Yes, Chef! Toss & Fire designed a pizza after ‘The Bear’ iconic sandwich for the NYS Fair

Geddes, N.Y. — While testing 50-plus pizza recipes for his stand at this year’s New York State Fair, Nick Sanford quickly zeroed in on his favorite.

It was five months ago that Sanford, the owner of Toss & Fire Wood-Fired Pizza restaurants, chose the Chicago Beef Pizza as his top choice for his Fair specialty menu.

This pizza is modeled after the Italian beef sandwich featured in the hit restaurant-based show “The Bear.” It’s a hot, sweet and juicy sandwich made with thinly sliced meat, peppers and bread.

“Like most people in this business, I love ‘The Bear.’ Actually I’m obsessed with ‘The Bear,’” Sanford said Monday night while unveiling his lineup of specialty pizzas. “I think we did a great job turning that sandwich into a pizza.”

Since it started wood-firing pizzas at the New York State Fair eight years ago, Toss & Fire has tailored a menu based on the year’s culinary trends.

Sanford showed off this year’s pizzas to a group of local foodies and journalists at his North Syracuse restaurant. He will cook these 10- to 11-inch flatbreads in the wood-burning oven inside his two food trucks and a standalone oven in the back of Chevy Court. He’s taking over the extra-large spot held by the Gianelli Sausage / Dinosaur Bar-B-Que stand for more than two decades.

He also will be serving beer and wine slushies from his stand.

This year’s Toss & Fire signature pizzas are:

Chicago Beef Pizza ($18): Olive oil with fresh garlic, pecorino, mozzarella, cheddar cheese, provolone cheese, thinly sliced slow-roasted sirloin, mild giardiniera and semi-spicy banana peppers. It’s served with a cup of au jus for dipping.

Bold Coast Lobster Mac Pizza ($25): This was the group’s top choice on Monday, by far. It’s beer-cheese macaroni & cheese with pecorino, mozzarella and fresh Maine lobster from the Bold Coast Lobster food truck. Bold Coast is one of the most popular stands at the Fair. It specializes in lobster rolls, scallops and other seafood delights.

Chicken Potsticker Pizza ($17): Chicken potstickers with pecorino, mozzarella, scallions, sesame seeds and a sweet and mildly spicy Thai chili sauce.

Key Lime Cannoli Pizza ($16): Sanford serves a dessert pizza each year, even though it’s usually the least popular. “People at the Fair are already getting their favorite desserts, like Pizza Frittes or another deep-fried sweet,” he said. “We still have fun making them.”

This pizza is house-made key lime cannoli filling topped with toasted graham cracker, cannoli shell crumbs and topped with a raspberry drizzle.

Toss & Fire also will serve its traditional menu and some signature pizzas from previous fairs. The Fair-only offerings include:

2022′s Birria Pizza ($19): Sanford collaborated with Sara Rius, the owner of Mamacitas. Her birria tacos sell out whenever she offers them as a special at her restaurant. This pizza features her stewed beef that gets dusted pecorino and mozzarella. It’s finished with cool cilantro, white onions, aged cotija cheese and lime.

It comes with a side of Rius’ rich consommé made from the stock for dipping.

2019′s SummerCuse ($17): Smashed salt potatoes, mozzarella, cheddar, applewood smoked bacon and pulled pork. The pizza gets drizzles of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que sauce and sour cream.

Bit of a Pickle Pizza ($16): They start with extra virgin olive oil on the dough with chopped garlic and topped with pecorino, cheddar, mozzarella, dill pickle chips and applewood smoked bacon. They finish with a ranch drizzle.

Poutine Pizza ($17): Olive oil with fresh garlic, pecorino and mozzarella topped with crispy french fries, cheese curds and beef gravy.

The pizzas this year will be served in a “bib box.” Toss & Fire will award a year of free pizzas to the person who takes the best photo with the box.

The Fair begins Wednesday, Aug. 21, and continues through Labor Day.

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Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.