It is a small, solid group, the one headed by La Credenza in San Maurizio Canavese. In fact, Giovanni Grasso and Igor Macchia have opened several successful restaurants in the Turin area over time, starting with the very first, elegant restaurant – La Credenza – that has boasted a Michelin star for several years. A few years ago the Casa Format project was born, a comprehensive, all-round hospitality venue – very close to the marvelous Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi (The hunting residence of Stupinigi) – which instead was awarded a green Michelin star, given to restaurants that stand out particularly in terms of sustainability. So, in the same field of Casa Format, ruled by Igor, SP143 Pizzeria Contemporanea was born, from whose large windows, on clear days, you can see the unmistakable outline of Monviso. From the biography of this excellent cook we read:
and more: “essential, direct and rational presentations that reflect what is basically my way of life. Concluding with an important reflection: “this way of ‘thinking’ about cooking perhaps was – and continues to be – influenced by pastry, my first love, which like cooking is a beautiful but at the same time very hard world. We can indeed achieve – and overcome – great goals only by experiencing them with passion, enthusiasm, and professionalism, but also with a smile, never forgetting that, after all, we are still only cooking.”
In a large, bright room converted from an old warehouse and expertly renovated, Igor Macchia works with Giulio Grasso; born in 1991, son of Giovanni and pizzaiolo of the venue, he has a history of international experience both in restaurants and in various pizzerias. Giulio and Igor work side by side, exchanging views on doughs and fillings. As a chef, Igor has a clear idea of how pizza should be conceived at SP 143, a very topical issue especially in times like these. According to him, “you have to convey to people the concept that a good pizza cannot be too cheap, because you can see the difference.”
Having always worked in the restaurant business, the challenge was to invent something that did not look too much like the rest of the offerings on the market, even on the ingredient front: ” Giulio and I taste pizzas together starting with a rough idea of what to use and fixing any mistakes; after that, I take responsibility for deciding if the topping is right. Some of the pizzas we call “specials” are inspired by the plates from La Credenza and Casa Format: “We arrive at the result in different ways, sometimes we start with an idea, and we try it out until we get what we want, sometimes we adapt the plates and make them suitable for the topping, and finally sometimes we simply taste something that we think would go well together and find that it works. The flavorful and rich dough is made with a multigrain flour that leaven from 48 to 52 hours starting from biga, but it should not mature too much. Baking takes place in a modern electric oven, which in addition to being ‘cleaner’ ensures uniform processes that a wood-fired oven cannot achieve. The Casa Format experience also has important benefits on the sustainability and waste management front. In fact, the unused pizza dough balls leaven again and are used to make bread for the restaurant, so that nothing is wasted. According to Igor and Giulio, the pizza of SP143 cannot (but also does not have to) please everyone, yet they are fully convinced that the path taken is now the right one, especially during a time like the pandemic. In fact, as Igor reports: “Our restaurants are all definitely doing well, even better than before. The recovery has been better than we expected.”
Thin but not too thin, far from the idea of Neapolitan pizza, with this very distinctive dough, also suitable for strong combinations such as great cold cuts and cheeses or – when in season – a great white truffle. At the same time, these are highly digestible products. Of course, many of the ingredients also come from what has now become a huge vegetable garden stocked with every seasonal first fruits, the one located a few meters from the pizzeria, behind the building of Casa Format. A very good tasting idea is the choice of the tasting menu, where we find, as a start, a high-hydration focaccia ‘in pala’, very crispy on the outside and extremely soft inside, with mortadella, stracciatella and truffle caviar. We then move on to the classic pizza we described above with date tomato sauce, tomato spaccatelle (cut-in-a-half tomatoes), stracciatella cheese, capers, olives, and oregano, and finish with the rich and delicious double focaccia stuffed with tender pork ribs cooked at low temperature, cabbage, Swiss chard, and barbecue sauce. ‘Contemporary’ fillings include the one with cooked mozzarella, stewed cabbage, spicy sausage, coffee powder and basil, or even the cream of fennel, smoked salmon trout, stracciatella cheese, dill and lemon zest.
