async/await solution to the problem posed in https://medium.com/@bluepnume/even-with-async-await-you-probably-still-need-promises-9b259854c161#.kyz25n9mw

pizza.js

async function makePizza(sauceType = 'red') {
  let [ dough, [ sauce, cheese ]] = await Promise.all([ makeDough(), makeToppings(sauceType) ])
  return dough.add(sauce).add(cheese)
}

async function makeToppings(sauceType) {
  return [ await makeSauce(sauceType), await makeCheese() ]
}

Ah, thanks:

async function makePizza(sauceType = 'red') {
  let [ dough, [ sauce, cheese ]] = await Promise.all([ makeDough(), makeToppings(sauceType) ])
  return dough.add(sauce).add(cheese)
}

async function makeToppings(sauceType) {
  let sauce = await makeSauce(sauceType)
  return [ sauce, await makeCheese(sauce) ]
}

I agree, having an understanding of Promises is crucial.

Also, I'll grant this is a pretty simple pizza, and this solution would quickly get messy once more toppings were necessary with different interdependencies.