Emergente chef finalist in Rome at Palazzo Esposizioni July 5, 2021
What is your dream, your professional desire?
My professional desire is to be able to create a unique and innovative product that can fully represent me and through which I can establish myself in the world of pizza. I believe that pizza allows me to perfectly express my emotions and childhood memories, through its colors, scents, and flavors. One day I would like to open a pizzeria where tradition can meet innovation, but where the product remains accessible to everyone, because pizza must remain for everyone.
Which is the most successful pizza among the ones you normally propose in your menu?
The “DOP 1”, the pizza that best expresses the emotions of a Neapolitan Sunday; the smell of ragout and grandmother with her hands busy preparing the meatballs “that cannot say no” to diced eggplant.
What is the best pizza you have ever tasted?
The pizza at ” Da Michele” in Naples, for me it represents the history, the cult, and the tradition of the Neapolitan pizza.
Besides pizza do you like to make any other product? Fried foods? Sweets? Bread?
Absolutely yes, I love cooking at 360 °, I think there is no better way to express your emotions because in this area you do not need words.
What is the ideal type of dough for YOUR pizza?
I don’t feel like identifying an ideal type of dough, I think that the secret of our work is to never stop, the continuous research and innovation to find the perfect product.
About flours: do you always use the same dough, the one you feel most confident with, or do you like to take risks or try new mixes and solutions?
I use a type of dough that has been studied and perfected over the years, but I love experimenting and challenging myself every day.
How would you define the profession of pizza making?
Being a pizza chef is a demanding job, both physically and psychologically, but at the same time, like everything that is art, it can reward you and fill your heart with pride at the smiles of satisfied customers.
The judgment of the customer: do you follow it? Do you look for it? Is it helpful to you? Can you accept criticism?
Absolutely. The customer is my yardstick, I think the most wrong thing to do is to be unwilling to accept criticism and advice and to non be willing to challenge yourself.
What qualities should the pizza chef have? List the first three characteristics that come to your mind
The top three characteristics are: CREATIVITY – PASSION – PERSEVERANCE.
How are you looking to improve your professionalism? Are you interested in training courses?
I come from a family that has been in this field for 3 generations, I still collaborate with my father and every day I try to learn something new from him. There are many training courses that I find interesting.
Tell us about one of your pizzas.
- I will tell you about “DOP 4” which takes this name from my personal menu “DOP”, a menu through which I wanted to tell people about myself.
- The dough is made with 2 types of flour: Le 5 Stagioni Superior with high protein content and 10% of type 1 flour, to give strength and aroma.
- 80% Hydration.
- Kneading process: direct method with 72 hours of maturation divided between the first rising period (puntata) and the second one (appretto), after dividing the dough into dough balls. I used some techniques I developed to achieve high and controlled hydration.
- Temperatures: first rising at room temperature and second rising at a controlled temperature of 4°C.
- Dough ball weight: 265/270 gr
- Baking time: 500/550° for 70/90 seconds
- Topping: smoked eggplant velouté, with black pepper and pecorino romano cheese (in the oven)
- crispy black pork bacon (cooked and made crispy in the oven)
- yellow Piennolo tomato (in the oven)
- fior di latte cheese from Sorrento Peninsula (in the oven)
- flakes of Pecorino Romano cheese (6 months aged) (out of the oven)
- fresh basil and Extra Vergin Olive Oil (out of the oven)
- Pizza maker’s tip: I decided to tell you about DOP 4, because I think that the combination of toppings used can give the pizza the right flavor and a taste that is hard to forget.
How has Covid affected (or is affecting) your business?
My pizzeria is small, so due to Covid’s restrictions I can only work with take-out and home deliveries. This does not allow me to pursue what I love most about my job, the relationship with my wonderful customers.
Which of the rules that exist in a restaurant to date are inappropriate or unnecessary or would you change? How important is communication in a restaurant?
Communication inside a restaurant is fundamental: organizing the team, updating social channels, and interacting with customers. I think customers’ feedback in particular is the most useful one. Regarding today’s rules, because of Covid, I respect them, but I don’t agree with some of them.
