PZ - January - February 2019 by annexbusinessmedia

CHEF OF THE YEAR Giuseppe Cortinovis of Vancouver takes top honours in Traditional

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Volume 25 Issue 1 January/February 2019

12 CHEF OF THE YEAR

Giuseppe Cortinovis, Canada’s top chef in the Traditional division, is dedicated to learning, teaching and innovating – at the speed of light!

16 THE PLANT-BASED TREND

Cauliflower pizza crusts and the rise of plant-based proteins

18 SURVEY SAYS

Results of our first Canadian Pizza National Industry Survey are in!

ONLINE

22 HIDDEN GEM

Homestyle Italian cooking meets neighbourhood pub in Amici Restaurant of Cambridge, Ont.

ON THE COVER: Traditional Chef of the Year Giuseppe Cortinovis shares details of his winning pizza, his plans for the future and his enthusiasm for dough experimentation. See page 12. Photo by Naomi Szeben

DEPARTMENTS 6

editor’s desk

pizza bites

the pizza chef

making dough

new products

guest column

SUSTAINABLE KITCHENS Restaurants Canada held an intimate, interactive and informative tasting experience in Toronto in January. Watch for tips from chef Charlotte Langley, who hails from Prince Edward Island, on what “sustainable” means in the kitchen, from the dish to the drink. Visit canadianpizzamag.com to learn how your pizzeria can meet the demands of this important long-term trend.

CANADIAN PIZZA EXTRAS | Mediterranean Diet tops diets in annual report; Cannabis edibles to become legal next fall; Restaurant teaches skills to those who face employment barriers … plus, the latest news and new products. canadianpizzamag.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 3

from the editor’s desk

Food guide as marketing tool anada’s Food Guide is an important tool but maybe not for the reasons you think. Health Canada just released a new guide, the first update in more than 10 years. You will notice two things right off the hop. First, the guide encourages people to eat more plant-based foods. Second, it has dropped “milk and alternatives” as a standalone food group and now includes these under protein-rich foods. It’s tempting to react to the new guide as you would to a strict teacher who wants to spoil your fun, and no doubt some Canadians will. But with so many people wanting to live healthier lives – and young families concerned about what they are feeding their kids – the restaurant industry shouldn’t ignore it. For one thing, it can help us understand our customers and anticipate trends in ingredients and eating habits. It is not just a guide to help us eat better but also a reflection of changing knowledge about health and diet and changing attitudes toward food. You’ll have noticed a couple of clues already: that demand for plant-based foods is growing, and that our beloved cheese will be loved not only for its taste but also for its protein (a message to remember in your marketing). You’ll find the guide online at foodguide.canada.ca in mobile-friendly format. It doesn’t get into numbers but is clearly worded and organized. Look through the guide, pay attention to what it is saying and think about how your menu and your business can come closer to meeting the spirit of its recommendations. Is your menu balanced? Are there small changes you can make to your menu that help customers eat sensibly? The guide lists five healthy food choices: • Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods. Choose protein foods that come from plants more often.

6 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

• Limit highly processed foods. If you choose these foods, eat them less often and in small amounts (including when eating out). • Make water your drink of choice. • Use food labels. • Be aware that food marketing can influence your choices. It outlines four healthy eating habits: Be mindful of your eating habits. Cook more often. Enjoy your food. Eat meals with others. Canada’s Food Guide is a useful tool that can help direct your long-term planning. Whether or not people follow the guide consciously, its message will trickle down and influence attitudes and habits. And it should influence your attitudes and habits as an operator. The guide encourages Canadians to “be mindful about the decision to eat out.” It emphasizes the importance of socializing with others and presents alternatives to eating out, such as being active with family and friends or organizing a games night. Why not focus on ways to make your shop a social hub: highlighting group deals or packages that you already offer, adding extra seating, running cooking demonstrations or classes, having board games handy and marketing your pizza as a treat to be shared. Zeroing in on messages like the importance of spending time with others can help direct your marketing messages and remind Canadians about the communal nature of pizza. After all, the new guide illustrates its advice with a round plate divided into sections for food groups. Maybe a food-guide-inspired pizza is in order? •

January/February 2019, Vol. 25, No. 1 Editor Colleen Cross ccross@annexbusinessmedia.com 519-428-3471 ext. 261 Advertising Sales Manager Stephanie Jewell sjewell@annexbusinessmedia.com 705-826-2254 Account Coordinator Shannon Drumm sdrumm@annexbusinessmedia.com 888-599-2228, ext. 219 Media Designer Emily Sun Circulation Manager Anita Madden amadden@annexbusinessmedia.com 416-442-5600 ext 3596 Group Publisher Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexbusinessmedia.com President & CEO Mike Fredericks Mailing Address P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40065710 Printed in Canada ISSN 1203-6838 Published five times per year (Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jul/ Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec) by Annex Business Media Circulation email: lmalicdem@annexbusinessmedia.com Tel: 416-510-5187 • Fax: 416-510-6875 or 416442-2191 Mail: 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto ON M2H 3R1 Subscription Rates Canada – 1 Year $ 26.50 (+ applicable tax) Best pricing (Can/USA/foreign) available online at www.canadianpizzamag.com Occasionally, Canadian Pizza Magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above.

Annex Privacy Officer privacy@annexbusinessmedia.com Tel: 800-668-2374 No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2019 Annex Publishing and Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianpizzamag.com

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pizzabites BRIEFLY | Mediterranean tops diets in annual report; Cannabis edibles to become legal next fall; Restaurant teaches skills to those facing employment barriers | FOR MORE pizza news, check out our website, canadianpizzamag.com

PizzaForno launches pizza vending machine in Toronto n automated pizza oven that serves customers 24-7 with pizzas made on the spot in under three minutes opened for business in December in Toronto. The PizzaForno, which launched at the corner of Bay and Cumberland streets, lets customers choose from four different pizzas on a digital screen: Chèvre-miel, BBQ Chicken, Pepperoni, and Mozzarella. Each 12-inch pizza is made fresh by hand, with an authentic Italian approach that includes romana crust, fresh, all natural, locally sourced ingredients and cream and tomato sauces, the company said in a news release. Prices range from $11 to $14 each and include HST. Additional topping options will roll out in 2019. The automated oven holds 70 12-inch pizzas with hand-stretched crusts made with Italian Caputo flour. Pizzas are freshly topped and stored in a refrigerated section. Once customers order from the 32-inch interactive screen, a robotic arm takes their selection from the refrigerated section, places it in the patented oven where it is baked, placed in a box and dispensed to the consumer. Dixie Outlet Mall in Mississauga, Ont., opened PizzaForno’s first North American retail mall location Dec. 17, 2018. In early 2019, ovens will open at 10 PenguinPickUp retail locations, as well as additional retail and office locations in the Greater Toronto Area. Other Canadian cities are expected to be announced in spring 2019. Canadians William Moyer and Les Tomlin are behind PizzaForno, which is based on technology from SAS Adial, based in Liseux, France. TFI Food Equipment Solutions of Brampton, Ont., is the exclusive distributor partner in North America for Adial.

8 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Restaurants Canada names top food trends for 2019 oot-to-stem cooking, plantbased dishes and sugar reduction were included by Restaurants Canada in its recently released list of the top food and dining trends. Like the nose-to-tail practice when cooking meat, root-to-stem cooking focuses on vegetables and making use of all the parts we’d typically remove and throw away. Chefs have found that ingredients like broccoli stalks and leaves, beet greens and asparagus stems bring tastes, textures and colours to a dish and are fully edible. Gizmos, gadgets, autonomous robots and artificially intelligent technologies will make their way into our dining experiences. Expect everything from robots delivering meals to AI providing training to ordering systems replacing waiters and cashiers.

Now that Canada has become the second country to legalize recreational use of the herb nationwide, interest in cannabis is taking the country’s hospitality industry by storm. With regulations around edibles expected in 2019, chefs may want to add this green to their menus. Ingredients like heme, innovative products like Beyond Meat and plant-based milks derived from pea protein and barley are proving to be worthy animal product replacements. We will start to see chefs substituting sugar, honey and agave on their menus for equally sweet but more nutritious alternatives such as carrot, sweet potato, golden beet, butternut squash and corn. The association will highlight these trends at the 2019 RC Show Feb. 24 to 26.

HOW OFTEN DO WE EAT PIZZA? % who consume pizza at least monthly 60

59%

Generation X

55%

40 30

Millennials

51% 51%

34% 36%

34% Source: Abacus Data national survey of 1,000 Canadians in August (in conjunction with Canadian Pizza magazine)

20 10 0

Baby boomers

43%

17% Dine in

Takeout

Frozen

pizzabites

Pizza Expo offers discount to Canadians

Dessert not just a postmeal treat: Technomic pportunities for dessert sales are growing in Canada as consumers think of dessert as more than a post-meal treat, suggests a report from research firm Technomic. This shift in thinking points the way toward more flexible, anytime dessert opportunities that will call for more portable options. “We are also seeing dessert become more of an experience as trending items such as over-the-top milkshakes and neon-coloured sweets lead the way on this front by piquing the curiosity of adventure-seeking consumers,” said Bret Yonke, manager of consumer insights at Technomic, in a news release. Highlights from the report: • Mood plays a major role in dessert consumption, with 63 per cent of consumers saying they are more likely to eat dessert when they want to treat or reward themselves • Half of dessert occasions that take place after a restaurant meal do not occur at the restaurant where the meal was eaten • Younger consumers (ages 18-34) are willing to pay $1.50 per dessert topping, compared to just $0.70 among older consumers (ages 35-plus)

rganizers of the International Pizza Expo offering a special rate for Canadian operators looking to attend the annual convention that celebrates all things pizza. It’s as easy as pizza pie. Go to PizzaExpo.com, click on the “Register to Attend” button and enter the promo code CPM150 in the box provided to receive a discount registration for $150. Pizza Expo takes place March 4-7, 2019. Organizers are expecting 8,000 buyers to at the trade show and convention designed as a place where the pizza industry can shop, network and learn. Exhibitors include suppliers of ingredients and flour, point-ofsales systems, ovens, kitchen equipment, marketing tools and many other companies providing goods and services to the industry. Our Chefs of the Year, Giuseppe Cortinovis (Traditional) and Dean Litster (Open), will compete in Traditional and Pan divisions, respectively, of the International Pizza Challenge. The show will co-locate for the first time with the International Artisan Bakery Expo.

Boston Pizza adds 10 restaurants and closes 5 in 2018 oston Pizza International opened 10 new full-service restaurants and closed five full-service restaurants in Canada in 2018. With the adjustment for these openings and closures during 2018, the Royalty Pool now includes 396 Boston Pizza restaurants, the Income Fund and Boston Pizza International in a news release. “We are very pleased with the 10 new Boston Pizza restaurants opened in 2018, including five in Western Canada, three in Eastern Canada, and two in Quebec,” said Jordan Holm, president of BPI. “Since the inception of the Fund, 242 net new Boston Pizza restaurants have been added to the Royalty Pool, growing from 154 in 2002 to 396 locations across the country today.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 9

the pizza chef

Menu trends for pizza in 2019 Diana Cline

hope you had a nice holiday season and found a way to have some time off and away from your business. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” and time off is a good way to recharge. Whether you’re the type to set firm goals for each year or not, you can always improve some area of your business, and your life. That’s not to say you need a complete overhaul – although, maybe you do – but as one of my mentors likes to say, “Little hinges swing big doors.” In this column I’ll share three of my predictions for menu trends for pizza in 2019. Hope you pick up something to swing a big door!

INTERNATIONAL FUSION PIZZAS Canadian palates are growing more sophisticated by the day. We are a multicultural society and that helps us be exposed to more styles of cooking, more spices, more flavours and more textures. While there will always be a demand for pepperoni pizza, more millennials and selfappointed foodies are ready and willing to push the boundaries on the usual. Look at international dishes for some inspiration: dishes like teriyaki fried onions and teriyaki and Kung Pao chicken add unique and delicious components to any pizza. I recently brought in kimchi from a local company, and featured it in three new specialty pizzas and a new flatbread. If you’re not familiar with kimchi, it’s Korea’s national dish. Encyclopedia Britannica calls it a spicy, fermented pickle and provides this description: “The vegetables most commonly used in its preparation are celery, cabbage, Chinese turnip,

10 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

and cucumber. The prepared vegetables We recently switched to a locally grown are sliced, highly seasoned with red pep- and milled flour for all our dough recipes. per, onion, and garlic, and fermented in People like supporting their local econobrine in large earthenware jars. Dried mies. And people like knowing their food and salted shrimp, anchovy paste, and was grown close to where they live. oysters are sometimes used as additional seasonings.” VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN PIZZAS It’s loaded with nutrients, prebiotics I’ve written extensively about the growing and probiotics, so it’s very vegan and vegetarian marhealthy. It’s also vegetarian kets for pizza. Our pizzeand boasts amazing texria’s vegan and vegetarian People like tures and flavours. It has a sales grew exponentially in knowing their natural heat to it, so if you 2018 and I expect the same want to – literally – spice food was grown for 2019. up your menu, this is a Roast those mushclose to where great addition. rooms, bring in zucchini, I had a great response to asparagus, and yes, brocthey live. two specialty pizzas made coli too! Caramelize those with kimchi. Sweet Kimchi onions! You want to wow Paradise features marinara, your regulars and attract kimchi, barbecue chicken, new vegan and vegetarian barbecue pulled pork with a splash of hot clientele to your establishment. sauce, and pineapple with an extra cheese Our society is growing, with many blend of Monterey Jack and mozzarella. new Canadians who are mostly vegetariFlatbread BBQ Chicken Kimchi fea- an. Plus, studies show the biggest growth tures olive-oil-and-herbs sauce, garlic- in this market is from meat eaters cutting and-chive havarti, barbecue chicken, strip back and looking for tasty vegetarian opbacon and fresh kimchi (meaning, it’s put tions for their favourite dishes. on cold, as a garnish). It’s also really nice It’s like adding a new revenue stream with green peppers and capicolla ham. to your business – just bringing in a few new ingredients and changing up how you LOCAL INGREDIENTS serve them on your pizza. • This trend has been growing steadily for a few years and it’s still growing strong. Ca- Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year, three-time winner of “Canada’s Best nadians are more informed than ever and Pizza Chef” at international pizza competitions, a judge want to know where the ingredients for for international pizza culinary competitions in Las Vegas, Italy and France, and a partner with Diana’s their meals come from. Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg. In addition to creating “Local” is the word of the year. A re- award-winning recipes, Diana is a consultant to other cent study in Manitoba revealed that 78 pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating per cent of Manitobans would purchase systems to run a pizzeria on autopilot, along with marketing and positioning to help operators grow their local foods if they were available where business effectively and strategically. She is available for they usually shop. Think on that fact for consulting on a limited basis. For more details, contact her at diana@dianascucinaandlounge.com your menus.

gluten research

Celiac breakthrough Research suggests a bacterial enzyme used to make sausages, cheese, bread and other processed foods may cause celiac disease BY FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS

eliac disease is an autoimmune disorder, where gluten triggers the immune system to attack the gut. It is common, lifelong and can seriously harm health – but nobody knows for sure what causes it. Now a review in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics says a common food additive could both cause and trigger these autoimmune attacks, and calls for warnings on food labels pending further tests. ENVIRONMENT CAUSES CELIAC DISEASE – BUT ONLY IN SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS Gluten-free diets have become popular despite little or no evidence of benefit for most people. But for the one in 100 with celiac disease, even a mouthful of bread can trigger an immune response that damages the small intestine, impairing nutrient absorption. Just what causes this autoimmune reaction to gluten – a protein found in wheat, rye and barley – is uncertain. Specific mutations in an important immunity-related gene called HLA-DQ seem to be necessary for developing celiac disease, with one of two HLA-DQ variants present in virtually every sufferer – but insufficient, as these variants are also present in about 30 per cent of the general population. As a result, many environmental factors have proposed to interact with genetic risk to cause celiac disease. These include infections, food and toxins, vaccination, drugs and surgery. Most recently, food additives have been suggested to contribute. Among these, microbial transglutaminase – a bacterial enzyme heavily used in the industrial processing of meat, dairy, baked and other

food products – has emerged as a likely culprit, according to the new review. HOW A FOOD BINDER COULD BE OUR UNDOING “Microbial transglutaminase can glue together proteins, so it’s used to improve food texture, palatability and shelf life,” says co-author Aaron Lerner, visiting professor at the Aesku.Kipp Institute in Germany. “This enzyme functions like the transglutaminase produced by our body, which is known to be the target of autoimmunity in celiac disease.” There is a direct positive correlation between rising use of industrial enzymes in bakery products and rising incidence of celiac disease in the last four decades, according to Lerner and co-author Matthias Torsten of the Aesku.KIPP Institute, Germany. But if transglutaminase is produced normally in our tissues – and by our own gut microbes – what difference should a little more in our diet make? WHAT LINKS GLUTEN, TRANSGLUTAMINASE, HLA-DQ GENES AND AUTOIMMUNITY? Gluten is tough to break down completely, which can help baked goods rise and keep their shape, but in celiac sufferers presents a problem and a possible causal link with microbial transglutaminase. “The gluten protein fragments or ‘peptides’ that remain after digestion are highly susceptible to transglutaminase, which modifies them to make a variety of new peptides,” Lerner explains. “These un usual peptides are particularly likely to resist further breakdown, and to be recognized as ‘foreign’ by HLA-DQ immune

receptors inside the gut wall – but only in those carrying the HLA-DQ variants associated with celiac disease.” HUMAN STUDIES IMPLICATE MICROBIAL TRANSGLUTAMINASE This all begs the question: if it is glutenderived proteins that stimulate immune cells in celiac disease, why does the immune response target transglutaminase? And are microbial and human transglutaminase recognized interchangeably by the immune system? Microbial transglutaminase (bound to gluten fragments) could in fact be the target of the immune response in celiac disease – and the attack on our own transglutaminase merely a case of mistaken identity. Microbial transglutaminase present in processed foods is therefore a potential environmental cause of celiac disease. IS THIS FOOD BINDER SAFE? But according to Lerner, the jury is still out. “Ultimately all we have so far are associations between microbial transglutaminase and celiac disease. To test whether this enzyme causes or triggers immune damage in celiac disease will require experimenting with exposure in animal models, intestinal cell lines or biopsies.” With no known cure for celiac disease, treatment depends on preventive measures, namely, following a gluten-free diet. “Until there is a clearer answer, we recommend transparency and vigilance with regards to labeling of foods processed using microbial transglutaminase,” he says • Read the original study: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2018.00389/full

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 11

profile

Chef of the Year: Giuseppe Cortinovis Canada’s top chef in the Traditional division is dedicated to learning, teaching and innovating – all at the speed of light! BY COLLEEN CROSS

iuseppe Cortinovis never fails to surprise me. In the past, our Traditional Chef of the Year has wowed me with his dough experimentation, amazed me with his travels around the world in search of ideas and impressed me with his capacity to learn. During a phone conversation from his home in Vancouver, he surprised me once again with the sheer number and variety of jobs and special projects he is juggling. Through the week the bright, energetic Cortinovis works for Ignite Pizzeria in Vancouver, making pizza and developing the shop’s menu. On weekends he waits tables at Mangia e Scappa (translation: Eat and Run) in Fort Langley, B.C., about 40 minutes southeast of Vancouver. He likes the change and is enthusiastic about the work. I express surprise that he has the time, energy and interest in being in the front of house – considering he has so much experience in the kitchen and an obvious passion for experimentation. “I love it!” he says with a laugh. “It’s less stressful compared to the kitchen. At the end of the day, I’m clean. I can go to the

12 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

pub and drink a beer.” Cortinovis explains: “After a day of working in the kitchen, you can get pretty dirty. Sometimes I need to have a shower to get rid of the oil, tomato and especially the smell of garlic.” Serving is another kind of stress, he adds. But the pay is good. While policies vary from restaurant to restaurant, at Cortinovis’ weekend job a server takes home 79 per cent of his tips and shares the other 21 per cent with the kitchen. People talk about the gig economy. This energetic 38-year-old is living it, with more projects and hobbies on the go than there are days in the week. EXPERIMENTATION He is a member of the APCI Canada (Professional Association of Italian Chefs of Canada), for whom he recently taught pizza-making courses at Vancouver Community College. As part of a larger goal, he is now promoting Italian food in Canada and around the world. Once a month, through the the Italian Cultural Centre of Vancouver, he instructs a class of home cooks on the finer points

Giuseppe Cortinovis, pizza chef at Ignite Pizzeria in Vancouver, proudly displays his Chef of the Year award.

THE QUEEN

(A TWIST ON THE MARGHERITA) By Giuseppe Cortinovis DOUGH • 80 % 0 flour • 18 % semolina • 2% wheat germ • 75% hydration • 48 hours of maturation at a controlled temperature TOPPINGS • San Marzano tomato sauce (DOP) • Buffalo cheese (DOP) • Grated pecorino cheese • Micro basil • Drizzle of olive oil (DOP) from Monti Iblei (Hyblaean Mountains in southeastern Sicily) • Touch of Maldon salt on finished pizza

of pizza making, including baking using biga. Cortinovis is a big believer in the biga, a type of pre-fermentation used in Italian baking that is thought to add complexity to a bread’s flavour and create a light, airy texture. In March he will collaborate on a course at the ITHQ (Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec) with the School of Italian Pizza to teach these and other skills to restaurant operators and those looking to get into the business. “I’m still working on hydration – trying to make my dough more hydrated,” he says. “This gives it a better structure, it rises better.” While a Roman dough typically takes 12 minutes to bake, the crust he is working on now takes only a couple of minutes, he says. It is made using semolina, is cooked on a stone and is thinner than a Roman pizza crust. “When you start experimenting in dough, it’s never-ending!” he says excitedly. THE FUTURE Nearest and dearest to his heart are plans for his own business – a pizza shop, bakery and café he hopes to get off the ground with his girlfriend and business partner,

Mizuho Furukawa. “We are still on the design phase,” he says. They are considering locating in a 2,000-square-foot heritage building. “It takes a lot of electricity to run the equipment, including coolers,” he says. They are thinking about having candlelight service, partly because the electrical capacity is limited and partly for the ambiance. “We will have a meeting with an architect soon to see if the location that we have in mind can work for our business model,” he says. He and Furukawa have been to Italy and London, England, to learn about new pizza trends. They will soon travel to Japan to complete their menu ideas and explore new baking technology. “The menu will contain three different innovative styles of pizza,” he says. “One of them will be traditional with a twist on the hydration level and proofing and maturation methods; the second one will be deep-dish from Roman tradition.” The third one he is keeping under wraps. They hope to open a year from now. Furukawa, who focuses on the management side of the business, came with

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 13

profile Cortinovis to the Canadian Pizza Summit in Toronto in October, where the competitive pizza maker earned the title of Chef of the Year – Traditional. Afterwards the two went to Europe to research trends in preparation for their restaurant venture, stopping in his hometown of San Pellegrino Terme, Italy – a resort community in the Lombardy region known for its namesake mineral water – to visit his parents’ bakery. The bakery, Sapore di pane, is thriving, he says, adding that his sister is using social media effectively to help draw in customers. This is allowing the family to shift its focus from supplying retail stores to selling their bread in house only. SCHOOL OF LIFE Cortinovis has an impressive store of experience, much of which was gained on the job. He spent his teen years working in restaurants as a server and pizza maker. Cortinovis’ mother opened Sapore di pane when she was 50 in 1999 in partnership with his uncle. Cortinovis helped in the business from Day 1, making pizzas to help pay his way through university where he studied engineering. When his uncle left the business, Cortinovis worked at the bakery full time for several years. On a quest for adventure, he found himself in Fort Douglas, Australia, where he and a partner opened a restaurant called Trattoria Eataliana and a bakery (Anna’s Rolling Pin). His next stop was London, England, where he got into a jam – literally – creating and selling innovative flavours of the sweet concoction as The Covent Garden Jam Company. After immigrating to Vancouver, he worked as a pizza chef at Bella Gelateria, a café; Glowbal, an upscale steakhouse; and Nightingale, a restaurant owned by Hawksworth Group. Cortinovis has more credentials under his belt, among them a professional course in traditional pizza at ITHQ in Montreal and a Roman pan pizza course with respected chef Massimo Bosco in Sardinia. He is well trained after working in many restaurants. But he is a believer in learning by doing – and by travelling. This love of lifelong learning is celebrated on a website he built to begin consulting: giuseppecortinovis.com. ‘THE QUEEN’ Cortinovis’ winning pizza, “The Queen,” is a twist on the traditional Margherita. He happily recalls the day it earned him top honours: “I was quite calm and I remember when I checked the pizza that day, I was quite happy. You know, sometimes you bake the pizza and you think it’s good or it’s not cooked or it’s overcooked? That time I took it out of the oven and it was just how it’s supposed to be,” the veteran competitor says. He used a round screen to help prevent the crust from burning, which he says is a common concern in competitions, where the oven temperatures are variable and must accommodate a lot of competitors. His pizza was double-baked. First, he baked it with San Marzano tomatoes and pecorino romano cheese to about 80 per cent doneness. He then took it out, added buffalo mozzarella and cooked it another 20 per cent. After baking the buffalo mozzarella so that it didn’t melt too much and retained some texture, he added extra-virgin olive oil. The final touches are Maldon salt

14 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

At the Chef of the Year competition in October, Giuseppe Cortinovis arranges micro basil on this pizza, “The Queen,” to symbolize the evolution of the Margherita pizza as his business partner, Mizuho Furakawa, snaps a photo.

and basil. The basil is specially arranged as a metaphor for the evolution of the Margherita. He explains: “I put the micro basil close to the edge, then I put the big basil in the centre. By doing this, I would like to show the life of the basil from when it’s small to when it’s fully grown in the centre. The leaves get bigger and bigger and bigger until you get a big leaf in the centre. The idea is to show how the basil grows and how the Margherita [changed from] when it was created to now.” He enjoys putting a twist on tradition. “I wanted to make the Margherita as if it was invented today. Today we have micro basil, we have this amazing buffalo (mozzarella) with low moisture content that you can put on the pizza. I can use Maldon salt and pecorino to season the tomato. I think that’s how the Margherita would be if it was invented today,” he says. PIZZA EVENTS: ‘A MASSIVE CHEAT OF INFORMATION’ In addition to two stints as runnerup to the Chef of the Year in Canada, Cortinovis has competed at the International Pizza Challenge at Expo, placing second in the International division of the

Traditional competition. A highlight in Europe was placing fourth vegan pizza are going up by the day. The pizzeria used to make at the Giropizza d’Europa at Sigep, an exhibition in Rimini, Italy, one vegan pizza; now they make four. A pizza he has been working on lately features jackfruit, edamame and cashew ricotta. “We in 2015. I ask what drives him to come out to the Canadian Pizza Sum- realized the vegan market is growing,” he says. Cortinovis hints at a few other projects in the mit and Pizza Expo to compete again and again. works that it’s too early to talk about. By the end “I want to learn. It’s a good way to learn for free,” he says without hesitation. “I can go there, I can “When you start of our conversation, my head is spinning. But it is inspiring listening to him spin his plans. watch the other people, have fun, do what other experimenting What does the soft-spoken but gregarious chef people are doing and maybe get ideas. That’s the do when he’s not working? It might not be a surmain reason.” in dough, it’s prise that, with a need for speed, he loves to ride “Sometimes I like to go into a new restaurant never-ending!” his Italian motorcycle, an Aprilia Shiver 750 CC. and see what they do,” he says, adding that having But it might be a surprise to learn that he also many restaurant owners in the same spot all doing –Giuseppe writes: he’s written three books about his adventheir thing inspires him. Cortinovis tures – called IABC (Italy, Australia, Britain, Cana“That’s even better,” he explains. To see 40 da – he’s still working on the book about Canada). restaurants would take him a long time. “They are Full of fun wordplay, every chapter starts by dedoing the pizza they probably think is the best on scribing something he has learned. Cortinovis is their menu. It’s a massive cheat of information,” translating them from Italian to English, a project he began when he says. he was off work after burning his hand. “It was meant to be, my body telling me to slow down,” he says philosophically. FOOD TRENDS That may be the closest this forward-looking, constantly movAs for where the pizza industry is going, he points to the trend of people ordering from home or picking up and eating at home. He ing entrepreneur comes to resting. But he clearly enjoys living life also has noticed more interest in vegan dishes. He was surprised at warp speed and finds joy in whatever he’s doing. The Canadian pizza scene is richer for it. • to learn from serving staff at Ignite Pizzeria that requests for

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 15 2019-01-18 10:05 AM

feature

Tapping into the plant-based trend Cauliflower pizza crusts and the rise of plant-based proteins BY MICHELLE BRISEBOIS

auliflower is the biggest thing to happen to pizza crusts since flour. Its bland flavour, colour and texture actually help position cauliflower to function as a chameleon in a recipe, shape-shifting to whatever taste profile is needed. The trend towards replacing animal-based with plant-based ingredients in recipes appears to be here to stay. Nielsen examined 36 grocery-store categories and found that sales of packaged cauliflower products grew 71 per cent in 2017. Sales growth of this magnitude is remarkable. To tap into the trend of plant-based ingredients we need to understand why it’s happening, who’s seeking foods with plant-based ingredients and how to make it work effectively for your operation. WHY ARE PLANT-BASED PROTEINS A TREND? Plant-based proteins are popular ingredients because consumers are demanding foods that are healthier and better for the environment. Research by Label Insight reported that 67 per cent of Americans say healthy or socially conscious food purchases are a priority for them. Canadians are similarly aligned, with research by Mintel reporting that 63 per cent agree that food choices impact their emotional health and 84 per cent indicate that what they eat impacts their physical well-being. IS EATING A PLANT-BASED DIET A FAD OR A LONGER-TERM TREND? Environmental vegetarianism has deeper roots in popular culture than one might

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Cauliflower’s bland flavour, colour and texture actually help it function as a chameleon in a recipe.

think. The book Diet for a Small Planet was published in 1971 and to date has sold more than three million copies. It was one of the first publications to link consumption of animal proteins to an environmental impact and it recommended a diet of plant-based proteins in combinations that provided a healthy, viable substitute for animal proteins. Google reports the top vegan searches in Canada in 2017 were for mac and cheese, lasagna and pizza. One might question the notion that people want their traditional comfort foods to be plant-based, but according to one very popular restaurant chain specializing in plant-based menu items, tradition with a twist is what people crave.

COMFORT FOODS WITH A PLANT-BASED TWIST Virtuous Pie is a rapidly growing restaurant chain based in Vancouver. With four locations in Vancouver, Toronto and Portland, Ore., this 100 per cent plant-based eating establishment is attracting fans and changing the way we eat. The restaurant’s mission is to “accelerate the adoption of a plant-based diet by providing delicious, affordable, and fast plant-based food options in an inclusive environment.” “We definitely find that our customers love menu items that are traditional favourites reinvented using plant-based ingredients,” says Lia Loukas, director of

marketing and business development for Virtuous Pie. “The menu item we are most proud of is a Buffalo-style wing called ‘Stranger Wings’ made from cauliflower. People eat it and can’t believe it’s plantbased because they say it tastes so great.” The pizza crusts are plant-based but not necessarily gluten-free. Gluten-free crusts are available upon request. The pizza menu includes popular formats like Margherita and Calabrese, and Italian meatballs, skillet cookies, mac and cheese and ice cream round out the homespun offering. All menu items are plant-based, and with a fifth location set to open in Victoria in spring of 2019, Virtuous Pie is a bona fide hit with diners. While many restaurants will want to introduce one or two plant-based menu items instead of having a completely plant-based offering, the decision to offer these items is not without its operational challenges. There are several tasty meat substitutes available through food distrib-

utors and, while building a menu around these items is quite viable, the industry still encounters the typical growing pains often associated with a red-hot trend like this. “Beyond Meat is a great product but when large QSR chains decide to offer new menu items using it for their burgers, the supply chain often struggles to keep up with the demand and we see that on our end too,” Loukas says. Cauliﬂower may be a great option for pizza crusts, mac and cheese, Buffalo wings and fried rice, but it’s a costly ingredient and supply issues have occurred. California and Arizona supply 90 per cent of the North American cauliﬂower market and cold snaps combined with increased consumption have driven prices up to as much as $8 per head. EVERY PLANT-BASED PIZZA NEEDS A CHEESE TOO Every pizza lover knows that the crust and the meat toppings are only part of the

story. Cheese is the crowning glory and great strides are being made in developing plant-based alternatives for dairy products too. Dana McCauley, associate director of New Venture Creation at the University of Guelph Innovation Centre, has a frontrow seat for the development of exciting new foods. As a chef, she understands how important mouthfeel, melting point and stretch are to an ingredient such as cheese. Often nuts are used as a base for cheese substitutes, which can be problematic in terms of allergen issues. Other options are being explored as well. “There’s a group at the University of Guelph working on a soy-based goat’s cheese,” McCauley says. The culinary team at Virtuous Pie make all of their plant-based cheeses in house. Although a small wheel of plantbased cheese could retail for around $14, customers looking for these options are happy to pay the premium. Continued on page 25

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trends

Survey says . . . The results of our first Canadian Pizza National Industry Survey are in . . . check out these highlights and gain a window into what other operators are up to! BY CANADIAN PIZZA STAFF

sales for 8% of stores. No store reported highest sales in February. Pizzerias, overall, were optimistic about future sales: 73% expected sales to pick up in the next six months, while 27% did not expect a rise in sales.

anadian Pizza launched its first national survey of pizzeria operators in 2018. We wanted to understand the state of this country’s unique pizza scene, share that information with the industry and use it to help deliver useful articles and information to our readers. Here are some highlights of what we learned. OPERATORS The first Canadian Pizza National Industry Survey polled operators across the country on their business specialties, challenges and needs as operators. The majority of operators who responded (70%) identified themselves as independent owner/operator/partner,; 13% identified as chain or franchise executive/CEO/owner/partner; 9% identified as franchisee; 4% identified as independent senior manager; and 2% labelled themselves chain/franchise senior manager; 2% identified under “other” without specifying. Many of the pizzerias responding were small operations. Half reported having 1-9 staff members. About one-quarter employ 10-25 staff and just under 20% employ 25-99 staff. Just over 5% have a large staff of 99 or more. Half of the operators responding to the survey are located in Ontario, 20% are in Alberta, 9% are in Manitoba, 7% are in British Columbia, 7% in Saskatchewan. A small percentage of operators who took the poll (2%) are from each of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

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STAFFING Nearly half of pizzerias reported staffing levels had “stayed the same” over the last two years. The remaining pizzerias were equally split (at 28% each) between having increased and decreased their staff. Over the next six months, the majority of pizzerias (61%) said they will maintain current levels, 33% said they would add jobs and 6% said they would reduce the number of jobs in their businesses. Mushrooms made the top three of best-selling toppings on pizza behind pepperoni and bacon.

SALES Reports of sales were somewhat encouraging. Nearly half of pizzerias reported their same-store sales over the last 24 months had “expanded somewhat” and about 20% had “expanded significantly.” Just over 20% reported sales had “stayed the same.” On the downside, 11% reported “negative growth.” The highest sales over the last year, unsurprisingly, came in December, with 30% of operators seeing a rise over the holiday month. Also unsurprisingly, October was the second biggest month, with 18% reporting a bump during National Pizza Month. May and August each saw highest

TYPE OF PIZZERIA Many operators (41%) identified their business as “quick service (with seating for less than 12),” while 24% described their business as “quick-service (with seating for 12 or more).” One-quarter were full service and 10% described themselves as “mobile (for example, food truck).” Most (67%) offer takeout and delivery, 13% offer takeout only, 10% choose to use outside delivery services only, and 5% use a combination of direct delivery and outside services. The rest offer direct delivery only or don’t deliver at all. BUSINESS NEEDS Operators were asked to choose the top three business skills they’d like to improve. The skills operators most wanted to learn about were food costing/portioning,

leadership/management, digital marketing/social media and marketing/unique selling point. Finance/accounting, cooking/baking skills and recruiting tied to round out the top five. Many pizzerias said they are looking to invest in social media marketing, marketing and skills training/hiring over the next 12 months. They also plan to invest in a wide range of technologies, equipment and strategies, including (in order of interest): • Social media marketing • Marketing • Skills training/hiring • Staff training • Setting up website/online ordering • POS technology • Kitchen equipment • Energy efficiency • Community involvement/charities • Ovens • Higher-quality ingredients • Delivery vehicles • Store security equipment • Other (capital expenses, new/different ways to engage with neighbouring residences, capital expenses such as tables, chairs and booths) • Safety/workplace wellness

were bestsellers, in order of popularity: • Pepperoni • Bacon • Mushrooms • Ham • Extra cheese • Pineapple • Other (Tandoori chicken, chicken, salami, sweet potato) • Peppers • Sausage • Onions • Spinach Desserts and garlic bread were named as items most likely to be added to menus in the next two years. While clearly there are day-to-day challenges, Canadian pizzeria operators seem optimistic and on the lookout for any competitive edge to keep a healthy bottom line. What will the future hold for your pizzeria? • Results were collected from an independent survey conducted online from May to September 2018. We plan to update the survey every two years. For access to our full, exclusive report, email the editor, Colleen Cross, at ccross@annexbusinessmedia.com.

MENUS Aside from pizza, the most significant sources of revenue for operators are wings, salads and pasta. Here are other items making money for pizzerias: • Wings • Salads • Pasta • Sandwiches • Other (butter chicken, cold drinks, steak) • Beer • Dessert • Wine • Spirits Many pizzerias (60%) described their crust as traditional. Here’s how the other labels shake out: • Thin-crust – 12.73% • Other (Calgary Greek style, cracker crust) – 9.09% • Neapolitan – 7.27% • Deep-dish – 5.45% • Pan/Roman – 5.45% While vegan pizza has not caught on in the same way gluten-friendly/free has, the numbers suggest it figures prominently on pizzeria menus in Canada. About 37% sell vegan pizza with most of those making the pizza in house. More than half said they do not sell vegan pizza; however, at least 10% said they plan to in the next two years. If you’re looking to make decisions on which toppings (and in what quantity) to stock, here are the toppings operators found

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 19

making dough with Diane

Six ways to surprise your customers in 2019 Diane Chiasson

f you want to surprise guests and keep them coming back to your pizzeria, pay special attention to the little things that can make a big difference during their visit. Go beyond basic. Can you remember the last time a restaurant or business surprised you? A kind gesture can go a long way toward gaining customer loyalty in a competitive marketplace. Each customer should be waited on like a member of the Royal family and should expect to have a fun, stress-free experience. Here are six quick and easy ways to delight and surprise your customers in 2019. 1. Meet and sincerely welcome each customer – Train your staff to offer a sincere welcome to each guest. Did you know smiling is infectious? When your staff members smile at guests, those guests will smile back at them and that smile will lift their mood. Train staff to be on the lookout for firsttime customers and to provide them with the best possible friendly and attentive service. Always establish a friendship with each of your customers and give them the warmest welcome. 2. Use your guests’ names – There is no word we love to hear more than our own name. Learn your customers’ names and give them the opportunity to share some brief personal information with you. More than anything in the restaurant business, making a great impression starts with having personal, attentive, kind and caring staff members who make your customers’ satisfaction as a top priority. The next time a customer comes in, greet them by name and ask them how they are. You will greatly surprise them just by calling them by their first name. Take the time to listen to them, talk to

20 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

them, and then recommend some of your isfied customer into a delighted one. Your favourite pizzas. In a busy, impersonal guests will know you care if you send them world, building personal relationships personalized birthday wishes via a beaugoes a long way with people, and they will tiful birthday card. Many pizzerias have pass your information on to family and birthday incentives that invite guests by friends. offering them a complimentary birthday 3. Listen to what your customers are discount or by treating them to a small gift saying about themselves – Give your cus- card for a slice of pizza and a drink. Betomers the chance to discuss yond your great restaurant and share personal informaoperation and service, give tion with you. This is a great each guest a reason to come When a occasion to create a database back. Even something as customer shows small as a slice of pizza from the information you receive. If you asked their loyalty, a thank- can be enough to get your preference in pizza crusts or customers coming back you note is just toppings, write it down in through your door. Make your database. Show your guests feel appreciated by the way to go. customers you have taken giving them something betime to learn what is importyond the usual when they ant to them. Follow up right least expect it. away with an email address6. Send postcards – ing their unique preferences they shared You have no idea how big an impact a with you: it’s a great opportunity to build a simple postcard can make in building a strong relationship with them. relationship with your customers. People 4. Say thank you – Customer Service love getting postcards! When a customer 101 is saying thank you. Make sure you shows loyalty, a thank-you note is just the and your staff members always thank your way to go. It will transform them into a guests for spending some time at your piz- lifelong, repeat customer. To show your zeria, and tell them how much you appre- appreciation, send a simple, handwritten ciate their continued business. Words are and colourful postcard signed by a couple powerful. Let customers know you would of staff members. Use a real stamp. be more than happy to serve them again Keep it simple and let your customers on their next visit. Remember that if it know how much they mean to you. You will weren’t for your customers, you wouldn’t be surprised by the positive impact these exist. Make it real and don’t use scripts. personal touches have on your pizzeria. • 5. Send them personalized birthday greetings – If you keep a customer data- Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants base, delight your customers with little Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years by providing touches, like remembering their birthday innovative and revenue-increasing food service and retail or anniversary. These little touches can go merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu a long way. Birthdays are important days engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or that should be recognized. A surprise can chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit chiassoncontotally make anyone’s day. It can turn a sat- sultants.com

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Halo helps reduce wine waste Ever opened a nice bottle of wine but didn’t quite finish it, only to let it go to waste within a day? ZOS has created the new Halo Wine Preserver, a system designed to keep each glass tasting as good as the

Master-Bilt updates ice cream cabinets and defrost system Master-Bilt, a manufacturer and supplier of commercial refrigeration equipment, has redesigned its ice cream dipping/display merchandisers with

first. The preserver eliminates 100 per cent of the oxygen from an opened bottle of wine to preserve it for weeks to months, the company said in a press release. The Halo inserts into the bottle like a stopper. The cartridge contains a patented, non-toxic material that absorbs the oxygen in the wine bottle, stopping the oxidation process and potentially extending the life of wine for another two months. It won’t impact the taste of the wine and is safe for any food product, according to ZOS. The cartridge will last up to a dozen or so bottles, depending on use and exposure to oxygen between bottles. Store it vertically to allow the cartridge to interact with the oxygen and to prevent leaking. The kit includes a testing holder that will evaluate the cartridge after each use.

new ergonomic and visibility features. The merchandisers feature a full glass top and LED lighting to make products easy for customers to see. The refrigeration systems use R290 refrigerant and have been redesigned with efficiency in mind. A lower back rail provides improved operator ergonomics for easier dipping. The cases are available in standard, low-front-glass and low-front-curved-glass models. The company also has updated its Master Controller Reverse Cycle Defrost System (MCRCD) with a simplified interface. The MCRCD is an electronic controller for walk-in coolers and freezers designed to increase food safety, prevent product loss and provide significant savings on energy bills. The MCRCD’s patented design saves up to 27 per cent more energy than an all-mechanical system, the company said

The indicator light on top will turn bright green or red, indicating if the cartridge is still good to use or if it needs replacement. The stopper and cartridge allow diners to enjoy their wine one glass at a time and reduce wasteful spending on high-priced wines that spoil. zos.wine

in a news release. In addition, its Web2Walk-In software better connects users with remote monitoring and programming of data and set points. Master-Bilt will be displaying these and other products at the NAFEM Show in Orlando, Fla., in February. master-bilt.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 21

feature

Hidden gem Homestyle Italian cooking meets neighbourhood pub at Amici Restaurant of Cambridge, Ont. BY COLLEEN CROSS

eople looking for home-cooked Italian fare in Cambridge, Ont., can find the real deal tucked away in a plaza near the workaday industrial area of the city. Amici Restaurant, as the name suggests, was conceived as a place for friends to meet. Brothers and co-owners John and Mike Romanini came up with the idea to open a traditional Italian restaurant in July 2014 after finding nowhere in the area that seemed to offer the traditional Italian food they grew up with. They chose to locate in a plaza on Glamis Road anchored by DiPietro’s Meat and Groceries in a space where a nightclub formerly operated. They swiftly made the space their own – part Italian restaurant, part sports bar – and put all the pieces in place to open just before Christmas that same year. After four years in business, the brothers Romanini are enjoying the fruits of their labours, with both sales and staffing levels steady.

Seated in a cozy wooden booth next to the wood-fired oven, the brothers deadpan and joke with each other during our interview. But make no mistake, they are serious about good food. Growing up in a household where their mother rolled pasta dough by hand every day gave them a taste for authentic food that, at times, spoiled them for eating out. “When I grew up and started eating out, I often ordered steak at Italian places because the pasta and pizza was just not the same,” John says. The brothers hail from near Ferrara, a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Living about 50 kilometres northeast of Bologna and about 140 kilometres east of Parma, the family had easy access to local specialties, Bolognese sauce and Parma ham. Amici features the food of this region as well as Tuscany. Their pizzas, for example, have a Tuscan base, extra-thin crust and fresh ingredients. “We don’t do designer food. We do rus-

tic, authentic. We make everything from scratch,” Mike says. “If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’ll never be good at it.” The nearly 2,500-square-foot restaurant seats 75 and serves dinner from mid-afternoon to late in the evening. . At the heart of it all is a wood-fired oven that provides both physical warmth and a visual focal point, with customers – especially kids – flocking to the oven to watch John bake. The oven, their pride and joy, almost literally burst on to the scene through the floor-to-ceiling front window, which had to be removed to bring in the 3,500-pound edifice on a lift cart borrowed from DiPietro’s. The oven, shipped from Italy, has a 48-inch-diameter cooking area and cost them about $18,000. “City Hall had no concept of the oven,” Mike says, adding that, after close consultation with the operators, city officials decided to label it a wood-burning stove. Once the oven was in place, it had to

ABOVE: The mouth-watering Pizza di Parma features olive oil, roasted garlic, mozzarella, parsley, Asiago cheese and thinly sliced prosciutto topped with fresh baby arugula on a thin, crispy crust.

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undergo a complex seasoning process. According to Mike, John is the pizza master of the two. John is modest about his skills but keen to talk about what it takes to bake in the versatile oven. Learning to rotate the pizzas is the hardest part, he says. “You have to figure out when to put the wood in and when to spin the pizzas,” he says. The secret is knowing where your hot spots are, says John, who typically bakes at temperatures between 750 and 850 F. The original plan was for him to work at the front of the house. But he was needed on the pizza oven, which is the last thing to be shut down each evening. Mike, who has extensive professional cooking experience in Europe, is in charge of the kitchen and the books. John has years of experience in a limestone quarry, in construction and more recently in pizza delivery. Both have worked in construction. FINDING GOOD HELP The brothers are happy with the staffing situation. Things have been stable, they say, knocking on the wooden booth for good measure. Two full-time servers – Amanda Yetman and Jessica Gowlett – have been with the business for about three years. “It’s tough to staff a kitchen,” Mike says. They appreciate their employees and feel especially fortunate to have recently found a great worker in Alex Fauteux, who started as a chef in October. “Having Alex on board in the kitchen has cut our workload in half,” Mike says. “One person can make a big difference. It’s nice to have the prep work done going into the shift.” They believe in paying their employees well, and although Fauteux works slightly fewer hours than at his previous job, his employers know he values the skills training. “It’s a good tradeoff for him,” Mike says. “Everyone wants to do designer foods,” Mike says. “Now we have someone who knows how to work. You have to have that Teflon personality to last in the restaurant business.” FAVOURED DISHES Amici’s motto is “Fresh food made with love.” The brothers grew up with family cooking and wanted to offer that to others. They knew they’d passed a stringent test of authenticity when their mother, Egle, took food from the restaurant home to their father, Witter, without telling him it wasn’t her own homemade. He enjoyed the food and didn’t point out any differences, they said – the highest compliment they could have asked for. Other dishes they are often complimented on include osso buco, tiramisu and their mussels, which they buy at the best quality they can. Monday’s special is all-you-can-eat mussels. John’s signature dish is a grilled Caesar salad made with bacon they cure themselves. “It’s romaine lettuce brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and grilled, served with our home-cured bacon, our signature dressing and topped with fresh shaved Parmigiano Reggiano,” he says. “A lot of people don’t expect lettuce to be grilled.” In order to cater to requests for vegetarian food, they developed create-your-own menus for pizza and pasta (spaghetti, fettuccini, linguini and penne). “It’s a blank canvas,” John says. To guide customers on combinations, they came up with sev-

eral signature dishes, including seven traditional pizzas. “It’s all about educating people,” Mike says. There is such a thing as being too adventurous. They draw the line at combinations they know will not work well together. For example, John says, if you add bacon or chorizo sausage it can mask the taste of the ﬁsh. But Mike is the one known to put his foot down on weird combinations – customers know this and deliberately tease him by making unusual requests. RECREATION HUB Although the restaurant’s vibe is decidedly laid back, they keep up a hectic pace. Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest. On Friday, for example, they prep all day for that night’s crowd. Customers of all ages visit Amici, but the partners are making a special effort to appeal to those 35 to 60 years old. The restaurant is a destination for date nights, to watch sports on TV and to play in a darts league they run in co-operation with other pubs in the area. “Dart league has doubled our Mondays,” John says. Another entertainment draw is the slate of live bands they host, one every two weeks. Ultimately, though, it’s consistently good food that attracts return customers who, when picking up pizzas often peek inside the box and end up eating the pizza on the spot. Says Mike, “If I had a dime for every empty box, I’d be rich.” •

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 23

trends

Millennial mindreading Renowned marketing expert David Coletto sheds light on the mindset and preferences of millennial pizza lovers BY CANADIAN PIZZA STAFF

hile plenty of pizzeria operators are millennials themselves, many over the age of 40 have expressed puzzlement over how to effectively reach and meet the needs of millennial customers. David Coletto joined us at the Canadian Pizza Summit in October to talk about the millennial mindset and what it means for pizzerias and their marketing plans. Coletto, a self-described pizza lover, is chief executive officer of Abacus Data, a firm that does polling and research for businesses and analyzes the findings. Coletto reminded us that Canadians aged 20 to 40 now outnumber baby boomers. But the reassuring news is that they are more the same than they are different from older generations. The key difference – and the one that operators will need to remember – is that they must market, sell and communicate differently with millennials. This means being where your customers are: on social media such as Facebook and Instagram, and on web delivery platforms, Things to know about millennials: More women are getting a post-secondary education than in the past. Another change is that 42 per cent of men do most of the cooking in households. Many new households are being formed as millennials move out from their parents’ homes and take steps toward independence. Even weddings are changing. For example, these rites of passage are no longer all happening in banquet halls. Millennials love to be connected: it’s like a dopamine fix for them, he said. Consumers have more power than ever and this can amplify both the good and the bad.

24 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

and delivery. MILLENNIALS SPEAK THROUGH Coletto touched on the lighter – and ABACUS DATA PIZZA POLL The 30-something consultant, who has very Canadian – topic of pineapple on made a name for himself and his company pizza, noting 25 per cent believe it is blasin political polling, shared results of a spe- phemy to put pineapple on pizza while 28 cial poll he took of Canadian millennials per cent say it’s tough to be friends with someone who likes pineapand their pizza habits and ple on pizza. preferences in collaboration with Canadian Pizza. Pizza is BEING MILLENNIALThere is good news for growing in FRIENDLY pizzerias: 59 per cent of So how do you go about millennials say they love popularity making your business milpizza compared to 47 per and this is an lennial-friendly? Coletto cent of generation X and operators to 43 per cent of baby boomopportunity for encouraged tell the story of their food. ers. About a third of milPeople are looking for aulennials say they are eating pizzerias. thenticity, which can mean more pizza than they did different things to different last year. Pizza is growing people. in popularity and this is an “Be genuine, be original opportunity for pizzerias, and present an ‘honest interpretation’ of a Coletto said. The talk highlighted several points un- classic,” he said. In other words, you don’t have to learn pizza making in Italy in orearthed in the Abacus survey: • Millennials are adventurous and der to serve an authentic version of it. Making a connection is important. If likely to try less-common toppings you’re not online, you don’t exist to cussuch as chicken or prosciutto. • Half say they like regular crust, while tomers under 40, many of whom “Ask another 32 per cent prefer a thin crust. Google” to find nearby pizzerias. Be aware of disruption: Meal kits, for • They are more or less split on where the toppings sit on their pizza: 54 example, are popular and a source of comper cent prefer them underneath the petition. Seven per cent subscribe to meal cheese, while 45 per cent like them kits, eight per cent said they are likely to subscribe and 88 per cent are happy with on top of the cheese. • Pizzeria must-haves for millennials the kits they order. “Food unites us,” Coletto said in coninclude delivery (34 per cent), access to other foods besides pizza (18 per clusion. “It’s a social experience. People cent) and ingredients that are locally are not always in an all-fired hurry to have their food. They will wait, as long as they sourced (16 per cent). • Nice-to-haves include online order- are having a good experience.” • ing, vegan and vegetarian options,

feature PLANT-BASED TREND Continued from page 17 MILLENNIALS DRIVING THE TREND Mintel surveyed 1,876 people over the age of 18 in the U.S. who ate plant-based proteins and found that while many aged 18-34 agree that plant-based foods are more expensive than others, compared to half of consumers overall, a strong brand image helps justify the extra cost. The survey also found that nearly half confirm the importance of brand name when buying plant-based foods compared to 40 per cent of the general population. The Mintel survey’s most surprising finding was that more than half of respondents list taste as the top reason for eating a plant-based diet. Other reasons listed were health, the environment, animal protection and diet. These statistics give us important clues as to how we should market plant-based menu items. The best course of action is to approach the exercise as you would any new menu item: make it taste great, make

it operationally efficient and then promote these foods as a fabulous integrated item on your menu – not as some kind of weird anomaly from a carnival freak show. As Dana McCauley points out, “Even the term vegan is going by the wayside as these foods become more mainstream.” Also, research from Mattson, a food-consulting firm from California, found consumers prefer the term “plant-based,” which suggests great taste, to “vegan,” which has the aura of deprivation. INTRODUCING PLANT-BASED MENU ITEMS WITH EASE If you’re still on the fence about whether plant-based proteins are a fad or a trend, look at who’s driving this shift. Eating a plant-based diet is very prevalent with millennials. Gobranded.com polled more than 17,000 of their community members and found that 15 per cent of millennials follow a plant-based diet all of the time with another 16 per cent eating this way sometimes. This is about six per cent more

than the overall population. As Lia Loukas of Virtuous Pie points out, “We see kids bringing their parents into our restaurant to introduce them to this way of eating. The younger generation has so much more access to information – they’re definitely driving this shift.” Plant-based eating appears to be a trend and not a fad. With younger consumers embracing this culinary style, the future of your business is in their hands. Look for recipes that you can introduce slowly and become known for. Consider value-added formats that will let you test the waters without too much operational hassle. Integrate them into your menu and market them as plant-based, not vegan. Lastly, a little respect to mom who always told us to eat our vegetables. Apparently, kids these days are listening. • Michelle Brisebois is a marketing consultant specializing in e-commerce and digital content strategy and retail/ in-store activation. Michelle has worked in the food, pharmaceutical, financial services and wine industries. She can be reached at michelle@textrixconsulting.com.

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Annex Bookstore ..........................................................................27 Ardent Mills .....................................................................................2 Middleby Marshall...........................................................................7 Mimi Foods ...................................................................................15 Moretti Forni/Faema ......................................................................28 Pizza Summit 2019 .......................................................................21 Pizza Power Page .........................................................................25 Ricco Food Distributor ..................................................................19 Springer’s Meats ...........................................................................23 Stanislaus ................................................................................ 4 & 5 Thunderbird Food Machinery .......................................................17 Use these advertiser contact numbers to find out more about a product advertised in this issue or to place an order. This index is provided as a service. Canadian Pizza Magazine is not liable for errors or omissions.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 pizza 25

guest column

Making your pizza dreams come true Maurizio Mascioli

anting to start your own pizzeria? Fantastic! This article will discuss key elements to help guide you in your journey.

ASK YOURSELF WHY The very first question you should ask yourself is this: “Why am I interested in opening a pizzeria?” Is it to make more money? Gain financial freedom? Buy a bigger family house? Have a nicer family SUV? Be my own boss? Please understand that all those items listed above are “results” of your efforts. Your “Why” should stem from within yourself. It should be a passion to achieve something that only you can envision. Vision and passion equal your Why. Those two elements are your internal fuel source to keep you pushing and striving for success. Passion is the force to move you forward. Vision is the direction to move that passion. An excellent resource to help you find your Why is The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek. EDUCATE YOURSELF The next element to success is to educate yourself on the industry. If this business isn’t right for you, it’s better to find out sooner rather than later. Trade shows are great places to learn. Early every year in Toronto, for example, the Restaurants Canada Show provides a great place to educate yourself on the industry. Talk to food manufacturers, distributors, equipment manufacturers, designers, government agencies, furniture and decor suppliers, LCBO, etc. Try to attend all three days of the event and take a backpack to carry all the literature you will pick up. I go every year and learn something new about the industry: education never stops.

26 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

So you’ve come out of the show even more enthusiastic? Excellent! Continue the education: find yourself a school that demonstrates pizza-making skills and business development essentials specifically geared towards the pizza industry. They will become part of your inner circle of professionals.

It forces you to put your dreams to paper and weighs the probability of success. There are many resources out there to assist you with creating a business plan. Many books are available on the topic at your local chamber of commerce. Occasionally local schools and colleges offer courses on how to write a proper business plan and sometimes these courses are free of charge. Remember, every financial Pick a name institution requires a busithat identifies ness plan from those seekwith your vision: ing funding for projects.

CHOOSE YOUR BUSINESS NAME CAREFULLY Your next step is a crucial one: finding a business name. Remember, a busithis allows ness name becomes the COMMERCIAL LEASES identity of the business. When working with comfor marketing Changing the business mercial leases I suggest hirname later on in the game strategies later ing a realtor as they know disrupts the flow of growth the area best. You should on. and can undermine your also consult a legal expert credibility with customers. before signing anything. Not to mention the legal imBuilding your layout in a plications and out-of-pockcommercial space will alet costs associated with the task. When ways require a stamped drawing by an choosing a name, be unique about it. Pick engineer or architect, depending on the a name that identifies with your vision: this scope of construction. Once you have the allows for marketing strategies later on. stamped drawing, you can hire or be your During this step, seek a quality commercial own site supervisor. Only do the latter if accountant who can assist you in register- you have an extensive commercial coning your business name. struction background. PICK A LOCATION Location, location location. Identify three geographic locations where you would consider opening your new pizzeria. Location flows into the next essential element and has a profound impact on the success of your business plan. DEVELOP A BUSINESS PLAN The business plan is a time-consuming task that takes serious effort to complete.

BE INVOLVED Even if you hire a construction supervisor, be involved at every stage of the project. It’s your money, after all. • Chef Maurizio Mascioli is owner and operator of Maurizio’s Pizzeria Inc. in Parry Sound, Ont. He is a volunteer firefighter, two-time International Pizza Championship gold medal recipient and 2018 Master Chef recipient. He has received awards for outstanding customer service, entrepreneur of the year and business of the year from the Parry Sound Chamber of Commerce, and is an instructor for the School of Italian Pizza in Toronto.