Pizza Week 2025: Factory by Beer Tree

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – News 34 Pizza Week continues with a stop at the Oakdale Commons.
Our Special Pizza Correspondent, Mike Tanzini, shows us how Factory by Beer Tree is brewing up the perfect pizza to partner with its craft beer.
Shake, Shimmy, Pivot, Turn. Are these dance moves? Not quite. These are the moves you need to master if you're going to be a successful pizza maker at Factory by Beer Tree Brew, an anchor tenant located at the ever-improving Oakdale Commons.
Known for its good vibes and wide selection of cold, crisp craft beer, Factory also offers both traditional and non-traditional pizza pies to keep people coming back.
Server and Bartender Jackie Ryder says their location is always booming with new customers.
'It's brought in a lot of people as well. The new Dave and Busters is bringing in a lot of people from out of town. They don't have a whole lot of craft beer, so we have the craft beer that brings people in,' said Ryder.
Those pizza patrons keep coming back once they've had a chance to try a Factory Pie – a recipe that prides itself on simplicity, quality, and flavor. The dough is a hybrid of a Neapolitan-style and a semolina dough.
'Both of those doughs are high in protein and gluten, which makes for an airier, softer, chewier, but crisp pizza crust on the outside as well,' said Pizza Maker Nick Aiken.
The dough is lightly coated in flour on both sides, and all of the air is pressed out of it which is critical for even cooking.
'You want to push out any air bubbles you might feel because you want to eliminate as many air sockets as you possibly can, so once it's going into the oven, it's an even cook,' said Aiken.
Nick also shows me the proper way to spread and expand the dough.
'This is my dominant hand so I want to move this.'
'It's repetition and muscle memory. You'll get a feel for it,' said Aiken.
This prevents holes from forming, a lesson that I could've used earlier this week! It's a good way to keep from tearing or ripping or creating too much pressure to make this side of the pizza a little thinner. This helps with the balance and even cooking along with the integrity of the dough. I hate to say it, but we learned that through experience this week.
Now, the moment of truth – can we transfer the dough onto the peel without ripping it?
'This is kind of like putting the baby to bed – nice and gentle – no tears.'
Now it's time to lay on the sauce – no fancy gimmicks or tricks – just simple, quality, fresh ingredients.
'What we like to say is that simplicity is king. We let the ingredients, the dough, and cheese itself do a lot of the talking. This is really simple. We have a tomato and a roasted garlic base, and we add herbs and spices just to bring it to life a little bit, but that's as much as I can tell you,' said Aiken.
Nick applies the sauce using a cross pattern, which is a first for News 34 Pizza Week!
'The cross method. I don't think I've ever seen that before.'
'That's something you just learn through the trade. Some people make a spiral, some make a cross, and that helps cover the surface area so all of the parts touch that sauce instead of starting at one end and trying to disperse it throughout the rest of the pizza. You end up running out of sauce at the end, and it helps provide an event coat,' said Aikan.
The toppings are applied underneath the cheese which creates a unique flavor combination that complements and melds all of the ingredients together for that perfect bite. And don't think that they're just tossing down toppings willy-nilly. Nick wants each customer to have a consistent experience, so you'd better count your pepperoni.
'I don't want a single pepperoni under 23 or 24,' said Aikan.
'I think we're at like 22 and a half. I'm just trying to get creative here. Here's a half and three-quarters, and we're around the magic number. You can't take that out of Jim's pay. Sorry, Jim – the pizza business is tough.'
We top the pies with a special trifecta of mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar cheeses, and we carefully place them into the 600-to-800-degree wood fire oven.
We shimmy, shimmy, shake it in, and then swing and pivot when it's taken out,' said Aiken. 'Ok, now pivot and turn. The pivot is key.'
Even with two left feet, I managed to land the pie safely on the dance floor.
Time to celebrate our masterpiece and take a bit with my new Factory friends.
'Here we go, one bite, everyone knows the rules.' Cheers!
You can watch Pizza Week episodes and vote in our favorite pizza poll here.
BCSO Featured Warrant: Michael Pavlisak
Undocumented man to be deported after raping, strangling woman in Delaware County
Pizza Week 2025: Factory by Beer Tree
'Market Greens' addresses food insecurity in local community
Fill the Bus Campaign raises money for local food bank
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

12 hours ago

• Yahoo

Bianca Censori's Lookalike Sister Angelina Turns Heads With Sudden Style Switch-Up

Bianca Censori's Lookalike Sister Angelina Turns Heads With Sudden Style Switch-Up originally appeared on Parade. Bianca Censori's lookalike sister, , recently turned heads after debuting a sudden style switch-up. On Tuesday, June 10, the Australian model, 20, took to her Instagram Stories with a clip and photos while in Japan, seemingly visiting Bianca, 30, and her husband, , 48. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Angelina shared a clip of chefs sprinkling a dessert with what looked like edible gold flakes before posting a photo of the treat, too. In a different segment, she included a snap of city buildings and traffic from a street view, tagging the sweet shop Shiseido Parlour in Tokyo. For yet another image, Bianca's younger sibling uploaded a mirror selfie that cut off her head but showed off her outfit for the night—and she opted for an uncharacteristically conservative look. In the picture, Angelina kept it simple with a black spaghetti-strap tank top and jeans. The low-key fashion choice was a huge departure from the risqué 'fits she has recently shared on social media. Recently, Angelina rocked a sheer look that left little to the imagination. She also dropped jaws in a tantalizing see-through dress. The younger Censori sister seems to be following in Bianca's boundary-pushing fashion footsteps. In February, the Yeezy architect nearly broke the internet when she left absolutely nothing to the imagination on the 2025 Grammy Awards red carpet. More recently, Bianca sported a see-through top and no pants. She also donned a leather thong and flaunted an eye-popping sheer look in a livestream video. Next: Bianca Censori's Lookalike Sister Angelina Turns Heads With Sudden Style Switch-Up first appeared on Parade on Jun 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.

USA Today

17 hours ago

• USA Today

Is Philly water ice the same as Italian ice? No, and here's why

Philly-style water ice makes a great 7th inning treat – Photo courtesy of Catherine Smith This article, originally published in June 2019, was updated in June 2025. Fans of the podcast "Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce" recently discovered another 'uniquely Philly' passion of Kelce's: water ice. 'WTF is water ice? Are we talking about snow cones?' asked YouTube viewer @treysullivan9248. Kelce, like any true Philadelphian, aggressively but understandably, clarified: 'No, Trey! We are not talking about snow cones!' Advertisement Kelce — media personality, podcast host, and wife of retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — went on to say that water ice is a Philadelphia summer staple that's basically frozen sugar water. "You can't go wrong with it,' she said. What is Philly-style water ice? Philly kids love their Philadelphia water ice – Photo courtesy of Catherine Smith Most similar to a fresh fruit slushie, water ice has been Philadelphia's favorite summer treat for generations. Each spring, as the weather starts to warm up and hint at summer, we celebrate with our favorite seasonal treat. Moms line up with their kids at their favorite water ice stands. Excited children study the freezer full of colorful tubs. One asks, "Can I have strawberry on the bottom and mango on top?' T​​he teenager behind the counter happily obliges, filling the bottom half of the ​​plastic cup with an icy strawberry mixture and topping it off with another pale-yellow scoop. Advertisement While Philadelphians have been enjoying water ice for generations, the consumption of ice and fruit combinations goes back a couple of thousand years to ancient Sicily (and can be traced even further back to Asia, Persia, and Mesopotamia). To beat the summer heat, according to food historian Liz Williams, ancient Sicilians devised creative means to both refresh and delight. Long before the invention of coolers and refrigeration, the people of Sicily were ingeniously experimenting with ice. Runners were sent up the almost 11,000-foot Mount Etna, Europe's highest active volcano, to collect snow and ice that could be combined with lemons, limes, and other fresh fruits to create a cool and refreshing summer treat. Over the years, Sicilians mastered a method of storing the ice in caverns beneath the volcano before transporting it to other parts of Italy. As they did so, the practice of mixing ice and fruit, known as granita, spread throughout Italy. Different regions developed their own versions of the fruit and ice combination, as well as sorbets and gelato. Fast forward some 2,000 years to the early 1900s, at the peak of Italian immigration to the United States. Approximately 2 million Italians immigrated here at that time, the majority coming from Southern Italy with hopes of escaping the intense poverty back home. Advertisement Men and women looked for creative ways — like peddling granita — to make money while establishing themselves and seeking employment. Just as the different regions of Italy developed different versions of granita over the years, American cities with high concentrations of Italians, especially Sicilians, began developing their versions. How do you serve Philadelphia water ice? Traditional water ice (pronounced "wooder ice" with the local accent) is made with three simple ingredients: fresh fruit, sugar and water. While it was once made by hand, today the ingredients are combined in a metal, cylindrical machine. A mixer inside the metal barrel rotates and scrapes the edges as the mixture begins to freeze and stick to the walls. After reaching the correct consistency, the water ice is transferred into tubs and served up fresh. Where is Philadelphia water ice made? Enjoy a refreshing treat at John's Water Ice – Photo courtesy of Kae Lani Palmisano As water ice has grown in popularity, new stands and mass-produced water ice franchises have popped up. Kids especially love Rita's Water Ice, a chain now available in over 30 states. Two of Philadelphia's most beloved water ice stands are John's Water Ice and Pop's Homemade Water Ice. John Cardullo, founder of John's Water Ice, owned a diner in the heart of South Philly's Italian Market neighborhood and often served water ice as a dessert. In 1945, as the water ice grew in popularity, he decided to close the diner, turn it into office space for his heating repair company, and open a simple water ice stand next door. Advertisement The two seasonal businesses provided Cardullo with steady income in both winter and summer. John's Water Ice still operates out of this original location on Christian Street, with a second location in Huntingdon Valley. Filippo Italiano of Pop's Homemade Water Ice sold his homemade Italian water ice from a cart he pushed around the neighborhood. As word of his refreshing treat spread, children and families began lining up outside his garage waiting for him to open. Since he lived across the street from an urban park, Italiano realized he was well-known enough to quit lugging his heavy cart around in the heat and let people come to him instead. In 1932, he converted his garage into a storefront. Decades later, his grandchildren still serve water ice out of this same location. Advertisement If you're visiting Philadelphia, head over to one of the mom-and-pop stands where you know you'll be met with the tastiest and most authentic Philadelphia water ice experience. Just be prepared, as many are cash only. John's is easily walkable from the Liberty Bell and Center City, while Pop's is located right off the Broad Street Line subway, a perfect place to stop before or after a Phillies game.

Yahoo

19 hours ago

• Yahoo

A Young and the Restless Newman Takeover After June 16

Victor, Nikki, and Nick are all off to meet the mysterious Aristotle Dumas on the June 16 episode of The Young and the Restless. Along with Sharon, Sally, and Billy, they're all playing a lively guessing game of Who Is Dumas? Which means they've taken their eyes off the prize? And what's the prize? Why, Newman Enterprises, of course… and who was left at home to watch the store? We all know that Victor (Eric Braeden) calls Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) 'my baby.' (Which is patronizing and condescending and, if we do say so ourselves… creepy.) But we — and she — know who Victor's real baby is. It's the company he built from the ground up with no help from anyone and without ever doing a bad or illegal thing ever: Newman Enterprises. Victor cares more about it than he does about his precious family, no matter how much he might insist to the contrary. That's why he keeps hiring and firing his children and other relatives from it. Nobody is quite good enough to run it — not the way Victor wants it run. MORE: Find out what happened on Y&R today. Victor is only going to France with Nikki and Nick (Joshua Morrow) because he wants to make sure Dumas doesn't do anything silly, like give Billy (Jason Thompson), Sally (Courtney Hope) or Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) the means by which they might put a chink in Newman Enterprises' armor. He left Adam (Mark Grossman) in charge, confident that his younger son would never do anything that might make his daddy love him less (especially since Victor has already made it clear in countless way to Adam that he loves him less than Victoria [Amelia Heinle] and Nick. Abby [Melissa Ordway] doesn't count.) READ MORE: Here's what happens next on Y&R. Except Victor didn't count on Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) making sad faces at Adam about following Victor's orders and going after Billy. Adam will do anything Chelsea says. He told her he'll deal with Victor. Could that be stealing his entire company out from under Victor while he's away? What will Victor do without his 'baby' then?