The idea came during family meal, when Murray threw leftover garlic confit and Parmesan on the traditional Margherita pie. “A pizza of such excellence deserved a name to go along with it,” he says. “So I named it after one of the loves of my life—my dog, Meg Ryan.”

“Standing 18 inches high, weighing in at 22 pounds and from the island nation of Puerto Rico, the harvester of sorrow, the destroyer of worlds, Meg Ryan, is a beast who’s grace and wisdom bring inspiration and joy to me every day,” he continues. “Just as a fine pizza should.”

And though 99 percent of the ingredients are carefully sourced from the tri-state area, the star of the pepperoni pizza is a one that you're likely already familiar with.

“We tried a bunch of artisan cured meats—many of which were very fine, mind you. Some even made it on our charcuterie board,” Murray states. “But they weren’t the pepperoni that I remember as a kid. They didn’t have the color, the flavor and didn’t curl up into little cups, the sign of a perfect pepperoni.”

Murray sources Hormel pepperoni from the local deli down the block: “Sometimes the answer is right in front of your face. How New York is that? You don’t have to look further than your bodega.”

Though you may not have a wood-fired pizza oven in the comfort of your home—especially in a New York City apartment—you can still make Murray’s pizza dough. 

And one final pro tip from the man himself: “Order the Meg Ryan WITH pepperoni. That’s how she would want it.”