Elk Grove High School Winning Pizza: Steak Fajita Pizza!

The winning pizza consists of: Marinated Grilled Steak with Tri-colored Peppers, Fajita Seasoned Pizza Sauce, Grilled Onion and a blend of Pepper Jack & Mozzarella Cheese.

The Story

Every semester, Frato's volunteers to work with Elk Grove High School Culinary Students, taught by Mrs. Erin Ludewig. We challenge these young chefs to produce a pizza that can make our seasonal menu.

Sara and Paris did just that with a well thought-out steak fajita pizza. It's fun to see the competitive spirit of each team along with some of the wild ideas they can come up with. The key is creating a delicious pizza that can be produced quickly enough to be on our menu at a cost that allows us to keep our pricing competitive. If there is too much work involved to create this pizza consistently (all of our pizza is made by hand (skill) in a Traditional Stone Pizza Oven, not with pre-packaged ingredients in a conveyor belt oven (zero skill) like many now use), the cost of the pizza increases too much and it will be too hard to sell in our fast-paced environment.

Many still think that working in the restaurant industry is easier than it really is. You must produce a high quantity of food, very very quickly, and with perfect consistency every single time. Teaching the importance of such a high level of perfection/consistency is an asset that most were never taught in High School. Today, it's all the more important to teach a higher level of skills at a young age as automation continues to be added throughout most industries. Teaching higher level skills (ranging from problem solving to proper decision making) which can't be replaced by a machine is of the utmost importance. We hope this experience continues to give these talented students a taste of what it takes to build a real restaurant menu that is well-thought-out using everything from math to science when making these tough choices.

The ProStart course at EGHS provides an amazing opportunity which does just that - challenges students to use all of their abilities to make something that many think is simple: a unique pizza. It's a lot tougher than most realize!  Luckily, these young students have an amazing and passionate teacher in Mrs. Erin Ludewig to coach them to success! 

It's now available to order with Frato's New Seasonal Menu change. You can order this pizza online with FREE local delivery (also comes with Online Rewards) or call us at 847-895-2122. As always, feel free to stop by and dine-in with us.

For Catering Inquiries (separate from the restaurant division), you can order this pizza, prepared by a Personal Catering Chef (trained via Frato's Culinary Apprenticeship Program), for any special corporate event or family party at www.FratosCatering.com/Catering-Inquiry or Online at www.FratosCatering.com/Catering-Menu

Want to learn to be a future restaurant owner/chef? Join Frato's Team by Applying to Frato's Culinary Apprenticeship Program.