Michigan’s Clio Area High School students were wowed by the spicy zing of Chartwells Executive Chef Thomas Wlodarczyk’s party-ready pizza, which featured salsa-marinara sauce, beef chorizo, a cheddar-mozzarella blend and summer’s most colorful veggies. 

The Chartwells team at East Lansing High School served this garlicky pie as part of their Student Choice program, in which students taste test and vote for their favorites.

This specialty pie, created by HHS Culinary Director Ryan Clark at Canyon Vista Medical Center in Arizona, was a big hit on the menu for the Doctor Residency program. 

HHS Director Kayla Martinez of Vibra Hospital of Denver whips up mascarpone, heavy whipping cream, citrus zest and sugar to make the perfect backdrop for jewel-toned peaches, plums and cherries. As Martinez says, “The way to someone’s heart is through their belly.” 

HHS Executive Chef Christopher Randolph served this over-the-top summer pie while he was the visiting chef at the HHS Home Office. It includes grilled peaches, grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, arugula and a balsamic reduction. And plot twist—this is a cauliflower crust!

“This is a totally local pizza,” says HHS Executive Chef Karle Johnson of Hot Springs’ National Park Medical Center. “Arkansas is a great state for mostly local offerings.” His pie is made with heirloom tomatoes from his family garden, mozzarella from a local cheesemaker, and local basil, too.

Flavors and the balance of flavors is a top priority to HHS Director and Chef Brittney Horn of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset, KY. “I wanted something light and fresh, so I made a bacon-onion jam, added farm mozzarella, crispy prosciutto and lightly dressed arugula with lemon juice, zest, olive oil and salt. All together you have sweetness, saltiness and acidity, providing a really nice balance to this mini pizza.”

Spanish black bean sauce, caramelized Spanish onions, roasted red peppers, smoked pulled pork, shredded fontina and gouda make this pizza “excellent,” says its creator, HHS Executive Chef Zachary Wildman of the MUSC-Columbia Medical Center Downtown in Columbia, SC. “This is something I’ll be making again, for sure.” 

Another from Wildman, he describes it as “a play on the classic BLT with classic marinara sauce, diced Roma tomatoes, rendered pancetta, fontina, mozzarella, provolone and asiago cheeses. On top is a chiffonade of stemless baby spinach, added in the last 1-2 minutes of the cooking process.”

Metz Culinary Management chefs were busy all summer with signature pies across the board. This one features the sweetness of pulled pork and grilled plum, together with Alabama white barbecue sauce (vinegar, lemon, mayo and black pepper), caramelized onions and fresh green onions.

Another from Metz, this pie elevates an underused pizza topping: leeks! Melted together with mushrooms, it’s all tied together with truffle oil, a sometimes-maligned condiment. Just remember, a little goes a long way!

The classic pairing of prosciutto and melon morphs into summer pizza territory with peaches instead with this super-summery Metz pizza. Sweet, drizzly balsamic is the perfect final touch.

Another bit of mashup fun, Metz’s BLT pizza is drizzled with cool avocado crema. 

Sausage, cheese and colorful cherry tomatoes make this Metz pizza colorful and so succulent.

There’s no reason strawberries can’t go on pizza. This one, also from Metz, is dessert-leaning, but stays sophisticated and not-too-sweet with bracing balsamic. 

One more from Metz, this is a fun-sized take on calzones, individually portioned with a golden crust.