Patrick Zanoni is a young pizza maker and one of the protagonists of Emergente Pizza. Let’s find out together what does he thinks about the Competition and the world of pizza.
What do you think has been positive about the Emergente Pizza competition?
It’s always great to compare yourself to colleagues and challenge yourself. It’s been one of the most important steps of my career.
How did you start working as a pizza maker? What were your motivations?
I started in the most natural way possible, with my family’s pizzeria. I started by helping my father and then I took over the pizzeria with my brother. Rock 1978, which owes its name to the year my grandfather bought it, is not the only place we run today; we also have 3 take-away ice-cream parlors, which are mainly run by my sisters.
What is your dream, your professional desire?
Anyone who answers this question by saying they are happy and satisfied with their accomplishments is lying, and they know it. Most of us – including me – dream that our job will bring us a bit of fame, or at least some acknowledgement. To date, my pizzeria has been awarded the “Two slices” by Gambero Rosso, it would be nice to be featured in all the best Italian and international food guides!
Which is the most popular pizza among the ones you usually offer in your menu?
Definitely the “Burrata e Crudo” (Burrata cheese and raw ham) with a red base. We choose a locally produced Burrata cheese, from the owner of the Agriturismo “Il Bagnolo”, near Salò. They breed red cows and make Burrata according to the traditional method.
What kind of beverage do you prefer in combination with pizza: wine or beer?
We are wine lovers and therefore we chose to give it the right importance inside our restaurant.
Can you name a winery or label that impressed you?
Our list includes some of the best local bubblies, from Franciacorta, and the most outstanding ones from the Champagne area. However we try to propose particular labels, from the whole country, together with a rich selection of local wines. Behind this choice there is the conviction that wine is more and more considered as a beverage to be served with pizza. In the future, I would like this connection between wine and pizza to be even stronger and more concrete. Covid-19 situation permitting, I would like to expand the restaurant and dedicate a part of the service to aperitifs and after-dinner drinks. I’d like to propose a wide selection of wines and cocktails to be served in combination with single portions of pizza, with selected and refined bases and toppings, to be presented as real dishes!
Customer evaluation: do you follow it? Do you look for it? Is it helpful to you? Can you accept criticism?
Constructive criticism should be accepted with pleasure. I think that in certain situations you have to be able to say no to the client. I don’t want to be misunderstood or to seem arrogant, but I think that if someone chooses to eat at my place, it is also because they are attracted by my philosophy and by my way of conceiving and offering pizza; so I always hope that they will be open to different taste sensations, without prejudice or reluctance.
Regarding flour: do you tend to always use the same dough, the one you feel safer with, or do you like to take risks and try new mixes and solutions?
I generally like to take risks. I have several types of dough on my list and every year we try to improve them. The round pizza has 2 dough, a classic one with type 1 flour and whole wheat dough with mother yeast, while the tasting version has different types of dough, rice and barley, type 0 flour dough “alla pala”, spelt and chickpeas. The trend is to have a variable menu, possibly with the dough of the week. Customers appreciate the novelties.
How would you define the profession of pizza making?
It is an art in which everyone must try to express themselves through their creations. It is almost like magic: the dough is made of flour and water but it turns into something that inspires great emotions. It is the wonderful part of the white art that transforms the simple manipulation of dough into something similar to a miracle, which is ready to awaken and satisfy the senses of those who eat.
How has Covid affected (or is affecting) your work?
It has affected a lot. The pizzeria has been closed to the public since November. We are in a small place where some colleagues were better organized with take-away. After all, my pizzeria is based on the philosophy of a restaurant, so you sit down, taste pizzas in the company of a good glass of wine and share an experience. Pizza is conviviality more than anything else!
However, we came up with an initiative for take-away, always in the Rock 1978 key. It is “Rinforno”, a pizza that the customer creates at home. This is how it works. We prepare the base that can be stored (max 6 days in the refrigerator) and we prepare the different topping ingredients, all different from each other and all made with care, making the most of local products in some cases.
We also created a kit that allows customers to make their own “gourmet pizza” at home, with a playful game that entertains them, hoping to host them at our place again soon!
