“The Frico King” Helps Slice Out Hunger With Signature Detroit Pizzas
JimmyHank Pizza was founded by Jim Henry, in 2020 after COVID-related lockdowns were enforced. Accordingly, Jim, like so many others, began researching and learning to making pizza at home. Many folks focused on making round Neapolitan style pizzas, but he found his passion creating Detroit Style Pizzas with his signature “frico” edge. Frico is essentially a cheese crisp formed by deliberately pressing cheese against the side of a pizza pan and cooked until it is caramelized, crispy, and insanely flavorful and delicious! Attaining a sharp, raised, lace frico edge is not easy to do achieve, but “The Frico King” devised a method to create dramatic caramelized cheese edge that stands up high above the rest of the pizza.
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| From Left to Right: Jim Mirabelli (NEPA Pizza Review, Mike Fanelli (Godfather of Meat), and Jim Henry (Jimmy Hank Pizza). |
One glance at Jimmy Hank’s Instagram Account will show you that not only is The Frico King a talented pizzaiolo, but he’s also a gifted photographer and creative mind as well. I’m frequently in awe of his beautifully detailed photos of his delicious looking pizzas and super creative topping combinations and have long wanted to try his famous pizza. He periodically does pizza pop-ups offering his pizza to the public, and he recently hosted an event to raise money for Slice Out Hunger that I attended.
Slice Out Hunger
Slice Out Hunger is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that has raised over $1.3M to fund hunger relief efforts around the US since 2009. Jimmy Hank’s event was part of Slice Out Hunger’s Pizzaioli Pop-Up Series where at home pizza makers sell pizzas and donate the proceeds to the charity. For me, it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to support a great cause as well as try Jim’s pizza which I’ve only consumed virtually to date.
Pizza Pop Up Setup
I arrived at the pizza pop-up to find a really great pizza tent setup complete with 2 Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Ovens, pizza boxes stamped with Jimmy’s logo and meticulously labeled with each customer’s name, pickup time, and pizza ordered, and all the tools you’d find in any commercial pizzeria kitchen! Perhaps more impressive was the process and how he and his friend Dan worked so well together to get the pizzas in and out of the ovens right on time every time. The pizzas were made in LloydPans 8×10 Detroit Pans, and they fit 2 at a time side-by-side into each of the Ooni ovens. I was so impressed at how they coordinated everything to come out consistently and efficiently!
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
The menu for this event featured a traditional Detroit Red Top (cheese and sauce), pepperoni, and a smoked buffalo chicken pizza. I had the chance to try the smoked buffalo chicken and the pepperoni pizzas. The smoked buffalo chicken pizza was insanely delicious and started with Jimmy’s signature light and crisp homemade crust complete with frico edge.
Jimmy smoked the chickens at home earlier in the day, and it brought a really nice subtle hint of smoke into the flavor profile. It worked really well with the traditional buffalo sauce. The bleu cheese brought some creaminess and richness into the pie, while the ricotta introduced some sweetness and smoothed things out while the celery brought some wonderful texture into the pizza. It was easily one of the best buffalo chicken pizzas I’ve ever tried, and one I’ll seek to emulate making at home in the future!
Pepperoni Pizza
The pepperoni pizza also featured the same amazing light and airy crust with a crispy bottom and super crispy caramelized cheese edge. For me, the frico edge is the most delicious bite you will have. Corner pieces, which are rejected by many on other styles of pizza are frequently the most popular slices of a Detroit style pie. The cheese not only goes all the way to the edge, but it crawls up the side of the pan and stays there! The cup n char pepperoni added some wonderful flavor and crispiness as well. Jimmy’s sauce was warmed and ladled post-bake by his son Curran (who I call the Frico Prince). Curran is a serious artisan himself, meticulously spooning on the perfect amount of sauce in just the right spots, and finishing with some fresh basil to complete his work of art!
The pizzas were simply amazing and among the very best Detroit Pizzas I’ve tried, but perhaps more amazing were the people in attendance. Besides Jimmy, Dan, Curran and family there was a “who’s who” of people who I’ve known virtually on social media for some time, but never met in person including “The Godfather of Meat” Mike Fanelli, “The Nice Slice” Chris DiBella, and the awesome Joey Raia. It was wonderful meeting these guys and getting to talk pizza and more with them. I had a blast and it was an honor to meet them and share some amazing pizza for a great cause with them. It was a great day and I have to thank The Frico King for bringing us all together!
The Pizza Ratings
Restaurant: JimmyHank Pizza
Location: Harleysville, PA
Date: July 2022
Eat In/Take Out: Take Out
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 9.2 |
| Sauce | 8.1 |
| Cheese | 8.3 |
| Taste | 9.1 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 9.1 |
| Value | 7.0 |
| Overall Rating | 8.7 |
JimmyHank Pizza Detroit With Pepperoni
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 9.2 |
| Sauce | 8.9 |
| Cheese | 8.2 |
| Taste | 8.8 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 9.2 |
| Value | 7.0 |
| Overall Rating | 8.8 |
Pizza is Similar to: Collegeville Italian Bakery
