Today, we report on survey results posted by the National Restaurant Association regarding safety in the workplace, and also restaurant performance index gains for September, and we report on the state of California’s cheese manufacturing numbers in the U.S., a close first to Wisconsin.

In this edition of House Calls, Tom Lehmann discusses several topics: Blast Freezing vs. Walk-in freezers (for take and bake or distribution), How to avoid blowouts when cooking bread loaves, rolled dough versus sheeting and hand tossing, and the practical pizza production seminar, which was held in October at the American Institute of Baking.

Chuck Paul has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 30 years, mostly in operations for several top restaurant and hotel chains, including: Steak and Ale, Houlihan’s, Grady’s American Grille and Holiday Inn. Chuck is passionate about the value of mystery shopping and currently serves on the board of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). In the interview, Mr. Paul explains the ins and outs of the mystery shopping program and ways it is used in the pizza industry.

We take a closer look at some of the news headlines from across the globe, throughout the world of pizza. This week: signs seem to cause trouble in several parts of the USA, China, the world’s largest pizza market unveiled.