Cook Different, Connect Different
Inside Gozney’s 2025 Cook Different Summit
Anytime I hear the word summit, I brace myself. Most of the time, it means cramming into a hotel conference room, sitting through hours of PowerPoint presentations, and pretending to be excited about manufactured interactions. Conversations feel scripted, the energy forced. All under the facade of team building and company culture.
But what Gozney pulled off for their Cook Different Summit in Salt Lake City wasn’t that. It was different.
Before I even unpacked my gear, I could tell this event wasn’t like many others. The Cook Different Summit was about building relationships through shared values and a deep respect for the culture Gozney is building.
More Than Just a Summit
The Cook Different Summit wasn’t about flashy marketing or hard pitches. It was about bringing in small business owners, the mom-and-pop shops, the local hardware store franchisees, and revealing what makes Gozney unique.
Yes, there were presentations. Yes, there were product highlights. But more importantly, there were conversations. Time carved out to listen to people’s stories, their pain points, and their excitement. Some of these folks have been selling Gozney ovens since the early days. Back when the Roccbox was the go-to solution for at-home pizza makers.
Inside the Gozney HQ, things felt collaborative and honest. The space itself is a reflection of the brand; open, creative, and designed for connection. It's the kind of place that makes you want to stick around. And people did. Over coffee, between meetings and even the hotel lobby, conversations happened organically.
The EVO Hotel
We were all put up at the EVO Hotel and I’ll admit it – I was skeptical at first sight. The rooms were minimalistic. A bed, a bathroom and a knee wall. These rooms gave no real reason to linger. But that’s kind of the point.
The EVO isn’t about luxury. It is about launching you into an experience. Climbing gyms, snowboarding stores, open collaboration areas buzzing with early risers and post-adventure regulars. It’s a space designed to push you outside your room. And in a weird way, that mirrors Gozney’s own ethos. Engage with the community around you.
The Dinner That Said Everything
On the second day of the summit, Gozney hosted a private dinner tucked away in a yurt high in the mountains of Utah. Getting there wasn’t easy. It involved a drive through snowy weather, a hike across a ski course, and a few cold toes. But that’s what made it special. It was an experience that fostered teamwork and community.
Inside, warmth. Fire tables, butternut squash soup with prawns, white bean salad, pork chops, and of course – pizza. Outside, Rasheed Philips and Sandtown Pizza cooked on Gozney ovens, under the Utah skies. A few bands of snow showers couldn’t even stop them.
And at the center of it all was Tom Gozney himself, not as a CEO towering behind a podium, but as a founder engaging with the business owners and members of his Gozney community.
That moment stuck with me. It wasn’t performative. It was personal.
Relationships First, Products Second
Throughout the week, I got a consistent message from Gozney’s team: “We’re here to listen.”
From Tom to the sales team to the creative crew, it was clear that this brand isn’t just trying to push product – they’re trying to build something real. A movement. A community of people who believe in cooking differently and building a community of individuals with shared values.
Even their content strategy reflects that. The Gozney brand produces hundreds of pieces of content each month – all aimed at showcasing the Gozney lifestyle.It’s about giving people something they can connect with, piece by piece, until they feel like they’re part of it.
The Takeaway
What Gozney pulled off in Salt Lake City wasn’t a summit. It was a gathering.
That great marketing doesn’t have to shout. That product demos don’t have to feel like pitches. That real connection still matters.
Gozney didn’t just cook differently — they connected differently. And that’s what made this summit different from so many others.
