How to quit smoking, one illustration at a time

New York City is known for its pizza. So to make your pizza known, you have to do something special.

That's why Vinnie’s, a Brooklyn pizzeria, has started to draw attention not just for their traditional pies, but for their illustrated daily specials whiteboard, filled with clever pop-culture references. Each day gets it's own intricate cartoon and pun-filled pie names. Home Alone becomes Prov Alone, FKA Twigs is FKA Figs, and Wu-Tang Clan's C.R.E.A.M. now stands for "Cheese Rules Everything Around Me." 

The specials are the work of Sean Berthiaume, a comic artist and co-owner of the restaurant. Hemakes punning on pizza look easy, but he's also adopted a new project that isn't as much fun: kicking his smoking habit.

Instead of griping, Berthiaume goes back to his drawing board. He transformed his struggles into a quirky daily comic series on his Instagram account. His portrayal is pretty honest, and will likely charm smokers and non-smokers alike. It's a tough goal, and we wish Berthiaume luck — but hopefully he can still focus some time and talent on new puns for his pizza boards.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5 

Day 6

Day 7

This story was originally published as a blog post from Sideshow, a podcast from PRI's SoundWorks network hosted by Sean Rameswaram