The Real Reason Eric Wareheim Loves Pizza Hut - Exclusive
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Eric Wareheim's recently released book "Foodheim" covers a lot of culinary ground, from recipes and wine pairing tips to party planning suggestions (via Amazon). A running thread throughout its pages is the cult comedian's journey "from food boy to food man." While the Eric half of "Tim & Eric" has visited Copenhagen's epic Noma restaurant and was even able to recruit legendary chef Massimo Bottura to write a blurb for "Foodheim," rest assured, Wareheim hasn't gone full food snob.
Along with his love for comfort food favorites such as smashburgers (aka SmashHeims), meatballs, and fried chicken, he also gives a special shout-out to Pizza Hut, which was a fixture for Wareheim while growing up in Audubon, PA. "It was just like where we went after our baseball game," he told Mashed during an exclusive interview. "That was why I have a particular love for it." The multi-napkin gluttony of the chain's offerings particularly resonated with Wareheim. "It was just so greasy and those breadsticks were really good," he said.
Why Eric Wareheim is particular about his fast food
When he's not busy feasting at the world's best restaurants, Eric Wareheim is known to enjoy certain fast food spots beyond Pizza Hut. "I'll definitely do a Shake Shack burger every once in a while," he said. "In-N-Out is not bad here and there, but I try to keep it to that, not to fall too much into the McDonald's worlds."
And while The Hut may offer Wareheim a slice of childhood nostalgia, he tends to avoid its competitors. "Now, it's pretty hard for me to go to a fast food pizza place, just because in L.A., there's so many good ones and New York there's so many good ones," he noted.
In fact, some of the best pies in Los Angeles are coming out of Wareheim's very own home. "Right now I've been doing pizza a lot for friends," he said. " I kind of pretend like my pizza is the best in LA, so everyone wants to come over and try it. So I've sort of perfected a dough that's in the book."
"Foodheim" features a full chapter dedicated to pizza and one of the highlights happens to be Wareheim's recipe for the Personal Pep Pep, a decadent solo serving pepperoni pan pie inspired by Pizza Hut. "It's fun to just prove to people that I can do it," he said.
Whether you're a food fan, a comedy fan, or hopefully both, be sure to pick a copy of "Foodheim" and learn all of Eric Wareheim's pizza secrets.