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Top chefs team up to make frozen pizza tastier

March 16, 2005

Dallas Morning News: Five hot-shot chefs convene in the kitchen of the tony Abacus restaurant in Dallas, faced with the task of making ice-aged discs of dough and toppings taste better.

The goal of the Freschetta Culinary Council is to make frozen pizza more like that served in top restaurants.

Each chef takes a turn presenting the pizzas dreamed up for the meeting. Everyone tastes, and feedback flies.

The parent Schwan Food Co. sends along its Freschetta Research and Development Team, a group of corporate food wonks representing marketing, packaging, research and development, engineering, food science, distribution.

While the chefs slice, dice, bake and taste, the wonks watch, taste and listen. And occasionally observe that an idea for red, green and yellow bell peppers arranged like flag stripes on top of a pizza would require a machine so sophisticated it hasn't yet been invented.

The corporate guys' main job, however, is figuring out how to execute the chefs' vision. (Subscription required)

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