Cook County Jail: The Best Pizzeria in Chicago: The Daily Show

CHIENG: Chicago: big city.
Windy city. Opinionated city.
Whether you're from Hyde Park, Lincoln Park or Wicker Park--
why is everything a park?--
their food is as iconic as their corruption.
Al's Italian Beef Sandwich.
Garrett's addictive popcorn mix.
Portillo's Jumbo Hot Dogs.
And, of course, the legendary Chicago pizza
I've heard so much about.
What the (bleep) is this?
This is Chicago deep-dish pizza.
Yo, I said I wanted a pizza,
not some Italian guy's dump on a plate.
This looks like me eating pizza
and then throwing it up into a bread bowl
and then leaving it in the sun to dry.
-This is how Chicago does pizza. -I refuse to believe
you can't get a decent slice of pizza
in this city, all right?
This is the birthplace of Lincoln.
Obama. Michael Jordan!
None of those people were born here.
(Bleep) birthers.
Ugh, this is what people in Chicago call pizza?
Where can I find a decent slice in this city
instead of this stupid bull(bleep)?
I couldn't find a single place that sold real pizza,
just these deep dish dough Dumpsters.
This isn't pizza.
This isn't even human food.
After hours of only deep dish,
I finally found a place
that served delicious, normal pizza pie--
the Cooke County Jail.
That's right-- the best pizza in Chicago
is in the biggest jail in America.
This gourmet pizza is actually made by
and sold to inmates as part of a training program
called Recipe for Change.
Recipe for Change has made it a point to put together a program
where we have phenomenal pizza.
CHIENG: Thomas Dart is the sheriff of Cooke County Jail.
He's been running the pizza program for four years.
We have a lot of good pizza in Chicago.
This is really good, though.
What do you mean, there's good pizza in Chicago?
Have you tried that deep dish Chicago pizza?
Yeah. Yeah, but the inmates didn't want that.
So you're telling me, even in jail,
people did not want deep dish pizza?
They haven't been asking for it.
CHIENG: Recipe for Change is one of several rehab programs
at the Cooke County Jail, along with drumming,
painting, chess, gardening and more.
So what made you become a hero sheriff
and not a Joe Arpaio sheriff?
You know, recidivism rate's like 70%.
It's expensive to incarcerate people.
It's not expensive to give them a skill.
CHIENG: The man giving them that skill?
Local restaurateur chef Bruno Abate,
who volunteers his time and expertise to teach inmates
how to cook the best pizza in Chicago.
Chef, what do you think about this deep dish pizza?
It's, uh... it's garbage.
People should not eat this!
It's like a brick.
Look at this. Look.
I mean, I don't know where you buy this.
I don't want to know, but this is shame.
CHIENG: After a straight hour of (bleep) on deep dish pizza,
Chef Bruno finally got around to telling me
more about how his program is affecting inmates.
The program, Recipe for Change, is here to open your mind.
To open your brain, give you hope,
give you self-esteem, give you dignity.
Give you pizza.
Everyone in the Cooke County Jail wants
to be a part of this great program.
I learned how to be a, um, better leader.
I learned more how to work with a lot of other people.
I've basically... I learned how to eat better.
CHIENG: It was great to be with people in Chicago
who understood what pizza is supposed
to look and taste like.
Guys, this pizza is genuinely awesome.
You must have people lining up around the block to buy this.
Actually, it's only for inmates.
Guys, we're gonna rescue Chicago
from that bull (bleep) deep dish pizza!
Look, I know the pizza is great,
but this is not how you deal with conflict.
All right, I'll be right back.
Hey, where are you going with the pizza?
WOOD: Ronny knew pizza this good wasn't meant to be caged.
(door slams shut)
He also really loved prison escape movies.
Ronny, where are you?
Look at the mess.
(speaking Italian)
Why the kitchen a mess? What are you doing?
-(siren blaring) -WOOD: In October 2017,
Ronny Chieng smuggled thin crust pizza
-out of Cooke county Jail. -(barking)
Oh, Ronny loved pizza, but he also hated Chicago deep dish.
He had to find a way to get thin-crust pizza
to the people of Chicago.
All it takes to get pizza out is cheese, dough and time.
That and a big-ass poster.
♪ ♪
Ronny Chieng--
he crawled through a river of marinara
and came out smelling like basil.
(thunder rumbling)
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Cook County Jail: The Best Pizzeria in Chicago: The Daily Show

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