hether drawing on specialties from their homelands or giving a nod to local signature
dishes, chefs are using pizza as a platform to show off ethnic influences and
distinct flavors.
“We try everything on a pizza,” says Rob Perez, owner/operator of Saul Good
Restaurant & Pub in Lexington, Ky. “We’ve tried breakfast, with an egg on the
pizza, and we’ve tried a caprese salad pizza, which was really good. We’ve also made dessert
pizzas with dark chocolate and strawberries. Pizza crust is really a great medium for all kinds
of foods, whether savory or sweet.”
According to Jeff Mahin, executive chef/owner of Stella Rossa Pizza Bar in Santa Monica,
Calif., “Pizza is such a remarkable food. Block by block, it changes. Some people like deep-
dish Chicago pizza, and some like thinner pizza. Pizza is unique. It’s on its own plate, but the
plate is edible. But, it has to be really good.”
W
Originally from Bologna, Italy,
Massimiliano Campagnini, executive
chef of Volare in Chicago, has been in
the U.S for 12 years. After renovation,
the restaurant has reopened with a
new menu, including four authentic
Italian pizzas.
AUTHENTIC ITALIAN
INSPIRED BY OTHER CULTURES
At Saul Good, diners are taken on a culinary world tour, as the menu offers a broad range
of flavors based on the theme of traveling the world. Pizzas are offered in eight regional and
international flavors, including Parisian, Thai, Mexican and Argentinean.
“We travel each year as a team,” says Perez. “We’ve gone to Chicago, Nashville and New
York. We’ve visited up to 11 restaurants in one day. The inspiration for our pizzas comes from
our own travels and team research trips.”
“These are the four most popular
pizzas in Italy,” Campagnini says.
“The pizzas have an authentic thin
Italian crust. We are using a yeast
starter for the dough that we created
a long time ago when we knew we
would add pizzas to the menu. The
starter makes the proofing better,
because the dough is properly proofed
and will cook all the way through in
the oven. This is the authentic Italian
way to prepare the crust.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Opposite, Karen Powell; left, Stella Rossa Pizza Bar
The Parisian pizza, featuring honey Dijon sauce,
ham, Granny Smith apples,
Brie cheese and a drizzle
of honey, was inspired by a
team trip to Chicago. “We
had Brie on something and
thought, let’s turn this into a
pizza,” Perez says.
Perez wanted an Asian
pizza on the menu, as well.
“One of my favorite flavors
is Thai. Our Thai pizza has
shredded raw carrot, bean
sprouts and an authentic Mae
Ploy sauce, which is a unique
palate cleanser. The base is
chicken, and we put the carrot,
sprouts and cilantro on at the
end after baking the pizza.”
Perez’ father is from Mexico,
which inspired the Mexican
pizza of refried beans, seasoned
beef, salsa, corn, green onions,
sour cream, jalapeño rings,
cilantro, and cheddar and Jack
cheeses. The Argentinean pizza
Volare’s authentic Italian pizzas are:
Bianca al prosciutto: extra virgin olive
oil, ricotta, prosciutto and olive oil
tomatoes (no tomato sauce), topped
with arugula salad.
Margherita: San Marzano tomato
base with fresh mozzarella, basil
and extra virgin olive oil.
Neapolitan: tomato sauce and
anchovies (no cheese)
Quattro stagioni: San Marzano tomato
base, sausage, ham, artichokes, black
olives, mozzarella, red pepper flakes
and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
“The Margherita is
the most popular of
all pizzas in Italy.”
—MASSIMILIANO CAMPAGNINI
OPPOSITE: Pizzas at Saul Good Restaurant
& Pub, including this barbecue chicken, have
a thin, hand-tossed crust made with beer.
