Brian Spangler, Pizzaiolo from the Northwest
|
Home Peter Reinhart Chris Bianco Gary Bimonte Ed LaDou Tony Gemignani |
Brian Spangler from
Legends of Pizza
|
|
|
Excerpt from
The Legends of Pizza e-Book.
Albert: So, there is that New Haven, Connecticut connection. I was kind of wondering about that with your name.
Brian: The style of pizza that we do is more of your typical Neo-Neapolitan style pie that hails from the northeast region of the United States from Connecticut through New Jersey, a big 18 inch size pie, minimal topping, baked at extremely hot temperatures very quickly. So, it is the style of pizza that we do produce to have that apizza in our name.
|
|
So, while I was there I�d try to eat as much pizza as I could and go to places like Patsy�s and Grimaldi�s and Totonno�s and just soak in as much of those experiences and then come back and try and replicate that as being my inspiration, but at the same time putting my own little twist on it
One thing I quickly realized from going to all those classic pizzerias is that they were all good, but all different in their own particular way. Everybody had put their own little stamp on their take of the Neo-Neapolitan pizza.
Basically, our pizza experimentation lasted about three years while we were running the bakery. We thought we had finally gotten really close to the style after again many, many different versions of dough and sauce.
We finally got close and an opportunity came out in Scholls where the bakery was. There was an old building that was a deli at one time that closed up. We felt competent enough going ahead and making a move on it.
From basically about two months into us making pizza professionally for the public, things really just kind of got out of control....(Continued in Legends of Pizza Volume 2)
|
From Jon F's Review of Apizza Scholls:
Brian�s passion and dedication to making the best pizza possible came through as we talked about artisan pizza making. While Brian was pleased that more people were taking pizza seriously, and using techniques like slow fermentation to make better tasting dough and crusts, he said that some people were doing �show� artisan pizza.
By that he meant that they may use better ingredients and methods, but they weren�t mixing the dough by hand or standing in the kitchen every night like he did, and actually take charge of cooking the pies.
I have to agree with him � I visited other pizza places while in the Northwest, and while I found wood-fired ovens and excellent pies, I didn�t come across any where the main pizzaiola personally shaped and baked the pies � these pizzas were good, but whose pizzas were they? At Apizza Scholls, you know they are Brian Spangler�s pizzas.
Read the Rest of the Review at Pizza Therapy will teach you to make pizza
Hear the rest of the Legend's of Pizza story...
Legends of Pizza Volume 2 on CD
Legends of Pizza Download on MP3
Tony Gemignani Brian Spangler Ed LaDou
Legends of Pizza Volume 1 on CD
Legends of Pizza Download on MP3
Featuring interviews with: Chris Bianco Gary Bimonte Peter Reinhart
Read The Legends of Pizza e-Book.
(Contains transcripts of all interviews)
