The Metro: PBS’ ‘Spice Road’ gets the dish on Amar Pizza in Hamtramck
David Leins, Haley Gavigan, The Metro August 4, 2026Amar Pizza in Hamtramck was named one of the best pizzas in the country by the New York Times. PBS’ ‘Spice Road’ stopped by to have a taste.
Rupak Ginn, host of PBS' Spice Road, and his children work the dough at Amar Pizza in Hamtrmack, named one of the best pizzas in the country by the New York Times.
The PBS show ‘Spice Road’ took a trip to the densest city in Michigan to get a taste of the thriving Bengali culture in Hamtramck. Their first stop was Amar Pizza, which was named of the top 22 pizza places in the country by The New York Times.
Rupak Ginn, host of ‘Spice Road,’ says the boldly flavored Naga and Ghost Pepper Pizzas stand out from other fusion-foods he’s tasted on the show. “There were flavors that were similar to home, so I thought that was so innovative.”
Documentary Film Producer Razi Jafri directed and produced the latest episode of Spice Road. He lives in Hamtramck and says with food tourism shows, it’s important to strike a balance between spotlighting a restaurant and upending the charm of a local favorite.
“We want people to know about this cuisine, but we also want to keep it a secret as well,” says Jafri.
Jafri and Ginn joined The Metro to talk about Hamtramck’s one-of-a-kind culture and what the public gets wrong about the city.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
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Authors
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David Leins is the senior producer of WDET’s daily news and culture program, The Metro. He has produced several award-winning podcasts and multimedia series at WDET including Tracked and Traced, Science of Grief and COVID Diaries, which earned a National Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Innovation. He previously led WDET’s StoryMakers program. David has an M.A. in Media Arts and Studies from Wayne State University, and a B.A. in anthropology from Grand Valley State University with a minor in Arabic. David teaches podcasting at Wayne State University and is an alumnus of the Transom Audio Storytelling Workshop. -



