A gastronomic event to enhance the research work of pizza makers
Emergente Pizza is not just a competition for us. After ten years, the time has come to take stock, to remember some moments and, above all, to talk about the protagonists. Not all of them, of course, because they are many and we have lost track of some of them. Many others, instead, are still working in the industry and have grown professionally over the years. Before taking a closer look at some of them, however, let’s recall what Emergente Pizza is and how it was created.
In the first decade of 2000, Lorenza Vitali and I started two types of gastronomic events, Emergente Chef, a cooking competition for young professional chefs under 30, and collaboration with the Merano Wine Festival, perhaps the most prestigious event in the sector, where we were in charge of the Gourmet Arena. Pizza did not appear anywhere, but it was not actually very considered at that time. There were pizzerias everywhere, even if mainly in Campania, but they were perceived as second rate restaurants. Nevertheless, those who were as attentive as we were to the evolution of styles and trends sensed the air of change.
In 2008 we took the courage to do something never done before. We convinced Enzo Coccia, at that time one of the few young Neapolitan pizza makers – perhaps the one who was trying the most to enhance his pizza with a rigorous selection of ingredients – to come and present his pizza in Merano during the Wine Festival, and not by entering through the back door, but by setting up the oven in the lounge of the 5-star Hotel delle Terme!
Nothing like this had ever been seen, neither in Alto Adige nor in the rest of Italy, actually. We organized two evening events with the title “Pizza Chic”, the first accompanied by champagne, the second by white truffles (the Wine Festival takes place at the height of the truffle season in November). We were uncertain about the outcome of the two events, but the success was overwhelming. Long lines formed every evening in order to access the hotel.
This success made us think. Was Enzo Coccia an isolated case, or the first sprout of a new era and a new way of conceiving pizza? At the end of the first decade the economic crisis arrived and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers sank the global economy. The world became poorer and the habit of going out to dinner, with expensive menus and fine bottles suffered a major setback. It was easy to imagine the success that the pizzeria would have, as a four-person family could spent the equivalent of a single restaurant cover charge while still eating well. From a gastronomical point of view, this new kind of clientele had grown in the early 2000’s. Those who knew about food and wine were no longer just an isolated niche, but a remarkable percentage of the population. All these people had actually approached the world of pizza because of an economic necessity, but they had however started to demand a better quality level of the final product, pizza, and its surroundings, the setting and the service.
These are the causes that started the growth and affirmation of the so-called gourmet pizza in the last decade. These pizzas were made with full awareness, choosing the ingredients, taking care of the dough and paying attention to the baking. As to say, they were realized by a modern pizza maker who knew what to do and did it because they believed in their job and wanted to realize themselves. This kind of pizza was not only better than the ones before, but thanks to its success also established itself on a national and social level. The pizzeria was no longer a second rate restaurant, but a respected place to go to. The pizza maker almost suddenly became part of the most wanted professional categories. All this happened over the years – it took a whole decade – but all things considered, in less than a generation the world of pizza changed.
So let’s get back to our competition, Emergente Pizza. We had the credit for understanding immediately how things were changing. So why not create a pizza competition alongside Emergente Chef, our cooking competition? Thus the idea of Emergente Pizza came about. And we immediately thought that it should not be limited to Campania, which at that time was the only region with a breeding ground of pizza makers, but it should be national, as for the cooks, with at least two selections, one in the center-south and one in the north (and then, as usual, the final for the best in Rome). Another courageous initial choice, which we keep on respecting, is not to be bound to any Production Regulations. We show great respect for true Neapolitan pizza, but a new idea of pizza that could be made in many ways, following different styles and settings was being conceived. In fact, this would have represented one of the key reasons for the national success of pizza, that is, to be able to face and use different types of dough and fillings in order to meet the different tastes and habits of customers from the Alps to Sicily. From the very beginning, the contests were set on two themes, classic pizza (but not necessarily following the Production Regulations) such as the pizza Margherita, and pizza with a totally free theme so that everyone could express themselves according to their own thoughts and ideas. Each pizza maker has to present two pizzas and the one with the best average wins.
Emergente Pizza means for us collaborating with Agugiaro&Figna. They are not only a sponsor. Since the very first moment, when we conceived the format, they believed in it as much as we did and supported us in every event we realized, always giving us their utmost attention. For us they are an irreplaceable partner, always at our side with technical advice and human availability.
Emergente Pizza is a restricted event, but not a trivial one. The selection of pizza makers is important, but so is the setting up of the oven, the running of the competition, the choice of the jury, the respect of the timing and the final communication. We would like to thank Agugiaro&Figna for having supported us while the event was growing, without ever overstepping the discretionary limit, always giving us freedom of selection and judgment, which are the basis of the success and credibility that the event has today.
We wanted to tell you how and why Emergente Pizza was created, but in the next episodes we will talk about the real protagonists: the competitors.
