Pizza Expo in Las Vegas is never short on heated debates. At the top of the list? The eternal question: does pineapple belong on pizza? For Chef James of Dole, the answer was clear — but with a twist.
“Most people who say no have just had the wrong pineapple pizza,” Chef James explained, as crowds gathered around the booth. “For the most part, pineapple belongs on the right pizza.”
Fruit-Forward Creativity
Chef James and his team at Dole weren’t just there to defend pineapple. They showcased an entire lineup of fruit-forward pies that pushed the boundaries of flavor. Think Thai mango chicken with coconut curry and sesame-ginger sauce, a savory-sweet fusion that surprised even skeptics. Or a cheesecake-style dessert pizza topped with dried pineapple, cinnamon, and graham cracker crumble.
“We love doing dessert pizzas,” Chef James said. “It changes your expectation of what you’re going to find from us.”
Feeding the Crowds
If the line at the booth was any indication, Dole struck a chord. After just an hour, Chef James and his crew had already burned through nearly three days of prep. “We haven’t stopped stretching dough since the show opened,” he laughed. “It’s nuts — but it means we’re doing something right.”
From single mom-and-pop pizza shops to national brands, Chef James made sure operators knew Dole wasn’t just selling fruit — they were offering partnership, recipes, labor-saving tools, and creative inspiration that could travel from the trade show floor to the kitchen line.
Beyond the Booth
The energy isn’t stopping in Vegas. Dole, led by Chef James, will be showing up at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, bringing the same sunshine-driven ideas to an even bigger stage. And for operators who can’t make the trip, the company’s channels — Dole Sunshine and Dole Food Service — share recipes, videos, and instructional content designed to make fruit-forward creativity easy.
As Chef James put it, “We give as much attention to every single operator as we do to the biggest national brands. That’s what makes us tick.”
