The Hot Slice
The Hot Slice
Pizza Today
296. Lars Smith on Competing, Branding, and Pizza Excellence
35 minutes Posted Feb 5, 2026 at 5:00 am.
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Send us Fan Mail This week, we chat with champion pizza maker and industry leader Lars Smith. Lars co-owns State of Mind Pub and State of Mind Slice House in Palo Alto, California. Fresh off his recent trip to Italy, Lars competed at the Sigep World in Rimini. His finishes include 2nd place in Pizza in Teglia, 11th place in Pizza alla Pala and 25th place in Pizza Classica. He highlighted his winning pizza, a seasonal winter squash and mushroom pizza with blue cheese, hazelnut, and lemon...