Neel and Palak Vaidya, Troy’s Italian Kitchen on The Hot Slice PodcastOn this week’s The Hot Slice Podcast, Executive Editor Denise Greer and Senior Creative Director Josh Keown chat with Neel and Palak Vaidya, co-owners of Troy’s Italian Kitchen in Arlington, Virginia. Neel was recently named a Rising Star of the Pizza Industry by Pizza Today.Neel and Palak’s journey to pizza was a unique one. They capitalized on the sale of an existing pizzeria. Though they kept the name, Troy’s Italian Kitchen, the couple overhauled the business and its menu to create the successful business they have today. Learn about how their interest in pizza sparked the flourishing business.Troy’s Italian Kitchen was never meant to be a vegan-focused pizzeria. But the couple developed plant-based pizzas that pulled a fusion of other cuisine such as Indian, Mexican and BBQ. The vegan pizzas became a hit amongst the local plant-based community and drove huge vegan pizza sales during the pandemic. That demand has persisted, and vegan pies make up 60 percent of Troy’s sales.Neel and Palak also jumped on offering catering and expanded their pasta menu to diversify catering. They have three team members dedicated to private catering.Listen on as Neel and Palak share the story of Troy’s Italian Kitchen and its fusion pizza menu.Read a Q&A with Neel.https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/neel-vaidya-troys-italian-kitchen-arlington-virginia-rising-star-2023/Learn more about Troy’s Italian Kitchen.https://www.troysitaliankitchen.com/Follow Troy’s Italian Kitchen on social.https://www.instagram.com/troysitaliankitchen/https://www.tiktok.com/@troysitaliankitchen?lang=en