Italians take pizza seriously, we know that. But did you know that there’s actually an organization designated by the Italian government to ensure that Neapolitan pizza is held to a certain set of standards? Without the “okay” from the association, you can’t claim to be making “real” Neapolitan pizza. Wild.
On that note, I recently discovered that I live in the same city as America’s one and only representative of the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana). Chef Leo Spizzirri knows pizza and is the only dude in America that has the ability to teach Neapolitan techniques and certify others. Not only that, but he was born and bred in an Italian family here in Chicago working in and out of pizzerias throughout his entire life. What I’m getting at here – this guy knows pizza… more so then anyone I’ve ever met.
Leo is a class act and I believe, especially if you love making pizza, you should know who this guy is. I recently invited Leo to my kitchen where we tried 9 different regional American styles of pizza (and one Italian). Throughout the tasting process, we’ll go over pizza style characteristics and what makes each so unique. Then, of course, Leo will share his favorite with you at the end. I hope you dig this story, it was a blast to make.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrnvipV5EXc&t=105s&ab\_channel=OmnivorousAdam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrnvipV5EXc&t=105s&ab_channel=OmnivorousAdam)
by HoardingBotanist
2 Comments
*he was born and bred in an Italian family here in Chicago*
I don’t like the overly restrictive view of what pizza should be. I prefer creativity rather than strict dogma. That said, my pizza is mediocre at best, I’m much better at risotto or something with pesto.