The King of Pizza

Scott Wiener’s dream job didn’t exist. So he created it!

April 2019

By Anna Starecheski

Courtesy of Scott Wiener (boxes)

The gooey cheese. The tangy sauce. The crispy crust. Is there anything better than a steaming hot slice of pizza?

Scott Wiener would say no. Scott is an entrepreneur [ahn-truh-pruh-NOOR], which means he started his own business. It’s called Scott’s Pizza Tours. Day after day, he takes busloads of people around New York City to learn about (and eat!) his favorite food.

But that’s not all: Scott has made himself into a top pizza expert. He writes for a magazine called Pizza Today. He appears on TV to talk about the very best slices. And he even has the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of pizza boxes.

We talked to Scott about how he turned his passion for pizza into a career.

How did you learn so much about pizza in the first place?
I read a lot. I read books about pizza, ovens, tomatoes, flour, and cheese. I even read about the science of cooking pizza. Then I went to pizzerias and asked the pizza makers questions. There are some things you’ll never know about until you ask.

When did you decide to start Scott’s Pizza Tours?
After college, I started taking my friends on little pizza adventures just for fun. Soon, I was getting emails from friends of those friends. They had heard about me and wanted to come along. That’s how I knew it was a good business idea!

What does it take to start a business?
The crucial thing is that you love what you’re doing. If you start a business you don’t really care about, it won’t work. You also need to be organized! I have to keep track of how much money we’re spending and making, the tour schedule, and more.

What’s the best part of your job?
I love giving people tours and teaching them something new about pizza. And it’s great when people ask good questions. I find that kids ask the best questions—unlike grown-ups, they’re not afraid to admit they don’t know something!