I’m taking today off from the Friday pizza link roundup since I’m teaching that Slab class at 1:30pm today (it’s not too late to sign up if you want!)

I did have one stray pizza story that I wanted to share before the month is out, however.

Former inmates are cooking up some of Philly's best pizza

Philadelphia's Down North Pizza has quickly made national best-of lists for its Detroit-style square pies.

The buzz is so big that the bestseller often changes depending on what was recently featured in the press, said executive chef Michael Carter.

"Because of The New York Times, it's been the Uptown Vibe," he said. That's the shop's vegetarian pie, laden with julienned peppers, sauteed mushrooms, kale, red onions, and their spin on tomato sauce, called "norf" sauce: A secret recipe that is sweet, spicy and smoky.

But that runaway success is built on a mission: to hire formerly incarcerated people, and convince other employers to do the same.

"We have over 60 years of jail time in the kitchen," said owner Muhammad Abdul-Hadi. "We are all living proof that you can build a business around the formerly incarcerated."

Read (or listen to) the whole story here:

See you all next week, and have a peaceful & pizzaful weekend.

—Andrew