John Gutekanst is an intense pizza obsessive, author, teacher, blogger and small businessman who thrives in culinary situations where innovation and originality are crucial. John started his culinary journey at age 14 as a dishwasher at Bimbo’s Italian restaurant in Chicago. After flying over 400 missions in Asia and Africa as a decorated Naval Airborne Cryptologist, John continued as a wine steward in Country clubs then to French tableside fine dining at 5-star, Le Ciel Bleu in Chicago where he worked alongside chefs Paul Bocuse and Alain Longatte. He then continued as General Manager/ Maître d’ Hotel both at Entre’ Nous restaurant and the upscale Italian, La Primavera. Fairmont Hotels then sent John to open the Oak Room in Boston where he worked with Julia Child and John Unwin until being promoted to Director of Restaurants at the 800-room Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. where he opened four new restaurants. In April of 2000, John decided to go “all-in” on the pizza life and opened the high-volume Avalanche Pizza and bakery in Athens, Ohio which today creates over 120,000 pizzas a year. For 24 years it has been voted the title, “Best Pizza in Athens” and has been featured on the Food Network and in Food Arts, Edible Columbus, Restaurants and Institutions, National Geographic, Columbus Dispatch and Pizza Today. John has continued his search for the perfect pizza by graduating from the oldest pizza university in Italy, the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli. He is a monthly contributing writer to Pizza Today Magazine along with published stories for Gastronomica and Alimentum Food Journals. His proudest writing achievement was to be selected in Holly Hughes, Best Food Writing of 2012. Each week, his baking regime includes many obscure world breads and pizzas from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe because, as John points out; He put the “A” in gourmet!