Q. Are all of your food products trans-fat and peanut free?
A. Yes!
Q. WHY!
A. President and co-owner Adam Froelich made his entire pizzeria peanut-free because he wanted his son’s best friend, who has a peanut allergy, to be able to eat the pizza. Froelich said switching out the peanut oils was a negligible cost. “It’s such a prevalent allergy,” Froelich said. While he cannot be sure the peanut-free pizza has increased sales—though it has gained him a loyal customer base—he knows his peanut-free baked goods have. It "took me hours on the phone with Betty Crocker as well as with Duncan Hines because we use their recipe, but we wanted to make sure all the products we’re using are peanut-free," Froelich said. The pizzeria also sells cheeseless pizzas by the pie for those allergic to cheese.
Q. Are the owners really from New York?
A. At first we took Adams word for it and after conducting an extensive background we found out some interesting facts:
- Born in Scarsdale, NY in the mid 60’s
- Introduced to his first piece of pizza at the age of 2, which he was more interested in throwing.
- At the age of 3 he actually ate the pizza, it was a fresh slice.
- At the age of 7 he dressed up as the Statue of Liberty, it was not Halloween.
- At the age of 15 he graduated from a prestigious Jr. High in New York to finally pursue his life long dream of going to High School.
- In 1992 he completed his studies and moved out of his mother’s basement.
- 2 months later he moved back into his mother’s basement and dreamed of one day opening up his own business.
- While listen to his favorite Moby Grape album he had a great idea...No one will ever know what that idea was, it does not happen very often. BUT WHEN IT DOES good things happen.
- He coined the phrase, “All of the major food groups are in pizza.” This was after his best friend, Jeff Spicoli, was learning about Cuba and having some food.
- In 2006 Adam, known as the left side, and Mark, known as the right side, put there heads together and for the first time formed a cranium filled with thoughts of traditional New York style pizza. Thus began the dynasty that Highland Parkers now call New York Slices.
Disclaimer- only one statement of fact was made with regard to the background of Adam and he did think it was Halloween.
Q. What about the other owner?
A. He declined his own request to be interviewed. Instead we have provided the public with this unauthorized biography:
- Mark grew up in California and was raised by two former New Yorkers. They still had the accents and elongated all of there vowels.
- He then came to Highland Park during his pre-teens to grow up some more.
- He then went back to California to make an attempt at higher education, which he possesses a piece of paper stating that he did complete something. During this transition faze, he actually regressed back to the age of four which is his current mentality.
- When he is not growing his business he spends time with his wife, 3 kids, and a dog named Sophie.
- As a business man he is… well I don’t really know.
- He treats those around him with an eye for compassion and an ear for respect. He takes this approach to life very seriously because he does not want to get beat up by girls any more.
- It is very rare to see Mark without a smile on his face tending to the needs of his family, friends, and business. The reason for the smile, he is just happy that his family and friends are not asking him for money.
Q. These pizza slices are very big. Can I use a fork and knife to eat my pizza?
A. Wow! Typically when you get a slice in New York you are usually on the go. Most New Yorkers fold it in half to create the flow of oil then when you are half way through the slice, unfold & eat it while dipping into the oil on the plate. If you are not sitting and are truly on the go here is how:
- Right thumb on left end of crust
- Right fore & middle fingers on right end of crust
- Bring together to get the fold close to bottom center
- Loosely ball a napkin and hold it in place behind & below fold with the right ring finger and/or pinkie
- Support the point end from below with the left thumb, fore & middle fingers
- First bite just large enough so slice becomes self-supporting with only the right hand
- Monitor oil absorption of napkin, replace if necessary
- Repeat for all subsequent slices
Q. How involved is New York Slices in the community and do they support local charities?
A. NYS takes a hands on approach with the restaurant and the community. Men and Women in uniform (military, fire, and police) get a 50% on their meals. At the end of the day pizza is delivered to local police stations and hospitals at no cost. The local schools provide NYS pizza on certain days for the kids lunch periods.
New York Slices also takes pride in there "Wall of Survivors", a wall dedicated to people who have overcome breast cancer (Adam’s mother is a survivor of 25 years). For any donation made to cancer research, New York Slices will add the name of your survivor to the wall. In addition, all of the restaurant’s uniforms have the pink ribbon emblazoned on them.
