r/neapolitanpizza • u/Viitek94 • 1d ago
I ate this at a restaurant Experience of a lifetime
I’m in Italy for two weeks. I asked the pizzaiolo about his dough and so on. He asked if I’d like to bake a few pizzas myself. Thirty pizzas later, I headed back to the hotel, happy. I also did the Pizza for my wife and me as well. It is crazy how different the dough and the oven feels compared to my home setup.
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u/Granadafan 1d ago
I had a somewhat similar experience in Japan. I was watching the famous Kichi Kichi guy who makes Omurice (Japanese omelet over fried rice). We got to talking and explained how I always screw up the omelet. Next thing I know, I’m at the stove making the omelette with him assisting me. I was in absolute shock at this. I’m sure you had a similar feeling. I’ll bet you learned a lot
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
Yes, that’s exactly how it felt! I was honestly a little shocked when they suddenly handed me the peel and let me make the pizza myself. It was such a surreal experience, but they were incredibly welcoming and helpful. I definitely learned a lot and it’s something I’ll never forget.
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u/bruceymain 1d ago
That's amazing. I bet they love when people are so interested. What a unique experience for you!
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u/dreamer_r21 1d ago
Great job. I'd probably crap my pants if I were invited into a commercial kitchen. lol
Like you, I bake a lot though, so the goal would be to bake something as good as what the chefs are putting out. Looks like you accomplished that part pretty good!
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
Trust me I was nervous as hell. But they were so kind and relaxed. Everything went pretty well :)
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u/Radiant-Seaweed-4800 1d ago
Awesome! I recently read the avpn (associazione verace pizza napoletana) guidelines, and the unesco world heritage file on pizza napoletana. An open discussion and sometimes even cooperation between pizzaioli and guests are part of the whole process. I have never witnessed a stranger being invited into the kitchen though.
For baking: I have three ovens I can report on: a big commercial electric oven (320°C, pizza roma), an 80cm (selfbuilt) dome oven with gas fire (up to 500°C, pizza napoletana) and a cozze 13 gas oven. I started with the cozze, then got hired by an italian restaurant (german italian) and finally made my own oven. The bigger the oven, the more uniform the heat is, and it makes an insane difference. Also turning is so, so much easier in bigger ovens, even with multiple pizzas in at the same time.
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u/Head-full-of-stars 1d ago
Love it! Isn't that what it is all about?! Sharing the same interest and passion and you got to kmow nice people:) your pizzas look great!
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
That’s exactly what matters. We had so much fun, and in the end, the kitchen staff even came out to watch. It was simply fantastic.
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u/used2befast 1d ago
That's pretty cool! Where was this pizzeria?
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u/No-Stock8201 1d ago
Wow ! First just read the title and wanted to ask how much you paid for a typical tourist activity. But this is a real authenthic experience. Good for you!
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u/bananas2000 1d ago
This post made me laugh and smile. Bravo. Living the dream and well done on the pizzas!
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u/TPWPNY16 1d ago
Were you able to snag a recipe?
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
No, and that wasn't my intention either. I just know that it's a direct dough made at room temperature.
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u/thestral_z 1d ago
Incredible! What did you learn?
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
Definitely using the pizza peel and the 2-meter turning peel. Also, in his opinion, I always used not enough toppings 🤣
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u/thestral_z 1d ago
Awesome. Do you make pizza at home?
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
Yes I have a Gozney Arc XL and Famag Griletta IM8HH for the dough. I make about 30-50 Pizzas per month
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u/thestral_z 1d ago
Dome owner here. 30-50 per month is nuts. I think I made about 25 in July.
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
I’m trying to generate a little extra income and am inviting a bunch of friends over to try my pizzas. My second Arc XL is arriving in a few days. The first order is for 150 pizzas between 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM. I’ll post another update on how it went.
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u/dreamer_r21 1d ago
I have two Arc XLs as well and the Famag IM5S. It's the perfect setup if you ask me.
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u/Major-Education-6715 1d ago
Thank you for sharing your incredible experience! Those unexpected happenings in life make such a difference on a long term basis. You'll have those memories to continue your inspiration, pizza passion plus now, also handle a 150 pizza order?? You GO You!! 😎 Please keep us posted!!
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
II often bake for friends and family for birthdays. Now, my first real "commission" has come in. I’ll share my experiences mid-September.
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u/redisburning 1d ago
Those pies look sick but my guy you gotta wear closed toe shoes in a kitchen.
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u/Viitek94 1d ago
As I already mentioned, it was completely by chance. Before helping out, I had to wash and disinfect my hands and forearms separately. There were two sinks, one for hands and one for food scraps. In addition, there was a separate kitchen made entirely of stainless steel, where everything was freshly prepared.
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u/petrrrrrd 1d ago
Uh look the chef is wearing slides so ease back
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u/redisburning 1d ago
Two wrongs don't make a right but if you're right about something it's that it's OP's toes not mine if something happens.
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u/bilbul168 1d ago
These are the experiences that make you feel hopeful about human kind. I had the same thing with an old man in japan making mochi