Speaker 5: So thank you so much for coming do for wealth.

773
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:03,840
Speaker 2: Happy Wealth Wednesdays, everybody,