So You Wanna be a Pizzaiolo: Pizza Trainining & Getting Certified - Reality Check!

Authentic Neapolitan Pizzeria

Neapolitan pizza is the latest rage in the pizza food industry.  Pizzerias specializing in this culinary delight of Naples are springing up in major cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, to name a few, throughout the country. As a member of Pizza Making Forum, I read of members wishing they could quit their day job and work their dream job of being a full-time pizzaiolo, and others who already have pizza skills or bread baking experience and want to venture out in the Neapolitan pizza business.

While I had neither aspirations early in January, I'm all about learning a new craft,  finding the best resources, cost effective training, and getting the best hands-on experience. Reading my earlier blogs, you'll know how Scott's Pizza Tour exposed me to the flavors of Neapolitan pizza.  It was also Scott who convinced me to take Roberto Caporuscio's training in the city by living and breathing pizza for 10 straight days.  As an avid learner of any form of creativity and "who knows, a pizzeria could be in the future,"  I easily convinced myself to take the plunge and involve myself with "getting certified".

Clearly, it's good to have choices in making any decision. This post will be useful to others who are thinking about what it takes to be a certified Neapolitan pizzaiolo (pizza maker).

This blog is dedicated to my personal experiences with anything related to pizza. And you will see that it's specific to Neapolitan pizza making.  The attraction is because it's the closest process to artisan bread baking, i.e. fermentation.  Also, it's the only pizza making tradition that requires adherence to a specific guideline set forth by the Italian governing body. Here are several acronyms I came across that I needed to google for clarification.  So the Italian governing body that provides these guidelines is Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) which is housed in Naples.  VPN Americas is the official American Delegation of The AVPN, is headquartered in Marina del Ray, CA and is currently responsible for the US and Canada market. Then there is APN Americas. Yet,  I am not clear as to who or what empowered APN to certify individuals.

 For clarity, there is a distinction between the two certifications.  AVPN certification is given to the pizzeria who show that they adhere to the AVPN rules. This means the pizzeria has met the basic requirements of using a wood fire oven, proper ingredients, equipment and proper technique for preparation of dough and pizza.  In addition to the application form, a video showing the process of making the dough/pizza is required. AVPN Certification is given to the individual pizza maker.  To date, food trucks with a pizza wood fire oven business are not certifiable.  Maybe that will change.

My Baking Background:

Baking has always been one of my many favorite activities.  Like most young teenagers, I was drawn to baking anything sweet like cookies, cakes, quick breads, muffins, tea cakes, and cupcakes. In my forties, it's been all about artisan bread baking.   I took an artisan bread course and learned about fermentation and how to cultivate a starter.  Learning to use natural leaven with sourdough breads, focaccia and seeded breads  expanded my bread making skills and whetted my appetite to try recipes from Jeffrey Hammelman, my bread hero. My bread background is what attracted me to learning Neapolitan pizzas which involves the fermentation to achieve flavor and texture. I was attracted to the idea of making pizza dough with my bare hands, as opposed to a mixer or rolling pin.

Focaccia using natural leaven

Rosemary and Sea Salt

My Pizza Making Experience:

Back in November, 2012, I signed up to be  a member of the Pizza Making Forum; a great exposure to vast opinions, countless recipes, pizza experiences, and a great way to connect with pizza fanatics all over the globe who are pizza makers at home, professionals and the wannabees. To date, there are over 20,000 members.  It was through this forum that I was able to find Giulio Adriani, a restaurant owner/pizza chef of Forcella and teach me the fundamentals of Neapolitan pizza.  After attending the Pizza Expo and learning more about pizza science from another pizza chef, Tony Gemignani, I continued my training with Roberto Caporuscio, pizza chef of Keste / Don Antonio.

Making pizzas at Forcella with Giulio Adriani

While I would love to  continue to pursue more pizza training in Naples, I've reached a point where I need to practice the art and science of pizza making on my own.


After this Training Experience, Would I do Anything Different?

Prior to my first hands-on lesson of Neapolitan pizza making with Giulio Adriani, I spent  quality time watching videos on You Tube.  In fact, I highly recommend "Pizza Training with the Masters, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.  It is a professionally made video of Roberto Caporuscio and Peppe Starita discussing dough management including making mozzarella.   Watching these informational videos prepared me for the hands-on training with Giulio Adriani in January 2013.  By the time I started my training with Roberto in May 2013, I honestly felt like I was paying an exorbitant amount of cash just so I could help make dough for his customers because he was understaffed, and simply to use and experience  his professional kitchen.  Unless your goal is to open a Neapolitan pizzeria, taking a 10-day pizza training course with Roberto Caporuscio and getting certified is a complete overkill.  Even for the experienced baker, five days is sufficient.

Based on my personal experience, Roberto seems to explain himself better in front of the camera rather than in person.  It's really tough to get any personal attention from the pizza master, when he is distracted with his cell phone, Skype, computer, or staff.  Save the other five days and invest in the equipment or supplies! A fork mixer is not cheap, so invest wisely! And IF you must train with Roberto, make sure his daughter, Georgia, who helps him teach the dough and oven management is around.  She travels to Italy often, and it would to your advantage in making sure she's doing the training. Her English explanations are easier to understand regarding the "Starita technique" of gently opening the dough.

For the novice, enthusiasts, pizza makers who already make other styles, do yourself a favor and be a member of Pizza Making Forum,  read the Serious Eats: Slice Pizza Blog which offers information about ANY pizza you can imagine, watch the FREE and amazing videos on You Tube, and contact Giulio Adriani  for additional training or consultation.  If you want to be certified, VPN Americas is a more reasonable investment.  Three days. Their website has a syllabus which explains in detail the what the student is expected to learn.

VPN Americas

So, Is One Training Better than Another?

Here's a post I found on the Forno Bravo website who shares their personal experience learning to make Neapolitan pizza in Naples. By the way, Forno Bravo is website that includes a forum where folks can seek out information on pizza related issues. They have forum where folks share their experience in building their own pizza oven.

My name is Michael Fairholme and I work with James at Forno Bravo. In January and February of this year I spent 4 weeks with a Master Pizziolo in Napoli to perfect my techniques and I think I can answer most of your questions. First, I've only found one trainer in Napoli that takes foreign students, all other pizza training courses are designed and run for the local talent and you must speak Italian. My trainer was Enzo Coccia and his business is called Pizza Consulting and it's run from La Notizia, his pizzeria in a suburb of Napoli. The course in 3 weeks long and will cost about 1500,00 euros. He sometimes allows students to extend for a week if other students have started their training somewhere in the middle or end of yours. The classes are only taught in Italian but he has a young lady that will act as an interpreter for 60,00 euros per day. Enzo suggests you have her for the first four days of your training, because after that a 'pizza' vocabulary develops and you'll can get most of what he's trying to teach by sign language and a lot of shouting. The best time of year is any time...Napoli is beautiful and if you get out and explore it is a great place to visit. Bare in mind Enzo closes the month of August. How you register is through his website: pizzaconsulting.it He is a bit slow to respond and it will be done through Nika his interpreter. I found a very nice, clean hotel about a 25 minute walk from the pizzeria that cost 30,00 per night (bathroom down the hall), Enzo has a friend that can supply a room in his house for about the same money but it's miles away and you will not be able to see any of the City living so far out of town. There are two other 2 star hotels a bus ride away that charge 50-60,00euros per night - I can give you more specifics later. Now, what will you actually learn? This my second visit to Enzo, the first was April of 2006 and I only stayed for 6 days. My purpose then was to gain enough knowledge to help a client open a Vera Pizza Napoletana restaurant in Athens, Greece. I had recruited a young man with good wood-burning oven experience, I just wanted to bend his skills toward what my client wanted...true, thin crusted pizza Napoletana. In the end, my first few days gave me enough information to get open and make a very good pizza, but when time allowed, I went back for the full three weeks to perfect my technique. I'm glad I had a chance to go twice with a break in between, because we had moved off center a bit and the second three weeks brought me back on course. You will definitely learn how to make Vera Pizza Napoletana. The initial focus is learning about the dough...the most important part. Everyday you will make dough, at first it's a 2kg batch made by hand, then you move up to the automatic mixer making 10kg batches. Then you'll learn how to form the "pignotte" , the pizza ball which will later be formed into the pizza round. Next you'll learn how to form the pizza round, probably the most tricky part - everyone struggles with this. Then you'll learn pizza peel techniques, control, placing the pie, pulling, placing in a take-away box, placing on a plate. Then you learn how to fire the oven and get it to temperature and then manage the fire. Next you learn how to make sauce and cut cheese. Now you learn to make pizza Margherita and pizza Bianca. And that's about it, anything else you learn will be from watching Enzo and his staff during evening service and any other visits you can make to VPN pizzerie around Napoli and there are several hundred to choose from. Now for the drawbacks. First, the class is only four hours long, 3 1/2 really because he never arrives on time, we take a 20 minute coffee break to give the dough a chance to rise, and he always stops at least 20 minutes early so you can clean the pizzeria for evening service. You need to learn a lot in this small amount of time and there just isn't enough time to practice each of these very important skills, especially if there are 3 or 4 people in the class...you get even less one-on-one. The place is so small there can only be one student in the pizzeria during evening service, so even being able to watch people doing what you so desperately want to learn is tough. For at least 5 days of the 3 weeks course, you'll come back to the pizzeria to chop and dice ingredients for that nights service. After a while you get the feeling that you're just free labour as they tell you to sweep the floor, or go get wood from the storage unit. But it does give you a good understanding of how you'll organize your own place so I shouldn't grumble. You don't actually get to make a pizza until the last day of the last week and then it will be a Margherita, a Marinara and a Pizza Bianca. As a result, from lack of any practice time, you struggle with your turning technique, your rounds are more oval and thinner than they should be...in general, you just don't get enough oven time to prepare you for your own place. Considering I paid 1500,00 plus 240,00 for the interpreter, airfare was 975,00, hotel, food and tickets for the bus and taxis was an additional 60,00 per day ( and that was done on the cheap) which adds 1260,00 to the total, I had 4000,00 euros/$5400.00 invested before I considered my loss of income for 5 weeks; that's a lot of money for a 52.5 hour training course. The positives: I really feel like I understand the dough and have a good knowledge of the water to flour ratios, I understand and respect the traditions behind Pizza Napoletana, I know what is required to make this style of pizza, and I understand the rules and have experienced how the quality of ingredients makes this pizza so special. If you get it right this pizza is magic! So, 1000 words later, I love this pizza and I'm sure I know how to do it, but only because I had an oven and mixer in Athens to return to so I could continue to practice, practice, practice. As for being able to come back and run a pizzeria, I only gained that by visiting 35+ pizzeria in Napoli, Roma, Firenze and Milano, watching how they did it, took notes on how they laid out there make table and positioned their ovens. I watched as staff handled a 30 pie rush, worked as a team (or didn't, which was often the case) and took notes on where to put the fridge units. Combine all this with my time at La Notizia and now I feel I can open a pizzeria...or yours if you want some help!

While this is one account of someone's experience, there is no "perfect" training or class.
Learning in Italy would be a dream, however, the translation, even with a translator, may be a challenge. (More on this experience with another blog post learning from Gabriele Bonci via a translator in Eataly!).  But the idea of learning to make pizza from THE place, the opportunity to taste pizzas all around the city and watch the pizzaiolos do their magic would be an amazing experience.

Roberto Caporuscio who intially trained with Enzo Coccia, is now under the tutelage of Antonio Starita, better known for handling the dough more gentler than Enzo Coccia.  Yet, there is no mistake that Neapolitan pizza chefs like Enzo Algarme of Pupatella in Arlington, VA;  Brad Otton of Setto Bello in NV; and  Jonathan Goldsmith of Spacca Napoli, in Chicago, IL trained under Enzo Coccia. Jay Jerrier of Il Cane Rosso in Dallas, TX and Anthony Carron of 800 Degrees, in Los Angeles both received their technical training from VPN Americas in Marina del Rey, CA. As you can imagine, there is no one path to acquiring the skills and technique needed to adhere to the AVPN and being a success story in the Neapolitan pizza business. Interesting to note that both Enzo Algarme of Pupatella and Jay Jerrier of Il Cane Rosso started out as a food truck / oven trailer business.  Evidently, their small business led them to a brick and mortar location(s) with much success!

I say it's all about getting the basic fundamentals of Neapolitan pizza making under your belt, learning not from one but as many as possible, practicing the craft, remaining passionate, and being able to create a Neapolitan pizza that will provide someone their best experience!!

What's next?  Practice, practice and more practice for me! Thanks to neighbors, friends,  and work colleagues, they brought their appetites and enthusiasm to indulge my passion for making the "perfect" Neapolitan pizza! Looking forward to spring time when I can fire up the wood fire oven for another pizza party. For the time being, my beloved Le Panyol oven (on a stand) is for sale so that I can get a mobile wood fire oven and bring Neapolitan wood fire pizzas to the Charlottesville community.

Potatoes with rosemary, swiss and gruyere cheese

Fennel Sausage with basil and fresh mozzarella

Shiitake and cremini mushrooms with truffle cheese

Trying my hand with  Pizza della Romana

So You Wanna be a Pizzaiolo (pizza maker)? Here are names and schools that I found during my search on the internet.

USA:

VPN Americas ( Peppe Miele and Jose Barrios, Marina del Ray, California)
3-day course ($1650)
5-day course ($2650)
VPN certification

International School of Pizza (Tony Gemignani, San Francisco, California)
4-day course; VPN certification
1-day course for Home Chef

Pizza Academy (Forcella, Brooklyn, New York, Giulio Adriani) - OPENING SOON
5-day course; VPN certification
1-day course for Non-Professional

Pizza Training (Don Antonio, New York, Roberto Capuroscio)
10-day course ($4500)
APN certification

Carmine D'Amato Neapolitan Pizza Lessons ( Settebello, Henderson, NV)
3-day course ($1200)
6-day course ($2000)
10-day course ($2800)

Wood Fire Oven Baker (Ellie Olsen, Colorado)
Supplier of Neapolitan ovens, mixers, pizza prep tables, etc.
Test Kitchen Available

Artisan Pizza Solutions  (Michael Fairholme, California)
In-house pizza training

Italy:

AVPN School of Pizza Training

Pizza Consulting / Training with Enzo Coccia (Naples, Italy)

Franco Pepe ( Caiazzo, Campania, Italy)
Antica Osteria Pizzeria Pepe
francopepe18@alice.it

Gennaro Esposito

Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli:
Graziano Bertuzzo, instructor
Angelo Silverstrini, instructor

Gino Sorbillo

Why "Scott's Pizza Tour" in NYC is a TOP Attraction!

My husband and I love to travel so we make a point of working in places where we want to be, familiar and new. We find that doing food tours is a great way to really experience a place. It's a treat to have a food expert take you around to the best restaurants. It saves time especially if you're only in town for a few days and minimizes frustration with a language barrier in a foreign land.  What better way than to learn about a city's history and culture than by tasting its culinary delights. We've taken food tours in Manhattan, Portland, Seattle, Istanbul (in the European side and Asian side), and more recently, pizza tours both in Chicago and New York City. Since it was our first experience this year, I will talk about Scott's Pizza Tour first.  You never forget your first.

We pulled the kids out of school for a week for a trip to NYC. Kevin wrote a book on iOS App Development for Non-Programmers, and earned a Publishing Innovation Award, and of course, we had to make a trip to the Big Apple. I was really excited about this trip since I also had pizza in my brain. What better place than this city to eat a pizza, whether it be NY style, or Neopolitan. It's going to be authentic, that's for sure.  Needless to say, it would be better than the pizzerias here in central Virginia. After all, the birthplace of pizza in this country is in NYC.

I found out about Scott's Pizza Tour on my go-to website for hotels and attractions: TripAdvisor. Having read the reviews which were mostly over the top, it was a tour not to be missed, especially with my obsession for pizza.  Even better that this would be the kids' first food tour. They love pizza. Needless to say, I also stressed the fact that we would only be walking several blocks, since it would 32 degrees. All the reviewers who had families raved about Scott's tour as being super kid-friendly, great for all ages, and for all pizza lovers, enthusiasts, fanatics, nerds, and beyond.

I emailed Scott the week before, telling him that I was just another pizza enthusiast and hoping that he would be the tour guide on our particular day. If my memory serves me correctly, Scott lived in NJ while spending most of his free time in NY enjoying the best pizzas in the city.  During one of his birthdays, he rented a bus, invited all his friends and toured around the city.  That is how his business began. Passion. How cool is that story!

We met Scott and four other couples in front of Keste Pizzeria e Vino on Bleecker Street. For several weeks, I had been doing research on Neopolitan pizzas and found several videos on YouTube of Roberto Caporuscio making pizzas. Well, as some of you know Roberto Caporuscio is the owner of Keste, so I was in heaven to know that it was our first stop.  I honestly don't remember his introduction of the tour since I was cold, giddy and happy to be in NY with my family and entering Keste.

Bleecker and Morton St

Roberto and Scott commiserate over the pie

One of the perks of being in a food tour is the special treatment you get. You feel like you're "in" with the owner, host, and wait staff since the establishment acknowledges the tour guide and tour's presence, making way for us. We entered Keste at 11:30 am, thirty minutes before they opened.  It was an intimate place with a rather refined, rustic feel.

Mozzarella maker

So we had the entire place to ourselves. We all sat close to the wood fire oven, and the gospel continued. We each got a goodie bag, stuffed with a pad/pencil for note taking and gummy candy shaped like a pizza. I was oohhing about that and then I heard Scott's news.  Apparently, Eduardo (the main pizza maker) was stuck in traffic, and as result, Roberto was on his way in.  I think I was the only one who was thrilled at the news! My husband was as excited for me since I made him watch the same videos in the previous weeks. So glad he's supportive of my craziness!

Much the same way I was excited to meet Gabriel Bonci, the "Michelangelo of Pizza", while in Pizzarium buying his cookbook and Marino Mulino flour, I was thrilled to see Roberto at Keste. It's rare to see owners in their own establishment. Luck would have it that he would be making our pizzas to taste!

Dough is opened & stretched 80 % on counter

What makes Neopolitan pizza unique?  It is a tradition that dates back 200 years to Naples. Today, pizzerias specializing in Neopolitan pies are recreating an old tradition while maintaining guidelines put forth by an Italian governing body (Associazone della Vera Pizza Napoletana) that ensures the authenticity of ingredients and procedures. It is defined by using the freshest ingredients, without oil or sugar.  These include imported Italian (00) flour, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella cheese (imported bufala or fior di latte, whole milk).  There are two types of Neopolitan toppings: Margherita, named after Queen Margherita, made by Raphael Esposito, to celebrate the national colors of the Italian flag. He used mozzarella (white), tomatoes (red) and basil (green). The other topping is Marinara, which is simply tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and oregano.  Neopolitan sailors brought the tomatoes to Italy from the New World, who enjoyed topping their bread with tomatoes and herbs, hence the name marinari (sailors).  It is pizzerias like Keste that maintain the tradition and move your senses into the culinary world of Naples once you take that first bite.

Dough is stretched to 100% on the peel

Scott let us take a peek inside the wood-fire oven. A beautiful beast spewing fire. Needless to say, the warmth was welcoming us from the cold air outside. After the group sat down waiting to be served, and with Scott's permission, I went behind the prep counter and watched Roberto with dough in hand.  As many of the members in the Pizza Making Forum claimed, Roberto was very generous and hospitable in my inquiries and curiosity.

The Volcano

Requirement for a Neopolitan Pie

Roberto 

Roberto made a couple of margheritas - simply made with fresh tomato sauce, Keste's house-made mozzarella cheese, basil and olive oil-
and a couple of pizzas with lard. I had a wonderful bite of the pizza margherita and returned to watching Roberto. The crust was tender with a slight crisp on the exterior. The rim or edge (known as the cornicione) was puffy and soft. Nicely charred. The spots (or leoparding) on the crust can only be achieved in a HOT oven, say 900 degrees F.  The charred appearance provides a smoky flavor in the crust. Cheese was wonderfully fresh. Roberto, a former cheese maker back in Naples, makes his own cheese daily.

It was my first taste of a true Neopolitan pizza. Simple, yet divine. We chatted briefly about the dough, oven management and my wood fire oven as I watched him stretch out the soft dough with his bear-claw hands. I returned to the table and my daughter had eaten my share of the pies! I left Keste thinking how cool it would be to take his intense 10-day pizza making course and learn to make mozzarella too. More on this idea later!

Roberto & his wingman, Eduardo

Neopolitan Pizza @ Keste Pizzeria e Vino

Next stop was across the street  to John's Pizza, a New York style pizza. Scott's intention was to let us experience how pizzas were made back in the early 1900s. Coal was readily available, so most pizzas were cooked in coal-fired brick ovens like John's, founded by John Sasso in 1929. The ambiance was that of a sports bar. A bit loud for my taste, but it was the lunch crowd after all. John's Pizzeria screams quintessential NYC with signs indicating Cash Only, No Reservations, and No Slices, which means only whole pizzas are available.

Compared to the Neopolitan slice, the classic New York slice has a thicker crust, yet the edge or rim remains thinner and crispier.  The dough is made thicker to allow more toppings.  It is stretched out wider, therefore, there is some oil added to the dough to allow extensibility.  This type of dough can be tossed in the air as part of the stretch method which certainly adds entertainment value. The tomato sauce in John's pizza was sweeter than Keste's simple tomato sauce, which is simply crushed in a food mill and sprinkled with a little salt. I should have been more thoughtful when tasting the pie, but I was still in a trance from my Neopolitan experience. After savoring a puffy dough with a tender crispiness of the Neopolitan crust, I found the NY slice nondescript and with a crunchy crust. It was like eating a cracker! I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more, had it been our first stop of the tour.

Coal Fired Oven

850 degree temperature

New York Style  @ John's Pizzeria

Palermo Pie

Off we went to Joe's Pizza, at the corner of Bleecker and Carmine, also known as the "Greenwich Village Institution", to taste their their Sicilian-style pizzas. Founded in 1975 by Joe Pozzuoli, they remain a family-owned business. Although they are known for their classic NY pies, we came to our last stop to try their famous Sicilian Square Pie.  The hallmark of a Sicilian pizza is the thickness of the crust. It is soft and bread-like.  The bottom of the crust is wonderfully crunchy and caramel in color, from the many sticks of butter I saw on the counter top. The volume of the crust allows more toppings of meat, vegetables, or cheeses. These types of pizzas are baked in a deck oven.  Scott brought out a pizza tray of Palermo Pie which was topped with breadcrumbs, of all things!  My husband really enjoyed it, saying that it felt like it was a meal. After many, many years, they just opened their second location on 14th Street.

I think that's Joe, himself

Sicilian Pie @ Joe's Pizzeria

All in all, it was a great day! Scott definitely knew his topic.  He was very knowledgeable about pizza and its history with NYC. His enthusiasm was infectious  and kept everyone entertained with fun facts and anecdotes! When Scott realized that one of the couples were already familiar with a pizzeria in California that was similar to a pizzeria he had scheduled for the tour, he changed the itinerary to a different pizzeria so that they could experience a new pizza concept. Now that's a sign of customer service!

Our kids got their first food tour under their belt, and we all got to experience tasting the different styles of pizza - Neopolitan, Sicilian and New York, while walking the streets of Greenwich Village. The 3 hour tour gave us a glimpse of how pizza evolved as the Italian immigrants settled in the boroughs of New York City. All from a passionate pizza fanatic. I truly have met my match!

Spreading the word to his disciples

The magic touch

Sharing his passion

Serving his knowledge 

On a side note, it was great catching up with Scott Weiner at the Pizza Expo last week. He was quite busy judging the pizza-making competitions.  A prolific writer, he has a column in Pizza Today magazine, a Facebook page, and blog. We are looking forward to riding the Pizza Bus Tour  with Scott next time we're in the Big Apple!

Pizza Expo March 2013: Overview

Hand made by Don Antonio Starita at the International Pizza Expo 2013, Las Vegas

Food Network Host Robert Irvine: Restaurant Impossible

The 29th Annual International Pizza Expo is THE trade show for the pizza industry which took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center on March 19-21, 2013. It's an area larger than five football fields where you can find information about all things pizza. It is the mecca where current pizza owners, managers, and operators can meet to network, gather more information and purchase a wide variety of products from gluten-free pizza flour to a new wood fire oven. It is the place to learn from industry experts  who come to share their business successes stories, to gain new knowledge such as social media marketing, and to acquire a new skill or recipe from well-renowned pizzaiolas (pizza makers).

Stefano Ferrara Wood-Fire Oven

The thousands of attendees included current restaurant owners, managers, operators as well as first time attendees who are thinking of opening a pizzeria.   Although the flour, tomatoes, cheese distributors and brokers took much of the floor space, they shared the center stage with the equipment vendors. It is also a mecca of all things shiny: ovens, mixers, grinders, slicers, spatulas, peels and pans.

So how did I manage to get myself into the Pizza Expo?  I fall under the category of "first time attendees" who LOVE to make pizza and wonder if the possibility of opening a pizzeria is a viable option in the near future. I've always been passionate about food and cooking / baking, but I've only kept my interest as a hobby. Although the industry looks glamorous and exciting, I know full well there's a lot of hard work, long hours, and family sacrifices involved. After acquiring a wood fire oven last year and making artisan breads and pizza, I wondered about the possibilities of the pizza industry. What better way to get the maximum information from working professionals under one roof than to attend THE Pizza Expo!

Pizza Expo Workshop

Perusing through their exhaustive website, the two-day workshops offered by the Guiness Book of World Record Holder, Eleven-Time World Pizza Champion and owner / pizza master / instructor of Tony's Napoletana Pizza, Tony Gemignani caught my attention.  We had just been to San Francisco in February for MacWorld 2013, and found his North Beach restaurant that bakes nine different styles of pizza including gluten-free, using seven different types of ovens. Sadly, I had just missed the Home Chef course that is offered once every three months at Tony's International School of Pizza. Therefore, the well-priced two-day workshop given by the man himself was impressive.

However, it wasn't until after meeting with Scott Weiner, Pizza Today columnist and owner of the NYC Scott's Pizza Tour, that I realized the Pizza Expo would be a great opportunity to have many questions answered, and learn about the pizza industry. My supportive husband, Kevin, who's similar to me in the quest for more knowledge, was also very excited about going.  He thought that it would offer great exposure to working professionals and an opportunity to absorb all things pizza.

This year, keynote speakers included Chef Robert Irvine, the host of Food Network's primetime series Restaurant: Impossible, and Bill Jacobs, owner of Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, a Chicago pizzeria / brewpub, who was named the 2011 Independent Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today magazine.  Competitions such as the International Pizza Challenge and World Pizza Games are always crowd pleasers. The seminars and cooking demos also piqued my interest. Craft beer, power panels, and operator presentations were also among this year's attractions.

It's been several days after returning from our whirlwind trip to the Pizza Expo. Two words can describe how I felt for three days. Sensory Overload. I decided to attend the Pre-Conference Day on Monday, which focuses on first-time attendees and those who are new to the business.

Million-In-One Club

The most interesting session for me was the Million in One Club which was comprised of four very successful business owners who spoke openly about the experiences that led to their elite success.  Some of the astounding facts thrown out to the audience were: 43 billion dollars annually in business, 65,000 pizzerias in the US, and the average revenue for a pizzeria is $662,000. Holy stromboli!

Tony Gemignani: Respect the Craft

Tuesday, March 19th was the first day of Tony Gemignani's workshop which involved learning how to make several different styles of dough. He focused on explaining about starter and pre-ferments (poolish vs. biga), including the differences and properties they give the dough so that the pizza crust has texture and good flavor. Tony discussed the different flours used based on the style of pizza made. This is what makes his pizza concept successful and true. He uses flour that is indigenous to a region or country so, for example, a true Neapolitan pizza from Naples is made using flour milled in Naples. Portioning into dough balls, storing, and the staging process (the order in which ingredients are mixed) were also discussed during the two hour class.

Melissa Rickman impresses Tony G.

The following day, Tony demonstrated various dough handling techniques when making
Sicilian, New York and Neapolitan pizzas. He also discussed oven management with the different types of pizza. A couple of volunteers, including Larry Cariglio of Lorenzo's in Oberlin, Ohio and long-time member of the Pizza Making Forum helped him form and dress pizzas. Melissa Rickman of Wholly Stromboli in Ft. Lupton, Colorado, eagerly volunteered to help Tony and would later compete in the Pizza Competition. A surprise guest, Don Antonio Starita, was asked to demonstrate creating a Neapolitan pizza, and was given the "Lifetime Achievement Award". I'll be writing a detailed post of this wonderful tribute soon!

Don Antonio Starita is honored by Roberto Caporuscio

Elizabeth Falkner demonstrated her award-winning Neapolitan pizza, Finocchio Flower Power, that won first place in the Caputo World Pizza Championship in Naples in 2012. Energetic, talented and passionate about being a pizzaiola, she used to be a pastry chef and executive chef in San Francisco before moving to New York.  Elizabeth's  cooking talents can now be found at Krescendo in Brooklyn, NY.

Celebrity Iron Chef turns Pizzaiola

Afternoons were spent crawling  the thousands of square feet of vendors showcasing their products. As a first time attendee, I was intrigued by all the products, services, and equipment available in the pizza industry. Meeting members from the Pizza Making Forum was another reason to make this trip.  I have been a member of this forum since October 2012, which is comprised of pizza enthusiasts, pizza lovers and professionals whose main goal is to talk pizza. Many contributors to the forum are knowledgeable, talented and helpful. It was quite fun meeting folks who I've chatted with in the forum, connecting monikers with faces. 

Elizabeth Falkner's award-winning Finocchio Flower Power

Pizza Making Forum members

Making new friendships related to pizza was a bonus. It was also an opportunity to rekindle relationships I've made with folks whom I've met during pizza tours in NYC and Chicago. Seeing Roberto Caporuscio's (Keste) charming smile at the Caputo Flour booth was a delight.  Running into a suntanned Giuilio Adriani of Forcella on the Expo floor was a surprise since I had my first pizza class with him in Brooklyn. Stopping by the pizza competion, we bid a quick hello to Jonathan Goldsmith of Spacca Napoli who was judging the preliminary trials. I truly appreciate folks like these guys who are passionate about their craft and want to share their talents, passion and appreciation with others.

Spacca Napoli meets Forcella in Las Vegas