Pizza Palace: The Triple D OG That Started It All
“We shot this in 2007,” Guy Fieri says, cruising through Knoxville, Tennessee. “Season 1, episode 2.” This wasn’t just any return visit—this was Guy going back to one of the very first restaurants that helped launch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives into the cultural phenomenon it’s become.
Pizza Palace opened in 1961 when Charlie Peris’s father and uncles brought something revolutionary to Knoxville: pizza. “This is the first experience with pizza that many people in Knoxville had,” Charlie explains. “Pizza was not available at that time.” The Greek family paired their pies with a drive-up concept because, as Charlie puts it, “drive-ups were hot back in that era.”
The Pizza That Put Them on the Map
Guy got hands-on with the pizza-making process, working the dough through a machine that flattens it out. The technique involves sending the dough “up and back, up and back” before it comes out ready for topping. When Charlie joked about Guy’s dough skills, Guy shot back: “Hey listen, I’m the staff!”
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The pepperoni pizza gets built with fresh grated mozzarella cheese—”two handfuls, we eyeball it”—followed by pepperoni (no strict count, just “put as many on there as we need to”), then a touch more mozzarella on top “just for the look,” and finally fresh grated Parmesan. Guy loved the crust technique: “What I like is this crush that you do on the bottom.”
One regular summed up the finished product perfectly: “When it’s well done it’s got the most cheese on it you’ve ever seen. You pick it up and it goes forever.”
Those Legendary Onion Rings
The onion rings have their own devoted following—one customer comes every Saturday just for them. The process is meticulous: raw sliced onion goes into straight milk, then seasoned flour, and finally a blend of different meals including cracker meal. The key technique? “You need to use two separate hands—one wet, one dry—otherwise you’re going to bread your fingers.” Each ring gets pressed hard by hand to make the coating stick.
Pizza Palace goes through about 15 batches of onion rings every single day. Guy’s reaction was immediate: “Tell me those aren’t great.” Even the film crew broke protocol. “Typically the film crew doesn’t eat while we’re filming, but nobody can pass this up,” Guy noted. The verdict from everyone: “They’re thick and not too oily—the best you’ll ever find anywhere.”
The Fried Chicken Worth Waiting For
Unlike spots that rush their chicken—similar to the patience required at Turducken in Sarasota, Florida—Pizza Palace’s fried chicken takes 30 minutes and they’ve served it since opening day. Fresh chicken gets broken down into breast, wing, thigh, and leg, then dipped in an egg and milk wash before hitting seasoned flour loaded with sage, celery powder, onion powder, baking soda, garlic salt, beet powder, paprika, and dry milk powder.
“Customers are willing to wait,” Charlie says. “If they’re willing to wait, we’re willing to make it for them.” Guy’s take on the result: “That’s good stuff.”
A Family Legacy Unchanged Since 1961
What struck Guy most was the consistency. “One of the things I love about this place—they didn’t change it. They do it the way they do it, always the way they’ve done it.” The menu hasn’t changed since 1961. Some equipment has been there since day one. One employee, Jerry, has worked there for 50 years—he helped start the place.
When Guy asked Charlie if he realized Pizza Palace had become a Triple D icon, Charlie reflected: “You don’t set out to be a landmark. You end up becoming one.” Guy’s final words carried weight: “When we say OG, brother, you better carry that crown. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, my friend, because we wouldn’t be where we’re at without places like Pizza Palace.”
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