Starving Artist Pizza was created by Jacob Newman, an art major at Brigham Young University, who turned his passion for traditional Italian pizza into a business.

Last winter, Newman started selling pizzas from his kitchen at Heritage Halls, one of BYUs on-campus housing options. Now, his operation runs from a commercial kitchen in Springville, where he makes and sells Neapolitan pizzas for $12 to $15. The menu offers three pizzas: Margherita, diavola and a weekly specialty flavor, all made with fresh ingredients.

Newman said he has made pizzas since he was a kid, but it wasnt until he lived in Italy that the hobby became more serious.

My mom works for the state department, so every three years, we moved to a new country. So, I did my senior year of high school in Rome, Newman said. Wed go on road trips just for the pizza.

Newman explained that as his family traveled to new pizza spots, he started asking the chefs questions about their recipes.

I became obsessed with good Neapolitan pizza, Newman said.

After graduating from high school, he took a two-year break from pizza making to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arizona. When he returned, he went right back to experimenting in the kitchen.

I remember the day when I finally cracked the crust. I got (it) out really good, and I was like, 'Oh shoot, Im onto something here.' So, I figured, why not start a little business out of it? Newman said.

After his breakthrough with the crust, he started selling homemade Neapolitan pizzas out of his dorm, and the response was incredible. Newman recalled times when he made 50 pizzas a night out of his small apartment kitchen.

I remember people were like, shoulder to shoulder, out the door into the hall. It was crazy, Newman said.

Eventually, Newmans pizza nights were shut down by his RA, but he didnt let that stop him. He took on his roommate, Erik Petersen, as a business partner, and they started doing pizza pop-ups at parks around Provo.

It was going pretty well at first, but then around November, when it started getting really cold, people stopped showing up, Newman said.

Newman and Peterson went back to the drawing board, and thats when they found their current location: Lemon & Sage, a caf in Springville, from which they rent the kitchen to sell pizzas on Friday nights.

Another unique aspect of the business comes with Newmans love of art.

I put my artwork up on the wall in that first apartment. So, people would come in, Id be playing music, there would be art on the walls, and it was just this totally different experience, Newman said.

Now, his artwork hangs on the walls at Lemon & Sage.

Thats sort of where the name Starving Artist is from. We want to have a unique experience that involves the arts. It isnt just about, you know, getting your food and going, but really having a unique experience, Newman said.

Petersen explained that while art is their passion, their business is also about serving people and making connections.

One of my favorite things about it is just the connections that you make with people while youre here, Petersen said. If you dont want to come for the art, come for the people and come for the connection.

Tanner Sharp, one of Newmans former roommates, has watched the business grow.

Seeing him giving away free pizzas to anybody that would want some in a random BYU GroupMe chat, to having a business where hes able to sell it for profit is pretty cool, Sharp said.

Starving Artist Pizza is currently open only on designated pizza drop days, which are posted on Instagram. It also takes catering bookings for events like weddings through Instagram DMs.

Newman and Petersen are also working to expand the menu with items like Caesar salad and gluten-free pizza crust.

Honestly, Im really proud of the pizza. Ive been working on it for a super long time, and I think if more people knew about it, if more people tried it, theyd freak out over it, Newman said. When people try it, they keep coming back.

Starving Artist Pizza can be found at 151 S. Main St. in Springville. To see the pizzas of the week and when the next pizza drop is, check its Instagram page..

How Italians view Olympic hockey and who theyre picking for gold

olympics,hockey,Italy

Kellen Chubak

February 19, 02:59 PM February 19, 02:59 PM

MILAN When thinking of Italy in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the national hockey team is rarely the first to come to mind.

Despite being the home team, The team concluded its 2026 Olympic experience with a 30 loss to Switzerland, a disappointing but somewhat expected finish.

Dating back to its first Olympic appearance in 1938, this marked just the 10th time the Italian mens hockey team competed in the Games.

Each tournament features 12 countries, and Italy has never finished higher than seventh. In the past two Olympic appearances, Italy qualified only as the host nation first in Turin in 2006 and again in 2026 entering this year as the 18th-ranked team and surpassing stronger hockey markets, including Austria and Norway.

Italy competed in Group B, where it faced strong competition in Slovakia, Sweden and Finland before being eliminated by Switzerland in its only playoff game. The Italians lost all three round-robin matchups, scoring just four goals while allowing 19.

Near the historic Arch of Peace in Piazza Sempione in Milan, one of the Games two Olympic fan villages provides a gathering place for international supporters, with food stands, interactive exhibits, and a large outdoor screen broadcasting events.

Italian fans were recently interviewed to gather perspectives on the national hockey team and to find out which teams they were now supporting among the eight remaining quarterfinalists.

One of the first people interviewed was Enrico Pasquotti, who's traveled across Northern Italy to attend multiple events. He described what it meant to have the Games in his home country.

"Well, its emotional," Pasquotti said. "When there are athletes competing for Italy, I felt really proud, especially at the beginning of the Games."

Pasquotti said he wished the team would have performed better.

"I hoped that they wouldnt finish last, but probably they did," Pasquotti said. "Even though yesterday I saw that the game against Switzerland was not that bad compared to the one against Finland, where they lost by more than ten goals."

Pasquotti also shared which teams he is cheering for now that Italy is out of contention.

"Im cheering for Canada and Finland," he said. "I know that for Canada the Games have not gone well in terms of meeting expectations, so I hope they will accomplish what they are hoping for. And Finland beat Italy 120 or something they deserve it."

Matteo Grigoletto, recognizable in his white Italian jacket, was more blunt in his assessment of Italys hockey team.

While Italy has experienced success in sports such as skiing and speed skating, Grigoletto emphasized that hockey just isnt their sport.

"Its just not for us, right? I think were only here we have a team because were the hosting country," Grigoletto said. "I dont think we would have made it through the qualifiers and stuff. Theres literally no vibe here. Im really sorry to say that."

He also correctly noted that the absence of NHL players on the Italian roster was a clear indicator the team would face an uneven level of competition, as every other country including France, which also finished 04 featured players with NHL experience.

Moving forward, Grigoletto said he was cheering for Canada to win it all. He explained that he might have leaned toward Sweden or Finland as European teams, but between Canada and the United States, which he expects to meet in the final, he chose Canada.

I just dont like the U.S.," he said.

Alice Benassi, a Milan native working in social media for the Olympics, said hosting the Games has helped shine a spotlight on sports that traditionally do not receive much fan attention in Italy, including hockey. She said the increased visibility has been positive and expressed hope that Italy will host similar events again in the future.

Although Italian, Benassi said her hockey allegiance lies elsewhere.

Im Italian, but I cheer for the U.S., Benassi said. I think its cool that theres that distinction fans who arent from here supporting teams, and locals supporting their own.

When asked which team she is supporting among those remaining, her answer was immediate.

USA, of course, she said. I like the U.S. a lot. Id like to move there one day. Its tricky, but I like it a lot.

With these fans and many others who were interviewed it appears that many Italians are now adopting Canada as the team they hope will take home the gold medal this Sunday, Feb. 22.

This year's Olympic Games have given Italians the opportunity to rally behind athletes from across the country.

While the national hockey team is still working to establish itself on the international stage, Italy found significant success overall at the Games, finishing with 26 medals, including nine gold. T

he total marked a national winter record for both gold medals and in overall medals, surpassing the 20 medals won in 1994.

As winter sports continue to grow in Italy with more athletes competing each year, the hockey program is still developing and searching for its breakthrough moment on the Olympic stage.