The following interview is with Victor of Undici Taverna Rustica in New Jersey.

Victor claims to make the best pizza in New Jersey.

After listening to some of Victor’s responses, you will understand this is no idle claim.

Undici Taverna Rustica, has no equal in New Jersey or anywhere else. Their pizza is in a word: simply outstanding.

Honestly I was amazed at some of the information shared in this interview. Victor talks about his early influences of pizza, how he got into the business, his collaboration with Anthony Mangieri and more.
Albert:  Victor, thanks for taking the time to speak with me.
Do you have a memory of your first pizza? Please  describe it.

Victor: I made my first pizza as a child I was 3 or 4 years old at my father’s pizza parlor Rallo’s Pizzeria in Newark, New Jersey. They tell me it was pretty good maybe I had a knack early on.

Albert: Where did you grow up? How was the pizza?

Victor: I grew up as a child in Newark and then in My school days in Franklin Lakes New Jersey. The pizza was standard pizza parlor pizza. I ate the pizza but it never really impressed my as something delicious or gourmet.

Albert: How did you get interested in making pizza?

Victor: My dad was in the restaurant business his entire life so I was always around Italian food and pizza. My dad made a great pie in a conventional Bakers Pride oven. But he always used great ingredients his pizza’s were better than anyone else at the time.

Albert: Anthony Mangieri of Una Pizza Napoletana, is a legendary pizzaiolo. And I
believe he is from New Jersey. He is from what I understand, actually quite a purist when it comes to pizza.
You mention him as endorsing your pizza. Any endorsement from him holds a lot of weight in the World of Pizza.

How did you meet him?

Victor: I met Anthony riding bicycles; he and I share a passion for cycling. He rides more mountain bike then I do, I ride and race more on the road. But we used to ride together often. So we met on our bikes.

Albert: What is your relationship to Anthony?

Victor: He is a good fiend and my pizza mentor I believe he is the best pizza maker in America!

We made pizzas together at Undici my restaurant in Rumson New Jersey, for almost three months. We made so many pizzas together. He is a purest and that’s what I love about him.

Albert: Can you  give us an Anthony Mangieri anecdote or pizza story?

Victor: Sure as we were making pizzas I asked Anthony if the staff could eat them and he said no not until the pizzas are perfect.  About a week later we they tasted the pizza, a purest with a passion that is lost in most American kitchens.

Albert: How did you learn to make pizza? Did you struggle with anything in learning how to make great pizza?

Victor: I always knew how to make good dough, I learned that from my father but getting it all right at very high temperatures is very difficult. This is what sets the great pizzaiolas apart. They understand the balance of heat, texture of the dough, the cheese it’s a true art. So it took me quite a while to get the wood burning oven down, every day is a challenge.

Albert: I understand you make Neapolitan pizza. And your pizzeria is in New Jersey. New Jersey is famous for their tomato pies.

How is your style of pizza different or similar to the Tomato Pie?

Victor: This is a great pizza, classic Napoletana pizza, san Marzano tomato, Bufala Mozzarella, Caputo “oo” flour, fresh basil and really good extra virgin olive oil. Plus we use a three day dough so the dough has great character and life.

Albert: What makes your pizza the “best in New Jersey”?

Victor: Passion, precision and purity.  I have a deep passion for Italian history and culture, so I try every day to put on the table the closest possible thing top Pizza Vera Napoletana. If you taste my pizza and you have been to Naples you will taste, see and smell Naples in every bite. Very few people in New Jersey are doing this the authentic way.

Albert: What kind of oven do you have and why do you use it?

Victor: We use a Woodstone oven that burns only wood.

Albert: What kind of flour do you use?

Victor: Always Caputo it is the best.

Albert: Do you think water makes any difference when making pizza?

Victor: Absolutely only a master like Anthony could figure it out in California, because the water is not great there. In New Jersey the water has a perfect balance of minerrality to make great pizza. Yes it makes a difference.

Albert: Can you give the home pizza maker some pizza tips?

Victor: First buy a pizza stone, get your oven as hot as you can , use the ingredients I have described above and you can make a darn good pizza at home

Albert: Can you share a pizza recipe with us?

Victor: One of my favorites is making a traditional pizza Napoletana and when it comes out of the oven tossing some fresh garden arugula in olive oil and laying it on top of the pizza and then slicing some Prosciutto di Parma and laying a beautiful thin piece on each slice. BRAVO!!!!!

Albert: Do you make your dough the day before? Do you ferment your dough?

Victor: We start our dough with a mother on day one, some people call it a starter. On day two we add the remaining ingredients into the mother and mix the dough. We then let the dough set for 15- 30 minutes depending on the temperature of the kitchen. After it settles we ball the day and refrigerate it for use the third day. So the long and short answer is yes we ferment the dough.

Albert: Tell us a bit about your restaurant,  Undici Taverna Rustica? Do you have
a specialty house pizza?

Victor: The restaurant was built to recreate a Tuscan farmhouse, my partners the Diaco family had a major influence on the design it is absolutely a beautiful recreation. Besides pizza we make all of our own pasta homemade including ravioli and gnocchi.

Albert: How do you stay in touch with your customers?

Victor: We have a great staff that touches every customer that walks in our door. And we also monitor and use the internet and social media to touch our customers.

Tell us your website address: www.undicirestaurant.com
I love your video. You tell the whole  Undici Taverna Rustica pizza story.

Victor: I think my videos tell the whole story search Da Michele in Naples the best pizza place in the world I shot a great video from there.

Albert: Have your videos been a successful way to market  Undici Taverna Rustica?

Victor: Absolutely we have thousands of hits and views on our videos.

Albert: What is in the future for  Undici Taverna Rustica?

Victor: Undici will continue to serve the freshest seasonal interpretations of Italian cuisine in New Jersey and continue to make perfect Pizza Vera Napoletana for many years to come.

Albert: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. Pizza on Earth, to you.

And Pizza All Over:

Undici Taverna Rustica

11  West River Road
Rumson , NJ 07760

732-842-3880

www.undicirestaurant.com

Victor from Undici

And for more great New Jersey Pizza:

Discover The Best Pizza in New Jersey at Pizza Therapy

Anthony Mangieri is truly one of the Legends of Pizza.

He has true passion and puts part of himself in each pizza he creates.

Peter Reinhart first told me about Anthony:

He’s dedicated to the craft of pizza making. He makes so much pizza and so many dough balls a day. When they run out, he closes. That’s it. This is what I do. He doesn’t sell anything except pizza there and you can’t even buy…I don’t think he even sells bottled water there. He says: It’s just pizza because this is what I do.

Chris Bianco says of Anthony;

Now, with this great fervor of…you know, like for instance, I think Anthony at Una Pizza Napoletana does a great job.  He is someone who is incredibly dedicated and I respect immensely.

I think he is someone that is doing something that is really important in our industry as far as a pizzaiolo.  He’s in New York at Una Pizza Napoletana and he is doing something that is really important as far as really understanding technique and old method and kind of time honored Neapolitan recipes.

Peter Reinhart and Chris Binanco in Legends of Pizza, Volume 1

From:”Il Fatto Quotidiano”, daily italian paper:

 Stands out as one of the best pizza makers in the world, Anthony Mangieri at Una Pizza Napoletana, doing an extraordinary job with mostly local products: just open Wednesday through Saturday, no reservations, just five kinds of pizza and five different italian wines on the menu.

You can watch this incredible movie of Antony here. Lisen to his unique pizza pholosophy. He has a sense of humor but he takes his pizza very seriously. For Anthony, pizza is his life.

Anthony has moved his operation to San Fancisco:

Una Pizza Napoletana
210 11th St + Howard St   San Francisco, CA 94103

HOURS OF OPERATION
Wednesday Thru Saturday 5pm until out of dough

Website: Una Pizza Napoletana

Facebook: Una pizza

Thank you Anthony for all that you do. Pizza Therapy salutes you. And wishes you the absolute best!

You can watch another film about Anthony called Naturally Risen, here.

Anthony only uses Caputo ” 00″ Pizzeria Flour 25kg (55lb) Bag

 
You may not need a 55 pound bag of flour: Antimo Caputo 00 Pizzeria Flour (Blue) 12 Lb Repack

Bleecker Street Pizza

Here is a great pizza story.

An ex-cop opens a pizzeria that starts to get lots of buzz. He learns his craft well.

He uses fresh Parmigiano Reggiano – 1 Pound
in his sauce (OK, gravy). This is the secret to making his incredible base for his pizza. Located just 1 1/2 miles from Times Square this pizzeria is one to watch.

Doug Greenwood, explains the 28-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano is the real secret. And a wheel of 28-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano can cost about $1,000 bucks. Doug says that in order to have the name  Parmigiano Reggiano , it needs to be certified.

They serve several different types of pizza. Each one is unique, and each one is very, very good.

Having a slice of pizza here is like heaven on earth!

Bleecker Street Pizza
69 7th Avenue South
New York, N.Y.
(212) 924-4466

Next time you are in the City, you need to check them out. You can be sure I’ll be heading over there soon.

Get your own fresh Parmesan, here: Parmigiano Reggiano – 1 Pound

Or go for:

.

28-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano

To discover the Best Pizza in New York, go to Pizza Therapy

pizza on earth,

Albert Grande

The Pizza Promoter

Pizza is loved the world over. But is pizza exceptional the world over? It depends on where you look. These days, it is essentially a universal topic. There are mediocre pizzerias everywhere and there are outstanding pizzerias everywhere. So anywhere you go, you can find a pizza shop to suit your tastes. England, for instance, has several exceptional shops in various cities. To name a few, Brighton has Pizzaiola, Cambridge has Cherrybox Pizza, Trowbridge has Pasquales, London has Franco Manca and Bournemouth has Vesuvio.

Most of these have some very original and perhaps what some may call, odd
combinations. Pizzaiola`s menu is a good example of this. Their “Al Tonna” pizza includes tomato sauce, oregano, mozzarella cheese, olives, garlic and tuna. Their “Marinara” is identical to the “All Tonna” but with the addition of prawns and nchovies. However, they also implement more familiar topping combinations such as the Hawaiian with ham, mozzarella, pineapple and tomato sauce and the Pepperoni, or “Meat Feast”.

Cherrybox Pizza has a few more familiar options, although they also have equally less mainstream menu items as well. One that is particularly unique is the “Peking Duck”, topped with shredded cucumber, mozzarella cheese, shredded duck and Chinese hoi sin sauce. Another unique item is the “Moroccan”, made with a hummus base and topped with shredded lamb seasoned with cumin, raisins, mint yogurt sauce, red onions and mozzarella cheese.

While Pasquales is specially known for its excellent garlic bread, Franco Manca is known for its sourdough crust pizzas. Their menus are seasonal and their summer options and pie names, are simpler. Their most distinctive pies include the “Number 3″, with buffalo ricotta cheese, courgettes and basil with their organic specialty “Franco and Lloyd Somerset Pecorino” and the “Number 4″ with buffalo ricotta cheese, home cured Gloucester Old Spot ham and wild mushrooms.

Vesuvio distinguishes its daytime menu from its nighttime menu, with a larger variety of pizzas on the nighttime menu. Unlike the others, they serve a full menu with pasta and side dishes. They share Pizzaiola`s Marinara pie, along with a couple of others that overlap with other distinguished pizzerias. However, they offer a unique “Pizza Vulcano” with mozzarella cheese, tomato, spicy Italian sausage, olives and the option of either dried or fresh chili. The “Pizza Parma” is also unique, featuring prosciutto, wild rocket, shaved Parmesan, cherry tomatoes, olives and fresh basil. There is also the “Pizza Paesana” with tomato, onion, mushrooms and
egg.

As you can see, specialty pizzerias are not limited to Italy. You do not have to go far in the UK for unique or “standardized” delicious pizza.

Those looking to enter the pizza industry can even gather inspiration from these pizzerias, simply by viewing these recipes online, though tasting them is a finer experience. You can even search for a catering equipment supplier online.

Whether you are just a pizza enthusiast or looking to enter the business, finding delicious pizza can be a quick click away.

In my car, I have a battered copy of The Magic Of Believing
by Claude Bristol I have read this book many times and I always seem to get something new out of it. If I know I need to wait in a line, such as at a bank or food shopping, I will take the book along to read. This seems to make the line move faster.

Simply put, The Magic of Believing states, the energy of the subconscious mind can help individuals achieve any goal. If you believe it, it will happen. This book contains countless examples of the hidden power of the subconscious mind and how it can influence our lives.

Bristol speaks about two people cooking an item using the same ingredients, and the same recipe. One item turns out to be a failure while the other is a successful culinary achievement.

The successful cook, saw the finished product in their mind’s eye. This successful cook, baked their heart and soul in to the finished dish. They created a spiritual link with the food.

Making pizza, is no different. You must put your spirit into each pizza you create. The great pizzaiolos such as Gennaro Lombardi (Lombardi’s), Frank Pepe (Pepe’s) and Salvatore Consiglio (Sally’s Apizza), knew this, and made pizza for the body as well as the soul. They were masters of Spiritual Pizza.

Spiritual pizza is made when you connect with your pizza on a higher level. You put a part of yourself into each pizza.

Make all of your pizza, Spiritual Pizza. Your pizza will taste better. Your pizza will be better.

Robert writes:

In your article on spiritual pizza making you say:” Spiritual pizza is made when you connect with your
pizza on a higher level. You put a part of yourself into each pizza.
Make all of your pizza, Spiritual Pizza. Your pizza will taste better. Your pizza will be better.”

That really hit home with me, you wouldn’t believe what I put into my pizza making and it really shows in
the pizza. If I’m making a pizza for company and really want it to be its best I will turn on the oven
light and keep looking in at it to make sure it is just right, my wife laughs at me but the pizza is
always great.

I’ve spent years now trying to perfect the crust, after all it’s the crust that makes the pizza, everything else
is just toppings, right?. A couple of very important things I have learned along the way.

If you are going to experiment away from a recipe,
WRITE DOWN THE CHANGES YOU MAKE! Otherwise who can
remember what they did the next time.

I’ve found that “Hotel and Restaurant” flour seems to provide the most “Pizzeria” taste and consistency I
believe it is the extra Gluten.

More yeast and sugar (or honey) in the mix than is
usually called for seems to work well for me as far as a nice light dough that tastes great.

Let the pizza rise! at least once but even better twice and at least an hour each time, then roll it out
at least half an hour before you put a topping on it of any sort and cover it with plastic wrap so it can
rise a bit before you squash it with toppings.
5. And finally, make sure you preheat the oven and get it as hot as you can for the amount of toppings you
have on it. More toppings, less temperature so it can have a chance to cook all the way through, raw dough
is nasty. the reason for the hot oven is that the dough does an initial rise just after it
is exposed to the heat and that makes for a much better crust I think than you get with lower temps.

Yipes, and I don’t even do this for a living! but if you look in my pantry and fridge and freezer you would swear I did.

Anyway yep, pizza is a spiritual experience for me and everyone that tastes it begs me to open a pizza
parlor.

Pizza on Earth and Good Will to All!
Robert Cotterill

My Response:

Thanks so very much for sharing your great advice, Robert.

I received many wonderful comments about Spiritual Pizza. I feel to do anything worthwhile, we must put our heart and soul into it. We will then connect with a higher spiritual power.

We must realize there is a greater power that we can connect with. Thanks everyone for your wonderful positive energy.

You should check out The Magic Of Believing
This is an incredible life changing book.

Maruca's a legendary pizza on the New Jersey Shore

When you stumble upon your first Tomato Pie it’s like getting that first ripe Jersey tomato of the season! So elusive for the first few months of the growing season and then WHAM! You pick one and it’s THE ONE!

Same goes for Maruca’s Tomato Pies, or pizza, if that’s the only vernacular you use to describe this type of delicous food.

It’s a genre in pizza all it’s own, and rightfully so. You’ve heard of ‘Tomato Pie’, maybe, maybe not; certainly if you live in NJ you have.

On the other hand the Tomato Pie purveyours are a cult unto themselves as great as the Neopolitan Brick Oven cult’s are to it’s fans. Tucked away in places in the State like Trenton, Belmar, and Seaside Heights amongst others.

The fact that the places that are exclusively places that sell only Tomato Pies are few and far between is part of the allure of hunting one down. Worth seeking out is an understatement, once you’ve aquired a taste for great Tomato Pie there is only your conscience from keeping you from getting in a car and heading to one every chance you can
sneek away to one.

It’s the ‘Fight Club’ of pizzeria’s to me, elusive, but available for anyone who knows where the places are.

One thing you’ll immediately notice amongst most of the Tomato Pie shop Pizzaiolas is that they are pie purists (for the most part). They respect the ingredients as much as any other Pizzaiola worth their dough. The crust is hand formed then adorned with cheese in copious amounts, sauced with perfectly seasoned tomato sauce and slid into their oven for the bake.

When the Tomato Pie is extracted from the oven the magic begins to grasp your attention because it smells like the best pizza you’ll ever eat (it may ver,well be!). Something about the way the sauce gets cooked on top of the cheese, yet the sauce doesn’t overpower your taste buds.

Rather, the sauce enhances your pizza experience by highlighting the crisp crust underneath, and accents the cheese, which in it’s own right has pockets of crispy cheese and stretchy cheese all on the same pie!

The timid order a ‘trial slice’, unaware that they’ll soon be
wishing they had ordered a whole pie, as had happened to me.

Having been raised on a NY slice from venerable places like Joe’s on 6th Ave and pies from all of the classics like Totonno’s, Lombardi’s, Grimaldi’s, etc I can tell you that your first bite of Tomato Pie is a Pizza Altering Experience! It’s not ‘like’ a NY Slice, it’s not anywhere near a Neopolitan Slice, it’s not similiar to any pizza type you’ve ever had in my experience, it’s it’s own unique style of Pizza and rightfully so.

Maruca’s Tomato Pies
1927 Promenade
Seaside Park, NJ 08752
(732) 793-0707

Albert’s side note: Maruca’s offers franchise opportunities as well.

If you are looking for the Best Pizza in New Jersey, go to Pizza Therapy.

End of Part 1

Submitted Eugene in Sandy Hook, NJ exclusively for Pizza Therapy and Legends of Pizza Readers

Here is a story of twp brothers who have decided to travel to Italy in search of pizza perfection.

Brothers Thom and James are embarking on an epic 2000 mile “Pizza Pilgrimage” from the southernmost tip of Italy back to their home in London.

They will be tackling this journey at a top speed of 40mph in their newly acquired Piaggio Ape van (the 3 wheeled one) and therefore, Very much sticking to the back roads, they will be hunting down the best produce and techniques that go into making the ‘perfect pizza’.

They will then bring all this knowledge back to England to serve traditional Italian pizzas to the people of London.

I support this journey, This is a scared journey for pizza! What could be more spiritual than that. This is a spiritual quest….

albert grande
Hawaii Businesss Videos and Hawaii Internet Service
Discover The Best Pizza in the World

Of course my old friend Peter Reinhart went on a similar journey…
American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza

Jonathan Goldsmith is a true Legend of Pizza.

He has pizza passion. He moved to Italy to learn to create authentic Neapolitan Pizza.

The result is his very famous pizzeria, Spacca Napoli:

According the their website:

The creation of Spacca Napoli ame out of Jon Goldsmith’s profound love for Italy, a cherished place that he, partner Ginny Sykes and daughter Sarah have considered a second home for many years.

One could say the dream was always there, waiting for the right moment to be born.

From Florence to the Gargano to Naples, creating the pizzeria came naturally, bringing together Jon’s passions for cooking and hospitality and melding them with his appreciation of all things Italian. The plan began to take shape on a flight to Italy in July 2004, following a casual suggestion to Jon from a fellow traveller who was from Naples that he ought to open a pizzeria in Chicago. On that trip, Jon began to talk about the pizzeria idea to his many Italian friends in Rodi Garganico (Rodiani).

 He was encouraged to go west for “true” pizza, to Naples — said to be the birthplace of pizza. As that summer drew to a close, Jon was determined to bring the essence of the Italian markets, the street life, and the abundance of Italy right back to Chicago.

Visit Spacca Napoli:

1769 W. Sunnyside, Chicago, IL 60640

• 773.878.2420

Jonathan exclusively uses Caputo:

Antimo Caputo Superfine Farina Flour “00″ 10 count / 2.2 lb

Here is an amazing show of professional pizzaioli at the Pizza Expo.

The Pizzaioli from Italy make pizza at Pizza Expo. Watch the dough technique.

These pizza master came to make pizza. The pizza pros made pizza after pizza. Each pizza was then passed out to the crowd. The pizzas were consumed in minutes.

Amazing pizza!

Watch the incredible dough technique. See how they shape their dough.

Learn more about pizza:
How to use a pizza stone.

The Pizza Promoter

Pasta Therapy

Wooster Street in New Haven Connecticut is an Italain food paradise. You will find great Italain food, but especially great pizza. Home of Sally’s Apizza and Pepe’s, Wooster Street boasts extraordinary pizza. But these two well known pizzerias are not the only great places to have pizza on Wooster Street.

Abate’s makes great pizza on Wooster Street, also.

When you are in the shadows of two pizza heavy weights, like Pepe’s and Sally’s, you definitely try harder.

In the following interview, Louis Abate explains what makes his pizzeria special. He shares his pizza secrets. He has been on Wooster Street for over 20 years, so he is no fly by night. Louis is here for the long haul…

You can visit Abate’s yourself.

Abate Apizza and Seafood Restaurant129 Wooster St
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 776-4334

Here is one of my favorite books:

pizza