The Pizza Maker's Craft

Pizza chef. There is no doubt that in Italy, despite the terrible economic crisis, there is a single sector that continues to function and provide professional opportunities - that is, cooking and catering. Our cuisine is still one of the most appreciated in the world and certainly the dish that still stimulates the imagination of those who love Italian food is certainly the pizza. So what better job than that of a pizza chef?

Thanks also to successful television programs, many people cultivate the dream of establishing themselves professionally in the kitchen and the profession of pizza chef in this sense is one of the most popular in this historical period.

We meet Roberto Gallo, a 26 year old boy, who managed to achieve his dream of being a pizza chef, and who agreed to answer some questions for the readers of Ristomanager.

A good pizza chef has the following requirements:
-Ability to follow recipes accurately and know how much time it takes for each cooking phase. -Digital or analog timers are best as they allow you to keep track during different stages such as preparing the dough, preparing the sauce etc. Using an oven timer requires attention only on your part (and can lead some people to become distracted). Quartz kitchen timer works great!

Hi Roberto, tell us something about yourself and your passion for pizza.

Hello everyone, my name is Roberto Gallo, I'm 26 years old and I was born in Chieri, in the province of Turin. The passion for pizza was born in a concrete way about 8 years ago, when my brother, also a pizza chef, asked me to help him in the bakery where he worked. Since that moment I have never stopped loving this job, which for me is not just a profession to earn money, but a real vocation.

Keep in mind that my family of Calabrian origins has been working in the restaurant world for many years. In fact, my brother and my father are pizza chefs, my mother and my sister are cooks!

Before starting to work, did you attend a course, a school or did you have a teacher who taught you the profession of pizza chef?

My training took place directly in the field thanks to my brother who allowed me to work with him and taught me many things. Subsequently, and to be precise 2 years ago, I met Enzo Cacialli. He is a Neapolitan pizza chef and is the owner of a pizzeria in historic Naples, called Antica pizzeria O Presidente.

I will never stop thanking him because he taught me all the secrets of the trade and encouraged me in my journey. He is a great master of Neapolitan pizza and I took his place in the pizzeria where I work at the moment, the Emporio pizza restaurant, in Rondissone, province of Turin.

We often discuss the best flours to use for pizzas and I wanted to ask you which ones you use and how important the quality of the raw materials is to you.

I believe that every pizza chef should use the flours he deems best for the type of service that the place where he works wants to offer its customers. I personally only use flours from the Caputo mill, with mixes of red Caputo and type 1.

The type of wheat used in the recipe will influence not only how elastic or hard a dough feels, but also its flavor profile; Different flours can have varying levels of sweetness which may need additional sugar added during preparation depending on preference.

I love this flour because it is stone ground and this aspect is a guarantee from a quality point of view, as, unlike mechanical grinding, it does not cause the grain to lose nutrients.

Obviously the quality of the raw materials is fundamental for the success of the product. I don't like people who work in an improvised manner.I believe that it is necessary for a good pizza chef to know how to create the right alchemy between the dough and the ingredients.

The secret to a great pizza is in the ingredients.
"Pizzaioli", as they are known in these parts, will go through countless trials and errors before mastering their craft, but only after ensuring that each ingredient has been carefully selected for its desired effect on flavor and texture as opposed to dough techniques alone - you can't do much more just because it's good!

Do you have a dream? And can you say hello to the readers of Ristomanager?

My dream is to participate in the world pizza championship and maybe win it! In general my goal is to continue to evolve in my work and to pass on my passion for pizza to many people.

Greetings to all the readers of Ristomanager and I hope to discuss with you in the future all aspects of this extraordinary dish!

You might also be interested in: The pizza robot between Neapolitan and tech cuisine.