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

From Gary Bimonte, Frank Pepe’s grandson, we are pleased to share the real history of Fank Pepe’s:

 

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

 

is one of the oldest and best-known pizzerias in the United States. Known locally as Pepe’s, is has its Original Location in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, CT, as well as stores in Fairfield, Manchester and Danbury CT, Yonkers, NY., and Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria was founded in 1925 by Frank Pepe (b. April 15, 1893 d. September 6, 1969). Born in the town of Maiori, on the Amalfi coast, southwest of Naples, Frank Pepe was the quintessential Italian immigrant. Poor and illiterate, he immigrated to the United States in 1909 at age 16 with little more than his health and a strong work ethic. His first job was at a New Haven, CT factory until he returned to fight for his native Italy in World War 1 a few years later.

He married Filomena Volpi, also from Maiori, in 1919. As newly-weds they returned to New Haven, CT in 1920 to begin building their new lives together.

Frank Pepe took a job at a local Wooster Street macaroni manufacturer, Genneroso Muro (the current location of Libby’s Italian Pastry). He then worked for Tony Apicella at his bread bakery, also on Wooster St.

He made his first entrepreneurial move by establishing his own bakery at 163 Wooster Street — in business today as Frank Pepe’s the Spot – baking his bread and delivering to the local community with a cart. Since he had difficulty documenting, because of his illiteracy, to whom he delivered and to the quantity, he soon abandoned his efforts of delivery. Instead, he made the fortuitous decision to start a business where his customers would come to him.

In 1925, with his wife Filomena, who was a pivotal influence on his success (she was literate and learned to speak and write English), they started making a simple and humble product from their homeland, pizza — or as they would say in their Neapolitan dialect, “apizza” (ah-beets). They baked their pizzas offering two types, tomatoes with grated cheese, garlic, oregano and olive oil and the other with anchovy. The Original Tomato Pie is still offered today and anchovy is still available as a topping. Mozzarella and additional ingredients were to follow.

In the formative years 1925 — 1937, he employed a small crew of relatives that included his half brother Alessio Pepe and his son Mac, cousin Tommy Sicignano, nephews Salvatore and Tony Consiglio. Incidentally, Salvatore Consiglio, after learning pizza baking from his uncle Frank, eventually made the decision to establish his own pizzeria on Wooster Street, the well known Sally’s Apizza.

In 1937, Frank Pepe bought the building next door at 157 Wooster Street, and moved his pizzeria to what is historically understood to be the main (although not the original) location. The original location continued as a pizzeria, called The Spot and operated by the Boccamiello family.

Like many business owners of the day, Frank Pepe lived above the pizzeria with his family that now included his daughters Elizabeth and Serafina. Everyone worked downstairs in the pizzeria. Frank Pepe became know as “Old Reliable” for his contributions to community and unwavering love for his growing family.

In the late 1970s, Elizabeth and Serafina, purchased the original bakery (163 Wooster St.) from the Boccamiello’s and re-opened Frank Pepe’s the Spot as an annex to the main building.

Pepe’s reputation as one the country’s premier pizzeria spread through word of mouth. In the early 1990s, Elizabeth and Serafina retired and the business passed to their children – Anthony, Francis, Lisa, Bernadette, Genevieve, Jennifer and Gary — who still operate the business today and have overseen its expansion.

Frank Pepe originated the New Haven-style thin crust pizza which he baked in bread ovens fired by coke. Coke is a byproduct of coal and it was used extensively until the late 1960′s when it became unavailable and hence coal was then put into use to fire the oven.

Pepe’s signature pizza, the White Clam Pizza, was most likely an organic inspiration by Frank Pepe; an idea born from the fact that Pepe’s also served raw little neck clams from Rhode Island, on the half shell, as an appetizer. This development occurred around the mid 1960′s and gradually became popular through the past 40 years. Contrary to what many have heard, Frank Pepe did not have an allergy to cheese and tomatoes and the white clam pizza’s evolution should not be attributed to this false malady.

A lot has happened since Frank Pepe starting baking “ah-beets” 85 years ago. Pizza has gone from an obscure ethnic dish to become a mainstay of the American dining scene. But what hasn’t changed at Pepe’s is the family’s commitment to the tradition of food quality and commitment to the community at large that Frank Pepe envisioned in 1925.

For more info about Pepe’s Visit Pizza Therapy Pepe’s Page

Comments from Pepe’s Pizza Lovers

Pizza is a universal food. Originally confined to Italian neighborhoods, pizza has now become mainstream. Travel anywhere in the world and you will be able to find some type of pizza..

As noted bread baker Peter Reinhart explained to me: “Pizza is the perfect flavor delivery system.” Pizza is the ultimate comfort food.

With a little practice, you can easily make your own delicious home made pizza.

Here are four reasons why you should make your own pizza.

1) Making pizza is easy. With the basic tools found in any kitchen, you will be able to make pizza dough. All pizza dough follows the same basic pattern. Mix flour with yeast, water and salt. Some pizza dough recipes call for oil, however this may be omitted. (I use olive oil in my recipe, but this is a matter of preference.) There are many wonderful pizza dough recipes available to you. You need to find one that you like and will satisfy your own taste.

2) Making pizza is healthy. Since you are making your own pizza, you have total control over the ingredients used. I encourage you to use the freshest ingredients available. The old standards, pepperoni, sausage, tomato sauce, and various cheeses make excellent toppings for pizza. There are many vegetables that can be used for pizza as well including fresh garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, onions, mushrooms and zucchini. Fresh seafood such as shrimp and clams can also compliment your pizza. Experiment. You will create new taste sensations. You are only limited to your imagination when deciding what to put on your pizza.

3) You will save lots of money. You will be amazed at how economical it is to make your own pizza. The actual price of putting together a quality pizza at home is much cheaper than buying pizza at a pizzeria. One way to save money is by purchasing ingredients on sale. You can multiply your savings by obtaining items in bulk at a food discount warehouse. For example some items like mozzarella cheese can be purchased in bulk. Use what you need, and freeze the rest to be used the next time you make pizza. The savings of buying your pizza ingredients in bulk is substantial.

4) Making pizza is fun. Pizza can be a wonderful group activity. When you make pizza, you can get everyone around you involved in some part of the process. Pizza is also an enjoyable family activity. All kids love making pizza. Pizza is a fun activity which can be enjoyed not only by families but by singles as well. When you make pizza, you make magic happen.

Still not convinced you can make your own pizza? Here are some steps you can take to painlessly, create your own pizza. Start with a frozen pizza shell purchased at a supermarket. This is a good way to begin to learn how to make your own pizza. You are in complete control of what toppings you will use.

The next step is to purchase fresh pizza dough from a bakery or pizzeria. This will give you good experience in working with dough and shaping your pizza. Making pizza like this will allow you invaluable experience.

Finally, you can try making your own dough from scratch. Making dough may seem difficult at first, but will get easier and easier over time. You can find a link box to get a free copy of my pizza dough at the end of this article.

Without much effort, you will be making healthy pizza, saving money and having a lot of fun. The hardest part of making pizza is the clean-up.

Listen to an audio of this article, here:

Learn to make your own homemade pizza and dough at Pizza Therapy, click here, now!

Rosario Cacciatore knows pizza. He first started to make pizza while he was the dishwasher at the Recovery Room, in New London. FYI: the Recovery Room makes some of the best pizza in Southeastern Connecticut.

Now, Rosario has opened his own pizzeria in nearby, Westerly, Rhode Island. Known simply as the Pizza Place, he continues to make great pizza.

Now The Pizza place is making the best pizza in Rhode Island.

For me one of the most interesting things he states is about making pizza. He does explain that you need to use only the finest ingredients. You need very fresh high qulaity ingredients.

But then he goes on to explain that unless you have a love for pizza, it just does not turn out right.

Visit the Pizza Place and let us know what you think.

The Pizza Place
43 Broad Street,
Westerly, RI 02891
(401) 348-1803 or Toll Free 1-877-596-7739

Here is something you may find useful, if you are in the Pizza Business or considering the pizza business. Profits in the Pie: Effective Marketing Tactics to Seize YOUR Slice of the $38.1 Billion Pizza Pie

John Arena explains the Vision of Pizza embraced by Metro Pizza in Las Vegas. Jon explains everyone has thier own vision of great pizza. Whether you are from Brooklyn or New Haven. New Jersey or Chicago. Seattle or San Francisco, everyone has their own idea of the perfect pizza.

Metro has a great concept for out of town pizza fans. If you go to Metro with a picture in front of you favorite pizzeria, you will recieve $25.00 worth of food. Metro pizza wants to recgnize and celebrate great pizza the world over.

John and his cousin Sam came from New York to begin their pizza adventure.

In the following presetation John, explains his vision of pizza.

John’s pizzeria philosophy:

“…We believe that a true Pizzeria should be a gathering place for family and friends to relax, share great food and enjoy each other’s company. We have visited hundreds of Pizzerias across the country, learning and gathering recipes to bring our guests a taste of home, wherever home might be….”

Metro Pizza( 5 Locations including:)
1395 East Tropicana Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada
Tropicana & Maryland Parkway
(702) 736-1955

John teaches a pizza class at UNLV. Here is the course outline:

Week 1: History of Pizza

A discussion of the evolution of pizza and related flatbreads from the ancient Greeks to the kitchens of celebrity chefs. We will discuss how historical events and migration have shaped pizza, where we started, where we are now, and where we may be headed. Class will be divided into three teams for final project.

Week 2: Napoli

Napoli is the birthplace of pizza as we know it. Discussion and hands-on demonstration of pizza as it is prepared in Naples. We will examine the approved standards of the VPN Italy’s governing body of pizza.
Week 3: Pizza Comes to the New World

An examination of pizza as it was prepared in New York’s Little Italy in the early 1900’s and how and why it has changed over time. Demonstration and practice of proper hand-crafting techniques.

Week 4: Dough Production

It all starts here. Basics of crust formulation. We will examine selection of ingredients, proper mixing and fermentation, and variations that will change flavor profiles and texture.

Week 5: Basics of Sauce, Cheese and SpicesWe will sample and compare ingredients and learn to prepare a base pizza sauce. This class will also examine regional preferences and variations of the basic ingredients.

Week 6: In the Thick of It

Chicago Style Deep Dish, Foccacia, Stuffed Pizza and Calzones. We will examine the origins and elements of these pizza variations including hands-on practice of basic techniques.

Week 7: Pizza in the 21st Century

An examination of multi-cultural influences and current trends in the pizza world including sample and discussion of pizzas with nontraditional toppings.

Week 8: Presentation of Final Projects

Each team will have 15 minutes to prepare the team’s Pizza Creation including a spoken explanation of the inspiration and rationale behind its development. Final written examination.

Here is the textbook for the course:

Everybody Loves Pizza: The Deep Dish on America’s Favorite Food