Monty's Pizza, Lakewood Ranch

Monty's Pizza may not open until 11 a.m., but the cooks show up to work pretty early each morning. They've got a lot work on their plates, since they make dough and sauce from scratch every day. After they finish with their two most basic ingredients, they start taking calls and orders. They spice up their pies-to-be with a selection of 22 different toppings and handful of fine Italian herbs dusted across each crust. Then, they bake each one nice and slow, until the melted cheese glistens, and, like in King Midas's theory of geology, the crust turns golden. They also craft stromboli and calzones and a handful of Italian-style specialty poultry dishes, such as chicken marsala, piccata, and parmesan.