A Passion for Pizza

Get the recipe at: This New Mexico Pizza is topped with Roasted New Mexico Chile Pesto, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, Arugula, Honey, and Toasted New Mexico Pecans. Give it a try and it might become your new favorite pizza! This video was produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— CIA: CIA for Enthusiasts: CIA at Copia: CIA ProChef: Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives,

Recipe at: Cindy Pawlcyn, chef and founder of the Napa Valley’s Mustards Grill, shows us how she makes Lamb Merguez Pizza. She tops the pizza with merguez, a North African-spiced lamb sausage packed with flavor. She pairs the merguez sausage with tapenade, tomato sauce, pecorino, and mozzarella for a delicious and unique flavor combination.

More information at In Fucina, pizza is accorded restaurant-caliber treatment. Chef-Owner Edoardo Papa alters his toppings to reflect the seasons, and he is as choosy about ingredients as any three-star chef. But this acclaimed pizzaiolo would say his real talent is knowing when the dough has proofed enough and is ready to stretch. He calls that the “maturation moment,” and if he misses it, the pizza won’t be a peak experience.

More information at Let’s check out a favorite pizza shop in Rome where pizza alla palla is a daily ritual for many. This style fits right in with the fast pace of life in the country’s capital, and although pizza alla palla may be fast food, it is produced with great attention to detail. Roscioli is an institution in Rome. A fourth-generation family-run business that serves pizza by weight, Roscioli is beloved for its pizza bianca, pizza rosa, or pizza margherita. We talk to Cesare Agostini about Roman-style pizza: thin like a cracker, and always served hot.

More information at As you’ve heard many times now, great ingredients are a “must” for great pizza. So let’s search for the ideal flour. At Caputo, the last remaining grain mill in Naples, the third-generation owners specialize in blending wheat varieties to create flours with precise characteristics. For a pizzaiolo, obtaining flour with the desired elasticity and strength is critical. You’ll hear later from some pizzaiolos about the efforts they make to get the flour they want. But first let’s take a look inside Caputo’s modern laboratory. Here flour experts try to please pizza professionals, some of the most demanding flour customers in the world.

More information at We can’t leave Naples without meeting the famous Gino Sorbillo, a master of both pizza al forno and pizza fritta. Tourists from around the world make pilgrimages to Pizzeria Sorbillo to sample pizza cooked to perfection in 45 seconds. A great pizzeria like Sorbillo requires an expert to manage the oven, a team member just as important as the person who mixes the dough. Gino talks as fast as his pizza cooks, so hold on to your seat as he shares his methods and explains why he chose New York City for his second location.

More information at Next, we head to Naples, the heartland of pizza. In this energetic city, the familiar baked pie with the raised rim has a beloved competitor: the tasty pizza fritta, a Neapolitan recipe with a colorful history in the region. For a close-up look, let’s check in at La Masardona, a Naples establishment that has specialized in pizza fritta since 1945. We talk to Enzo Piccirillo at La Masardona about the history of pizza fritta.

More information at From pizza fritta to pizza al forno, baked in an oven so hot the pie cooks in one minute—that’s the objective at La Notizia, Enzo Coccia’s popular Neapolitan pizzeria. Like many of his colleagues, Chef Coccia believes in a long, slow fermentation for the dough and uncompromising quality in the toppings. But as you’ll hear from this third-generation pizzaiolo, great pizza is really not about the recipes.

More information at Chef Franco Pepe uses his training in haute cuisine to elevate the pizza at his restaurant, Pepe in Grani in Italy’s province of Caserta. No detail is too small for this meticulous chef who believes that making pizza is a sensory experience that’s different every day. A great pizzaiolo must read the dough, feel it, observe it, and adapt. We talk to Chef Franco Pepe at Pepe in Grani. Learn more about the CIA: The CIA at Copia: CIA Restaurants: CIA Food Enthusiasts programs: Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts.

More information at Stefano Callegari, a former pizzaiolo, has turned one bright idea into a small chain of fast-food shops with locations in Rome, Florence, and now New York. Working with pizza dough, Chef Callegari has devised a clever new sandwich format that’s ideal for juicy fillings. He calls his sandwiches trapizzini, and they have taken Italy by storm. We talk to this pizza innovator about his now-famous trapizzini and his chain of Trapizzino restaurants.