PZ - June 2017

ANCIENT GRAINS | PIZZA PIONEERS canadianpizzamag.com • June 2017

DEEP-DISH DESIRES

Canadian pizza lovers are lining up for Detroit-style and Chicago-style pies CANADIAN PIZZA SHOW OCT 16, 2017

Volume 23 Issue 3 June 2017

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12 DEEP-DISH DESIRES

Learn how Toronto-area pizzerias are meeting demand for a decadent pie chock-full of toppings

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16 PIONEERING PIZZERIAS

Let’s hear it for these venerable Canadian pizzerias that have passed the 50-year mark! Join us in celebrating their achievements and find out how they continue to thrive in their markets

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21 SEVEN GREAT GRAINS

ONLINE

Ancient grains can add new flavours and textures to your crust – and attract new customers to your pizzeria

ABOVE: Customers are driving demand for a deeper pie such as Descendant Pizza’s D-style “Homenaje” featuring fresh jalapenos, lime and pickled onions.

See page 12. Photo by Jeff Hurst – Kingston Road Creative

DEPARTMENTS 6

editor’s desk

8

pizza bites

10

the pizza chef

20

making dough

24

recipe

26

Giorgio’s corner

ANTICIPATORY CUSTOMER SERVICE Paying close attention to your customers – their behaviours, their habits – can pay off, writes customer service expert Shep Hyken. When you know them that well, you’ll be able to anticipate or predict what they will ask for next, sometimes even before they know they need to ask. Take away tips from Hyken on how to provide excellent service to your guests.

CANADIAN PIZZA EXTRAS | Pizza Nova holds charity promotion and fundraiser; Freshii food chain flouts Ontario law by not posting calories on menu boards; Online show looks to name best pizza in Regina. www.canadianpizzamag.com

JUNE 2017 pizza 3

from the editor’s desk June 2017, Vol. 23, No. 3

Mentoring payback hen thinking about how to improve your business, it’s wise to pay attention to what successful companies are doing.

U.S. restaurant chain Chipotle has had its problems in the food safety department but the company is posting better sales lately and continues to make cutting-edge moves.

Have you heard about its program to send workers to college to get a business degree?

The degree, available exclusively to Chipotle employees through Bellevue University in Nebraska, combines hands-on learning with theory to help employees advance their careers within the restaurant chain. The degree program, which is designed around employees’ schedules and can be completed in 18 months, aims to help staff learn about business operations including people development, marketing and decision-making. Students also are eligible for financial assistance and other benefits.

What an amazing, can-do program! I am not suggesting independent pizzerias have the resources to do the same, but moves like Chipotle’s can inspire us to remember the big picture.

They also can offer clues to what young people seek in a job. At the top of that wish list are training and career development opportunities. According to a 2016 Gallup poll, 87 per cent of millennials say development is important in a job.

There is one way you can support staff members in their personal and career goals that doesn’t cost a thing but your extra time and attention. It’s called mentoring, and some of you are already doing it.

Pizzeria owners, managers and supervisors can play a huge role in the lives of their employees by being their mentors. This is a win-win for employers and staff: it not only provides the training so many young workers are looking for but it also builds loyalty in your staff. In the process it can help you retain good staff and recruit more good staff

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6 pizza JUNE 2017

Managing Editor Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Editor Colleen Cross ccross@annexweb.com 519-428-3471 ext. 261

when word of your actions gets around.

It’s important to lead your team, yes, but mentoring is a little different. It involves guidance but also friendship that can be tricky to navigate for the supervisoremployee relationship. Traits of a good mentor include listening, guiding, educating, being accessible, criticizing constructively, being supportive, specific and well respected in their community.

Some of you already fill the roles of mentor and mentee. It’s not always spelled out but I witness this supportive relationship regularly when talking with pizzeria operators. One pizzeria owner told me she and her husband have a young employee they trust, value and care about deeply. They know they can rely on him to run the store when they are away and this cuts down on their stress. In turn the couple encourage him in his college work, scheduling around his study hours and even contributing to his college fund. They consider their star employee family.

Do you see great potential in one or more of your employees? Do they regularly exceed expectations? Or, just as important, is there someone who struggles and needs guidance?

Do what you can to bring them along and you could see a big payoff in employee loyalty and morale. By playing the teaching role – but listening to your student – you may even learn something yourself.

Baby boomers often are told they should meet young people halfway and not expect them to share their values. Being a mentor gives you a chance to instil those values in someone who may never have learned them – and a chance to appreciate their values. •

Publisher Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 519-429-5173 888-599-2228 ext. 239 Account Coordinator Shannon Drumm sdrumm@annexweb.com 888-599-2228, ext. 219 Media Designer Curtis Martin Circulation Manager Anita Madden amadden@annexbizmedia.com 416-442-5600 ext 3596 Group Publisher Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com COO Ted Markle tmarkle@annexweb.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 seven times per year (Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov, Dec) by Annex Business Media Circulation email: lmalicdem@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 416-442-5600 ext. 3547 • Fax: 416-510-5170 Mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Subscription Rates Canada – 1 Year $ 19.00 (+ 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@annexbizmedia.com • Tel: 800-668-2374 No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2017 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 | Pizza Nova holds charity promotion and fundraiser; Freshii food chain flouts Ontario law by not posting calories on menu boards; Online show looks to name best pizza in Regina | FOR MORE pizza news, check out our

website, www.canadianpizzamag.com

Canada proposes ban on trans fats in processed foods ealth Canada recently introduced a regulatry proposal to ban the use of partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of industrially produced trans fats.

Consuming trans fats increases a person’s risk of developing heart disease, Health Canada said in a news release. In the 1990s, Canadians had one of the highest intakes of trans fats in the world. Although we consume fewer trans fats today, more needs be done to reduce Canadians’ trans fat intake.

A notice detailing the proposed regulation has been posted online to seek comments from Canadians until June 21, 2017. Once the regulation is finalized, the prohibition would take effect one year later to provide manufacturers time to reformulate their products.

The regulation represents a significant and final step in Health Canada’s efforts to reduce trans fats in the Canadian food supply to the lowest possible level, Health Canada said in the release.

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Canada gets internal free trade agreement, but alcohol excluded estaurants Canada says the new Canada Free Trade Agreement announced on April 7 is more inclusive.

The old agreement dealt with only a few select sectors, while the new agreement includes most sectors, the association said in a news release.

Beer, wine and spirits are still excluded, which maintains the biggest internal trade barriers and significantly drives up costs for the restaurant industry, according to the association.

“We appreciate that Federal Minister Navdeep Bains acknowledges the challenges restaurants face due to provincial alcohol monopolies,” said Joyce Reynolds, Restaurants Canada’s executive vice-president of government affairs. “It makes no sense that restaurants have to pay more for a bottle of wine from a neighbouring province and have less selection, than someone purchasing it from outside the country.”

The association said it is encouraged that a provincial working group has been established to make recommendations to create a more open alcohol trade in Canada within the year.

“We hope the provinces are truly committed to putting their protectionist approaches to alcohol aside and will honour the intent of the CFTA,” Reynolds said. “At that time, restaurants will applaud this free trade agreement.”

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Demand for plant-based proteins growing eat and seafood are staples of consumers’ diets, with beef and chicken continuing to be the most frequently consumed proteins, according to recent report by research firm Technomic.

The report also suggests that although the share of consumers who eat vegetarian and vegan substitutes has remained consistent since 2014, those who eat these items are doing so more often now than they were in 2014.

“While meat is a staple of consumers’ diets, plant-based proteins will eat away at animal protein share,” says Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights at Technomic. “Innovating plantbased protein dishes with unique flavours and new types of meat alternatives like those made from jackfruit can help address consumers’ concerns around taste and help position a brand as a go-to destination for meatless dishes.”

According to the report, 27 per cent of consumers aged 18 to 34 regularly consume vegetarian substitutes, compared to 15 per cent of consumers aged 35 or older.

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Domino’s intuitive applets obey simple commands omino’s has partnered with free web-based platform IFTTT to offer a free service that allows people to add and create connections between digital devices and services using simple conditional statements called applets. The applets let diners create customized instructions for services and devices they use or own, Domino’s said in a news release.

Applets already created by the chain include one that will turn off a customer’s sprinklers or turn on their porch lights when the Domino’s Tracker says their order is out for delivery.

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pizzabites

Gluten-free food standards for food service and hospitality available to public he Canadian Celiac Association, Fondation québécoise de la maladie coeliaque and Gluten-Free Food Program Inc. have joined forces to create and promote the new industry standard for the celiac community.

The Gluten-Free Food Program Inc. (GFFPI) has launched its GF-Smart, GF-Verified and GF-Dedicated programs for the food service and hospitality industries. The program has been developed with the endorsements from the Canadian Celiac Association and Québec-based Fondation québécoise de la maladie coeliaque, the associations said in a news release. It aims to improve dining-out options for those suffering from a gluten-related medical disorder by arming restaurants and hotels with standardized professional training, management systems and best practices.

The GFFPI has developed professional standards to serve the gluten-free population, including restaurants, caterering companies, camps, hotels, convention centres, health-care and educational institutions, cafés, and fast food outlets.

“Gluten-free diners are looking for dining options that are safe,” said CCA president Anne Wraggett. “They often fear eating out due to negative past experiences and lack of consistency throughout the hospitality sector, increasing the risks of consuming gluten accidentally.

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Our members will be excited to visit and support these outlets.”

Although the term gluten-free is widely used in the food service and hospitality sector, it is often misunderstood, unpredictably executed, and thus an unreliable assurance of a safe dining experience, the release said. Until now, a national training standard has not been available. Now food handlers can learn about the importance of proper food handling and avoid accidental contamination of gluten-free food.

The Canadian Society for Nutrition Management, the national association representing Food and Nutrition Managers across Canada, has adopted GF-Smart as part of their member curriculum.

GF-Verified and GF-Dedicated standards have been created to ensure a consistent approach to internal management systems. From the purchase of ingredients, food storage, preparation, cooking, service, and delivery of gluten-free meals, GF-Verified denotes an establishment that provides regular and gluten-free meals. GF-Dedicated indicates that all meals provided within are gluten free.

Logos for the GF-Verified and GF-Dedicated programs will be displayed to indicate to the gluten-free community that an establishment has achieved the GFFP standards and has been audited by an independent auditor.

Boston Pizza lets sports teams earn rewards through new promotion asual dining restaurant chain Boston Pizza has launched Team HQ, a digital program that helps teams score free food at Boston Pizza. Available now in Ontario and Saskatchewan, it will be rolled out across Canada later this year.

“Whether talking strategy or just extending the good times, the post-game get-together is just as important as the game itself,” said James Kawalecki, marketing director for Boston Pizza International, in the release. “Through our testing and research, we found that our guests love the ability to track their food credits and compete for status with their teammates – conveniently from either their mobile device or their computer.”

In addition to earning a 10 per cent food credit on all purchases, the new digital program lets teams win badges, compete against other teams and earn credit when ordering at any Boston Pizza restaurant, once the program is rolled out nationally. Guests are eligible to earn rewards for their team on all in-restaurant and online food purchases by submitting the code at the bottom of eligible Boston Pizza receipts to their MyBP account.

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For more news updated daily, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com

JUNE 2017 pizza 9

the pizza chef

Gluten-free pizza in demand Diana Cline

he gluten-free market has been except that it would be a gluten-free pizza.

It took me a long time to develop my one of the fastest growing markets in North America. Accord- gluten-free recipe. My first thought was ing to Transparency Market Research, it’s that I didn’t have the right palate for it. I estimated to reach $4.89 billion dollars needed the same people who were requestby 2021. Approximately one in every 133 ing gluten-free to be my tasters. My recipe Canadians has celiac disease or some form is made in house from scratch, and when of gluten intolerance and less than 10 per we make it we take special care to limit the cent of these people have been officially di- exposure to wheat flour. I also polled the agnosed. According to Agriculture Canada, people making the request to see if there almost one-third of Canadians (10 million) were other allergies or dietary restrictions to consider. I discovered a majority were are looking for gluten-free products.

Many Canadians are opting to follow also allergic to dairy and some were strict gluten-free diets, after hearing about the vegans as well. Many North American gluhealthful benefits. Something else to note ten-free recipes are made with eggs and or is that the celiac and gluten-intolerant com- milk. I developed mine to be dairy-free and munity is a very close-knit group. Perhaps vegan-diet-friendly.

Even with a winning recipe, I still you’ve been considering whether there is enough demand to add it to your menu. had to figure out how to incorporate a There are many factors to look into if you’re from-scratch gluten-free pizza into a busy “wheat” pizzeria operation. I asked friends going to do it right.

Back in 2008 we were getting dozens of in Australia and Italy how they have been phone calls every week, asking if we made able to successfully offer it on their menus a gluten-free pizza. People with gluten for the past 15 years. I then developed our system using many suggesallergies and intolerances tions from these experts. were begging us to make Of course, all this had to be a gluten-free pizza they Gluten-free done while taking care not could eat. Something palatable was requested, but pizza has come to cross-contaminate the pizzas. they were really hoping for a long way in Since I developed my something tasty. Often, the catalyst for contacting me the past decade! recipe, dozens of gluten-free flour mixes and was the recent diagnosis pizza crust options have beof a young family member come available. Everything with celiac disease, which meant that pizza was no longer a meal op- from a pre-mix of gluten-free flours that lets you just add water to par-baked shells tion for the whole family.

The people requesting gluten-free pizza that come frozen and need to be thawed, from us also needed to have confidence that sauced, topped and baked.

In March of this year, I had the honour it wouldn’t make them sick. They needed to know special care in the preparation and and pleasure of judging the gluten-free cooking would be assured and that they pizza baking category in Las Vegas at the could enjoy a pizza like everybody else – International Pizza Expo. I have to say,

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The pizzaiolos competing at Expo were extremely creative, some mimicking Detroit pan-style pizzas, as did secondplace finisher Vincent Rotolo of Evil Pie in Las Vegas.

gluten-free pizza has come a long way in the past decade! The pizzaiolos were extremely creative, some mimicking Detroit pan-style pizzas, others developing their crust with a double fermentation. With the double fermentation, you could see the porosity in the crust, and – as with all pizza crusts that are given time to rise – the taste was phenomenal!

The pizzas my fellow judges and I rated highest had a blend of gluten-free flours and used different rice and bean flours and starches. In total, we tasted and evaluated 31 gluten-free pizzas that day, and the whole experience has given me renewed passion for further developing our own gluten-free pizza menu. • Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year, three-time winner of “Canada’s Best Pizza Chef” at international pizza competitions, a judge for international pizza culinary competitions in Las Vegas, Italy and France, and a partner with Diana’s Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg. In addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating systems to run a pizzeria on autopilot, along with marketing and positioning to help operators grow their business effectively and strategically. She is available for consulting on a limited basis, for more information contact her at diana@dianascucinaandlounge.com

newproducts From ovens to cheese to business technology, Canadian Pizza keeps you in the know. For more on new products for the pizza industry, check out our website, www.canadianpizzamag.com Rainbow Layer Cakebites are

If you’re looking to add a sweet side to your operation, Cookies United has come up with a pretty Italian-themed packaged cake

almond confections layered with raspberry jam and coated with chocolate. They come packed in five-pound bulk boxes, at a density of approximately 21 cakes per pound.

According to the company, the cakes remain fresh at room temperature for approximately 10 weeks but can be kept frozen

suitable for sale at your front counter.

to extend their freshness. www.ordercookies.net

Rainbow Layer Cakebites

Tamper-evident bag targets delivery concerns More and more restaurants are looking to increase sales using outside delivery services, but with that opportunity may come concerns about tampering, food safety and maintaining product

allow steam to escape.

Until the perforated line is

quality. Pan Pacific has addressed these concerns with its Seal2Go tamper-evident delivery system.

The large plastic bag has a permanent closure adhesive strip

torn off, customers will know the bag has not been opened since leaving the point of preparation.

Its wide opening allows for easy loading of pizza boxes and

with a perforated line for opening and built-in vent passages to

other food items. www.pppmi.com

Tri-Box carriers on the level Tri-Box cardboard carriers to keep multiple pizza boxes level and provide a chance to promote your business, says Sante Furio, inventor and president of Tri-Box and Press Proof Printing Cartons.

Furio introduced his patented product at the International Pizza Expo, which, he says “stops

The inventor believes the Tri-Box carrier can help with

the clumsy juggle and shuffle of transporting food boxes” by holding three boxes of the same or different sizes level.

Small to mid-size franchise businesses may purchase the carriers and receive two to three per cent off the cost of personalized

customer loyalty, strengthen community relations and provide a great advertising tool.

The carriers can be made to fit any square pizza boxes between 10 and 18 inches, as well as other types of food containers and triangle slice boxes. They

pizza cartons with no required minimum orders.

hold up to three containers. www.tri-box.net

TASTE THE

TRADITION

Manufacturers and Distributors of Italian Specialty Cheeses and Food Products

Solar-powered car top signs help reduce costs, build your brand Glodome solar-and windpowered, LED-illuminated car rooftop signs are designed to reduce energy costs by charging all day and glowing all night.

The signs, manufactured by SmartGlo, are self-powered and have no messy cords.

Sensors turn the signs on when it’s dark and verify to operators that they are lit.

The signs, which carry your store’s logo, flash on and off to alert the customer when the driver gets within 60 feet of the delivery destination.

The system has gone a step further by building in a GPS tracking system called Deliver2 that lets operators know the location of your drivers and assigns them the next delivery in real time. http://smartglo.com

gaylea.com • 1-800-268-0508 • salernodairy.com JUNE 2017 pizza 11

PZ_AprMay16_Salerno_CSA.indd 1

2016-03-22 7:32 AM

feature

Find out how Toronto-area pizzerias are meeting demand for a decadent pie chock-full of toppings

BY JULIE FITZ-GERALD

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ineups, sold-out pizza and dough reservations are sweeping deep-dish pizzerias across Toronto and the surrounding area as Canadian consumers drive demand for the decadent pie. It’s a stark change from the blistered thin-crust masterpieces of the Neapolitan craze that has dominated Canada’s pizza industry for close to a decade. It seems some customers – at least in Toronto – are looking for a change.

At Mickey’s Dragon Pizza in Mississauga, Ont., owner Sandi Stoyan allows customers to reserve their dough because many are driving long distances – close to two hours – for her deepdish pizza. “If you’re coming from far away, we say, ‘We don’t have reserved seating but we do have reserved dough’ because we sell out,” she explains. “We have to hide the [reserved] dough in the kitchen because we’ve had people hijack other people’s dough. Someone actually leaned into the fridge, looked at the name and said they were that person. I

Photo courtesy Mickey’s Dragon Pizza

Deep-dish desires at a ratio of 2:1. “It used to be that peowas floored.”

Stoyan’s 900-square-foot space is ple who lived locally didn’t know what jam-packed with dough fridges, as well deep-dish was, so they would have thin as two ovens, in an attempt to keep crust. But little by little people started hearing about our deepup with demand. Upon dish pizza and it just opening her doors seven grew.” years ago, she recalls the From intensive In Toronto’s east end, previous owner saying the dough prep two other deep-dish business was 90 per cent pizzerias with limited delivery and a two-person to extra seating are enjoying lineoperation. Today, Mickcooking time ups out the door, often ey’s employs 12 staff and selling out. Double D’s is takeout only – there’s and specialty pizza on Gerrard Street no time for delivery. If boxes, the East, owned by Mike you’re lucky, you can Yaworski, is serving up snag a seat; there are six considerations authentic Chicago-style barstools tucked under a are abundant. pizza; it’s a virtual rarity granite countertop and a in the city. Since opening couple of bistro sets that his doors in January, the bring the total seating capacity to 12. Opening at 4 p.m. Tuesday tremendous response from customers led to Sunday, the pizzeria often sells out Yaworski to quickly open a second location in the city’s west end that focuses on within three hours.

While Stoyan’s operation offers thin- takeout and delivery only. Both locations crust as well as deep-dish options, she run with a limited menu of three set says customers prefer her deep-dish pies pizzas (Chicago Classic, Jalapeno Blue

ABOVE: Sandi Stoyan of Mickey’s Dragon Pizza has custom boxes made for deep-dish pies like this Custom King. She informs customers that the pizza won’t be cut unless they’re eating it in the restaurant, to avoid any messy disasters.

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and Farmers Market) and a build-yourown option. There are no salads, no appetizers: just mouthwatering, deep-dish pizza that’s chock-full of fresh veggies, quality meats and cheese.

Drive a couple of minutes south to Queen Street East and you’ll find Descendant Detroit Style Pizza serving up rectangular-shaped pies with a light and airy focaccia-style crust and cheese that caramelizes and crisps around the edges.

Owner Chris Getchell opened the business in August 2015. “We’re the only ones – in Canada I think – that are even doing Detroit-style pizza,” he says.

With just 22 seats, the pizzeria often has a lineup and can sell out on days when surging demand is even higher than anticipated.

“Our numbers were on the increase all summer long and we never had a week even in the worst of winter that didn’t beat our summer weeks,” Getchell notes. “We keep breaking either single-day records or weekly records.

We haven’t hit our potential yet, but I think we will by the end of this summer.

I think we’ll be pretty maxed out here.”

Photo by Jeff Hurst – Kingston Road Creative

He says his Detroit-style pizza, sitting at an inch and a quarter thick, is different from Chicago-style in many ways. “I don’t even like to call it deepdish, because it’s just baked in a deeper pan. Chicago deep-dish is a thinner to medium crust that goes right up the sides and is a lot more cheesy and saucy; more of a stuffed pizza. Ours is a Sicilian pizza baked in a deeper pan. It allows the cheese to stay on the inside of the pan and caramelize to the sides – it’s the Detroit-style characteristic – so you have a crunchy, fried cheese on the edge.”

Getchell’s menu is solely focused on pizza, with a few carefully selected beer and cider options to complement the main attraction. His most popular pie is “Truff-Ghi,” topped with a mozzarella and brick cheese blend, caramelized onions, double smoked bacon and slow-roasted garlic cremini mushrooms.

“When it comes out it gets post-oven white truffle sauce, fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt, grana padano, fresh lemon zest and fresh thyme. We go lightly on everything so it’s really well balanced. We go through 150 pounds of mushrooms per week for this pizza,” Getchell says.

The time and care that go into making beautifully crafted deep-dish pizzas are extensive and possibly account for why deep-dish establishments aren’t more widespread. From intensive dough prep to extra cooking time and specialty boxes, the considerations are abundant.

“I think the biggest challenge with deepdish is that you need a dough substantial enough to hold a vegetable pizza so customers can lift it up and eat it without it collapsing all over them. But it must be gentle enough so people can eat it without it breaking their jaws,” Stoyan explains. “Our dough is made fresh every night. It has very limited yeast, is gentle on the stomach, and is worked by hand and allowed to proof very slowly.”

Getchell agrees that dough management is the most challenging aspect to a quality deep-dish pizza. “We ferment the dough for 24 hours; then we pull it out in batches and let it sit for a bit until we can easily push each dough into the corner of the pan. Then we let it rise for about an hour in the pan before putting

Descendant Pizza’s “Homenaje” features a cheese blend, fresh chorizo, fresh jalapenos, lime, pickled onions, sauce, fresh cilantro and cilantro sour cream.

them away. Then prior to service we pull out several at a time and get them proofing so they’re close to room temperature before we top them and bake them.”

Getchell’s pies are cooked in a Montague oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 525 to 550 F. Stoyan uses two ovens. First, her pies cook for about 16 minutes at 240 C in a deep-dish stone oven. Then they’re transferred to a cast-iron, rotating five-foot oven and deck that operates at 700 to 800 F. “It has three infrared burners that blast the pizza as it rotates around. It’s a different beast altogether.

The deep-dish pizzas always do victory laps in that one,” Stoyan says.

Boxing up these beauties is the final precisely planned step before customers can sink their teeth into Stoyan’s creations. She has custom boxes manufactured for her deep-dish pies and informs customers that the pizza won’t be cut unless they’re eating it in the restaurant, to avoid any messy disasters. Instructions are also given for transportation in cars (place on floor, not on seats!) and reheating for customers who have a long drive ahead of them. “I really care, and so do my staff, about what people are going to eat at the end and how they’re going to serve it. They’ll enjoy it more this way. We want people to enjoy eating and to have a good time with their family and friends. They need a happy experience.”

With surging demand for their deepdish products, both Getchell and Stoyan are planning for expansion in the near future. •

JUNE 2017 pizza 13

profile

Pioneering pizzerias These venerable Canadian pizzerias have passed the 50-year mark and continue to thrive. We celebrate their achievements!

BY COLLEEN CROSS

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t’s a rare pizzeria that has weathered the storms of the Canadian economy for more than half a century. Here we check in with three pizzerias that have celebrated 50 years in business by providing quality pizza, building their brand and changing with the times. The common threads in their success: community and family values.

GERRARD PIZZA Gerrard Pizza is a hidden gem. But don’t take our word for it.

This was the consensus of a poll by the Danforth East Community Association that awarded that title to the restaurant, which is a little off the beaten path on the Danforth in Toronto’s east end.

This is a little ironic, considering its roots reach back to – you guessed it – Gerrard Street at a more central city location where it first opened in 1966 as Gerrard Spaghetti & Pizza House. Since then, the pizzeria has remained in the Greco family.

During my visit, I was shown around the pizzeria by brotherand-sister team Vito Greco and Elenor Imbrogno. The restaurant, which comfortably seats 40, was redecorated last year with the help of DECA volunteers as part of the “Hidden Gem” neighbourhood honour. The interior is a pleasing combination of industrial chic and family atmosphere. The warm, grey walls display family photos lit by glass-jar chandelier fixtures. We look at a picture of his father, Giuseppe, who after coming to Canada from the Calabria region of Italy in 1966, worked with his brother then took over the business in 1972. We reflect on a black and white photo of their mother, Nancy, wielding a pizza peel in the early days. Our eyes rest on a 1972 menu with prices that bring a chuckle.

During their 50th birthday party in April 2016, they treated longtime customers to several items at their original 1960s prices: 12-inch cheese pizzas went for $1 and spaghetti with tomato sauce went for $1.25.

During their first decade, they served mostly pizza but also a few non-Italian food items such as burgers, omelettes and steak dinners. Over the years they have streamlined the menu to focus on pizza. A wall-engulfing menu board they put up a year and a half ago lists 64 gourmet pizzas; since then sales of pizza have “skyrocketed,” Vito says. All of these pizzas, he assures me, can be tweaked to order depending on what the customer requests.

“Ninety-five per cent of our customers are regulars,” he says, adding that some don’t need a menu but take their usual, which the family and staff know by heart.

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Vito Greco and Elenor Imbrogno pose with Elenor’s son Gianluca in front of a photo of their father Giuseppe, who has worked at Gerrard Pizza from 1966 and owned it since 1972.

It’s all hands on deck at this bustling business, which is run by Vito and Elenor with lots of help from their parents on weekends, Vito’s children – Giuseppe, 14, and Massimo, 12 – and Elenor’s children – Gianluca, 22 and Matteo, 18. “Whatever needs to be done, we just do,” Vito says.

They make everything from scratch and the slate of housemade products for sale to prove it: pasta sauces, flavoured extra virgin olive oils and “Giuseppe’s Perfect Red Wine Vinegar.” When asked to describe their crust, Elenor says it is “thinnish, golden and darker.”

They have always had dine-in and take-out options, but a couple of years ago they started doing delivery through services like Just Eat and UberEATS. It’s going well, Elenor says.

The family are big supporters of Rev It Up for SickKids, which organizes sponsored group motorcycle rides and other activities to raise funds for infant warmer beds at the city’s Hospital for Sick Children. With every sale of one of three selected signature pizzas, $1 will go to the cause, which they are excited about. “We’re really enjoying working with them,” Elenor says. “I donated to them in the past, personally, and when they asked us to participate, we didn’t even have to think about it.”

I raise the topic of online reviews. Vito takes these in stride,

choosing to focus on what he can do for the in-store customer. “I don’t put much stock in online reviews. I review our business by how many people come in the door.”

It’s clear that lots of people are coming in to this neighbourhood joint, including, on this afternoon, an eager young man who says he lives around the corner and is eager to try the family’s pizza.

With an enormous wall of gourmet pizzas to choose from and customer-focused service, it’s a good bet there will be many more through the door.

Photo courtesy Tracey Estoppey

DOMINO PIZZA HOUSE The Domino Pizza House is often the first stop for pizza lovers just off the ferry in Stephenville, N.L., a paper-mill town of nearly 7,000 people.

“People know we are open until 4 a.m. on Friday nights,” co-owner Noel Estoppey says. “When they get off the boat, they call us – because there’s always somebody in the building – and they say, ‘What time do you close? Because I’m not going home until I go to the pizzeria,’ So there’s a feeling of pride.”

That pride is well founded. Noel’s father, Claude Estoppey started the business in 1964 after he learned his work in the officer’s mess hall at the Harmon Air Force Base was coming to an end. The entrepreneur named his new business the Domino Pizza House in honour of the Domino Tearoom in Bern, Switzerland, where he worked as a young man before coming to Canada.

The shop is not to be confused with the Domino’s Pizza chain that began in 1960 near Ann Arbor, Mich., and became officially trademarked as Domino’s Pizza, Inc. in 1965.

The family was unaware of the U.S. chain until many years later when Claude travelled to Florida. The two quietly co-existed until a misunderstanding by the Yellow Pages led to the large chain suing for trademark infringement then backing down once the Estoppeys proved their restaurant’s incorporation predated the chain’s.

Already involved in the business, Noel and his sister Lorraine took over the shop from Claude in 2000, and the two, along with

Co-owner Noel Estoppey works the ovens at the Domino Pizza House in Stephenville, N.L., which was founded by his father, Claude Estoppey, a baker, in 1964.

Noel’s wife, Tracey, have run it since then.

Noel Estoppey’s earliest memory is of playing in the flour as his dad worked. Noel has worked in the business since early childhood, and as a young man at university, introduced some new ideas to his father – ideas that weren’t always immediately well received.

Back in the 1990s, he approached his father with the idea of selling by the slice, something he had come across often as a university student living away from home. “My father said people will never buy it because they want a full pizza.” A couple of years later, he says, his father relented. “He said it was a good idea – and it wasn’t very often he said that.” It became their main business.

They have two crusts: a baking powder-raised crust Noel describes as French style and a yeast-raised crust he says is more of an Italian style. Part of the business is given over to submarine sandwiches on their homemade buns. Spaghetti, donairs, soups, salads and baked treats round out the menu.

For an independent pizzeria, they sell at an unusually high volume and are an important customer to suppliers,” Noel says.

“It’s not like an ordinary pizza place. They ask, “Do you really need all those pizza boxes,” and we say, “Yes, we do.”

With 30 employees ¬– several of them longtime staff – they are one of the biggest employers in town. Still, they share with many other pizzerias the challenge of finding the right people. “Not all young people are up for it,” he says. “After the first paycheque they lose courage.”

Two of their staff call out how long they’ve been employed at Domino Pizza House – “28 years and counting; 36 years and counting.” “The team like it,” he says. “They say it with a smile on their face.”

They also have many longtime customers. “I’m looking at one of them right now,” he says with I imagine is a wink. “The locals keep us going.”

TOM’S HOUSE OF PIZZA You might be surprised to learn that Tom’s House of Pizza, a 54-year-old, five-location chain in Calgary is not run by Tom but by a man named John.

The Tom is Tom Fowler, who opened the first location in 1963.

The John is John Windle, who worked for Fowler as a young man for three-and-a-half years in the late 1960s.

“I enjoyed working there as a kid,” Windle says. When looking for a change of careers after a decade in medical supply sales for a large company in his home province of Ontario, he decided to move back to Calgary and buy into the franchise. Fowler ran the business until the early 1980s expanding it across Canada. In 1994 Windle bought out the shares of then-owner Bob Collins. Windle now owns all four Calgary locations – one location in nearby Okotoks is run by a franchisee – including the 1,000-square-foot main office and 2,000-square-foot central commissary on Macleod Trail where all dough and most toppings are prepared.

The pizzeria’s distinctively thin-crust pies are baked directly on a brick hearth without the use of a pan. He estimates they put out 200 pizzas every day.

As in many pizzerias, pepperoni is by far the most popular

JUNE 2017 pizza 17

profile

Photo courtesy Tom’s House of Pizza

topping at Tom’s, but over the years he noticed a taste for chicken developing among customers. He added it to the menu 15 years ago after a long search to find a chicken product he was happy with. Today a variation on Hawaiian pizza featuring chicken, banana pepper, pineapple and feta cheese – inspired by his wife’s tastes and named Suzanne’s Special – is one of their best-selling pizzas.

The entrepreneur was quick to see the potential of the neighbourhood pub and in 1988 started adding pub locations adjacent to the pizzerias. At the time, pubs could represent no more than half of your business, he says, and sales had to be less than 40 per cent of your overall sales. Now the pub and restaurant share the space equally and the full menu is available on both sides. Although the laws now allow them to tear down the dividing walls, he prefers to keep the walls in place as a buffer. “You get sports teams in the lounge and sometimes the language gets colourful,” he says. “We like to keep things separate because there may be families with children in the pizzeria.”

Windle says over the years he has thought about expanding beyond Calgary but decided it wasn’t for him. “You’re either in the restaurant business or you’re in the franchise business. I spend a lot of hours in the restaurant.”

He is a hands-on owner, in the sense that he puts in many hours working out of the main office and occasionally checking in on the other locations. But he also believes in empowering his employees, which number between 42 and 50, to manage themselves. “They’re going to make mistakes, but that’s how they learn.

I find that when I am away they tend to be at their best. I am able to get away and to turn it off,” he says.

Windle’s three children – Melanie, Sebastien and Emily – all worked in the pizzeria while as teenagers. Sebastien, 38, has stayed with the business and is now operations manager. “They started when they were 14, bagging green peppers at the commissary for the other locations. They worked their way up through all the jobs just like everyone else.”

He has noticed changes in the way suppliers do business over the years. “In the old days, we often did business on a handshake.

We used to take half a truck of pineapple, and we got a good price.” Many suppliers now sell to retail stores as well as wholesale

“You’re either in the restaurant business or you’re in the franchise business,” says John Windle, owner of four Tom’s House of Pizza locations in Calgary. “I spend a lot of hours in the restaurant.”

18 pizza JUNE 2017

“to restaurants, he adds. “As a restaurant owner, you really have to shop around.”

He attributes the pizzeria’s success and longevity to two things.

The first is an unwillingness to carry debt. “We are averse to debt.

When we need a new piece of equipment, we are patient. We save up to buy; we don’t lease.

The second factor is “incredibly loyal customers.” Some regular customers come in for lunch every weekday and some have passed the tradition on to their children and grandchildren.

One longtime customer for many years came in every Saturday morning to get a large pepperoni. “We’d put it in the oven a few minutes before 11 and hand it to him when he came in,” he says.

The customer, now a senior, still comes in every week, but he comes by bus on Wednesdays and now he orders a small pizza, Windle says.

Another memory involves a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary. A couple dropped by to find the restaurant under renovation.

“We told them the place wasn’t really open,” Windle says. “But they wanted to have a pizza to celebrate their anniversary. So I let them in and sat them at a table. I told them the kitchen wasn’t really set up but I could make them a pizza. They ate their pizza, then they turned on the jukebox and they had a dance.

“We have a lot of stories like that.”

CHEF BONDI’S PIZZA Phil DiLosa is happy to be at the helm of a St. Thomas, Ont., pizzeria he says has outlasted 25 other local pizza businesses.

In the 1960s DiLosa left his job as a newspaper linotype operator to work full time at Chef Bondi’s in St. Thomas, Ont., under his friend Agostino (Gus) Bondi. He soon became partners with Gus in the growing pizzeria. DiLosa handles day-to-day operations while Bondi prefers a behind-the-scenes role.

Chef Bondi’s, which has seen railway and automotive booms come and go, celebrated its 50th anniversary in May 2014.

It’s clear DiLosa’s heart is in St. Thomas, a railway city with a population of about 37,000. The “automotive town” was anchored for years by a Ford plant and spinoff businesses Lear Seating, Therm-O-Disc and Timken, but lost much of its industry when Ford closed the plant in 2011.

DiLosa says they used to deliver to Timken at lunch and dinner and during Ford’s heyday they delivered for three meals a day.

That thriving delivery route has ended.

Yet he sees a lot of potential in the city and in particular in the restaurant’s downtown location on Talbot Street within easy walking distance to the intra-city railway track being built to link the old Canada Southern railway station with a Via Rail station the city is refurbishing. The project is expected to give tourists a direct route between tourist town Port Stanley and London.

“Everything in the store is made from scratch,” says DiLosa, who says most of his business is takeout. He has been buying ingredients from just three suppliers since the 1970s because the quality is good and consistent.

The veteran pizzaiolo says he believes they have stayed in business by focusing on the traditional items they do best. The pizzeria

serves two styles of pizza: original, which DiLosa describes as crisp and chewy, and Chicago style, where the cheese goes on top and the crust is softer and contains whole wheat.

Which sells best? “It’s about 50-50 between the two,” he says.

He likes to stick with traditional, time-tested ingredients and is not interested in branching out to such items as chicken and broccoli, as some other pizzerias have.

The shop has always sold pasta, he says. Pizza, panzerotti, spaghetti, ravioli, manicotti, lasagna – these staple items sell well, especially panzerotti, which is so popular it’s up there with pizza on the front awning. He sells about 150 pasta orders a week.

DiLosa believes in offering deals, but he emphasizes they are special offerings and ways of combining items, not deep discounts.

The shop has had a Tuesday special “forever” and a “3-on-3” that offers three pizzas with three toppings is very popular.

To give some idea of the changes half a century can bring, he says that a case of cheese that is now $200 cost $29 in 1964.

The business reaches out to the St. Thomas community by doing catering for such events as buck and does and midnight wedding buffets. Another community initiative, school delivery, the shop finally gave up after 25 years because it proved to be a losing proposition for the restaurant given the time and labour spent preparing the pizzas and the slim margins that resulted.

The biggest change over the years, says DiLosa after some thought, has been in the demand for more toppings. Ham and pineapple – Hawaiian pizza – was unheard of in the 1960s. But while that innovation took hold, other items over the years did not, always bringing them back to their old standbys. He recalls introducing charbroiled Bondi Burgers, which were popular but turned out to be too costly, with the open flame elevating their insurance rates.

DiLosa takes pride in his hardworking staff of eight. His crew is made up largely of employees in their mid-20s and 30s. He hires through the government employment office, which does a good job of matching employee and employer needs. His secret for retaining happy employees is to give them some responsibility; for instance, if an employee wants a day off, he tells them to arrange it with the other employees. Flexibility is also important, he says, adding that he tries to be approachable. “I tell everyone, if you have a problem just come to me and we’ll solve it.”

The shop is covered in photos of teams he coached and sponsored over the years, including those of his sons and 10 grandchildren. A prominently displayed plaque honours a local team that made it to the OMHA finals in 1978-79.

The centrepiece of the wall is a large black-and-white photo of Bobby Orr showing Orr flying through the air as he is tripped after scoring the winning goal in the Stanley Cup in 1970. The NHL legend gave the photo to DiLosa. Below it is a signed print of the photo that reads, “To my friend Phil, Best wishes.

Love your pizza!”

He and Bondi would like to sell the business, but they want a buyer who will nurture it and be a good fit. The parnters are committed to helping with the transition, however long it may take.

“I worked so hard,” he says. “I’m not just going to give it to anybody.” •

CONGRATULATIONS TO PIZZERIAS OVER 50 AND THRIVING! Antonino’s Pizzeria and Panini, Concord, Ont. (est. 1967) Armando’s Pizza, Windsor (est. 1967) Bitondo’s, Toronto (est. 1967) Capri Family Restaurant, Hamilton, Ont. (est. 1963) Danforth Pizza House, Toronto (est. 1964) Franco’s Restaurant, Windsor (ext. 1958) Il Paesano Pizzeria and Restaurant, Etobicoke, Ont. (est. 1959) Napoli Pizzeria, Sydney, N.S. (est. 1962) Peter’s Pizza, Aylmer, Ont. (est. 1965) Pizzeria Italia, Barrie, Ont. (est. 1966) Pizza Nova, Toronto (est. 1963) Pizza Pizza, Toronto (est. 1967) Pizza Place, Winnipeg (est. 1969) Pizzeria Napoletana, Montreal (est. 1948) Sam’s Pizzeria and Cantina (est. 1946) Tre Colori, Montreal (est. 1967) Tony’s Famous Italian, London, Ont. (est. 1961) Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House, Toronto (est. 1957) We feel certain there are more pioneering pizzerias out there. If you know of an operating Canadian pizzeria celebrating more than 50 years in business, let us know! Contact editor Colleen Cross at 519428-3471 or ccross@annexweb.com.

JUNE 2017 pizza 19

making dough with Diane

Five ways to attract travellers and tourists Diane Chiasson he warmer days are upon us, bringing a lot more local customers onto the street in your neighbourhood and soon summer may bring many tourists to your city or community. Have you developed your spring and summer marketing plan yet?

People will be looking for yummy and healthy meals while attending events and warmer-weather activities, or on their way to or from these events. There will be more potential customers looking to enjoy your pizza after a great day out. You should be sure to capitalize on all the opportunities this presents for your pizzeria or restaurant.

Here are a few tips to improve your pizzeria’s popularity with the outdoor crowd.

T

1. UPLOAD A GREAT MENU, PHOTOS Today many people love to research online before visiting a restaurant. They can find you locally when in your area through your website and social media sites. Be sure to update your website frequently with an easy-to-read menu and many high-quality, drool-inducing photos of all the great food items you have to offer. As a pizza restaurant owner, you must provide high-quality images, even if it means hiring a professional photographer. It is incredibly cheap to do these days and it lets people see and get excited about what you can deliver.

With Facebook, Twitter and various apps you can generate a following by offering social media deals. Giving a 10 per cent reward to followers who bring their friends into your restaurant could make you the destination of choice for someone going to an event in your area.

2. UPGRADE YOUR DECOR One of the simplest ways to earn new customers this season is to make your pizzeria appealing to the people passing by. Creating visual appeal through the pizza on

20 pizza JUNE 2017

display is a key element. Neglecting your front area could mean missed opportunities to catch the potential new customer wandering by, so make sure your storefront is free of debris, clean and inviting. Once inside, customers will be cheered by a fresh coat of paint, new plants, vases, tablecloths, sunny umbrellas and colourful wall décor.

This will improve your star rating. Surveys show that star rating is the number 1 factor used by consumers to judge a business.

5. CATER TO PARENTS AND KIDS Many restaurant customers are families with children under 12, and these kids are pizza-loving patrons! Pizza can be a nutritious meal for kids or a welcome alternative to greasy fast food. Finding a pizzeria 3. TRAVELLERS LOVE WI-FI As the weather warms, far more people tra- serving healthier pizzas can be a saving vel for business or pleasure, so offer them grace for parents in a strange place, where something they might need, such as Wi-Fi. perhaps their kids are not familiar with the Being able to connect to the Internet via Wi- food. When trying to draw families to your pizzeria, make sure you Fi is on the minds of many have some fresh, delicious tourists. Most people travel and healthy items available with their smartphones and that are bound to be an easy need to keep up to date Finding a choice for parents away with their emails, but many pizzeria serving from their local neighbourdo not want to pay the exhood and a winner with orbitant roaming charges healthier kids. A free balloon is also telecommunications compizzas can be an easy and inexpensive panies often charge. By proway to attract kids, along viding free access, you can a saving grace with their parents, to your help them out, attract them to your homepage when for parents in a restaurant. It is a great way to advertise your name they log in and take that strange place around town and wherever opportunity to ask them to people are wondering what write a review. to feed their kids on or At the top of most travellers’ lists are the local food offerings. They after a day out.

There are lots of ways to attract parents, are looking to try new flavours and experience local and regional foods. Making kids, tourists, travellers and people drawn local specialties prominent in your menu outside by the warm weather. Just make and online could make you stand out from sure you do some of them this season. • the crowd for the out-of-region visitor.

4. GET GOOD CUSTOMER REVIEWS Travellers and individuals going to events out of their area often use online reviews to find the best hotels, coffee shops and restaurants. Your website and social media platforms should have customers’ reviews on them and should encourage customers to review your restaurant and menu items.

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping food service, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years by providing innovative and revenue-increasing food service and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns, and much more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-9266655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com

feature

Seven great grains Ancient grains can add new flavours and textures to your crust – and attract new customers to your pizzeria

BY COLLEEN CROSS

P

izza chefs seem to have an endless appetite for finding ways to improve their crust. Ancient grains are getting a lot of attention in the baking world these days, and including them in your pizza crust may be one way to make your pizza rise above the crowd and appeal to customers with adventurous palates and a keen interest in nutrition.

We consulted experts about some of their favourite ancient grains. The discussion revolved around characteristics, health benefits and tips to put you on the road to baking success.

SORGHUM MIMICS STRUCTURE Sorghum appears to have it all, says Jane Dummer, a registered dietitian who collaborates and partners with the food and nutrition industry. “It’s naturally gluten-free and is packed full of fibre and protein. It’s a good source of plant protein and both soluble and

insoluble fibre.”

Black sorghum boasts the most polyphenols and there is a lot of research on the combination of fibre and polyphenols and its positive effect on gut health, says Dummer, who is known as the Pod to Plate Food Consultant.

All varieties contain micronutrients such as B vitamins, niacin, magnesium and phosphorus. “When it comes to nutrition, it measures up really well, and when we think of an alternative to wheat, it measures up really well,” she says, adding that sorghum can be used for gluten-free applications.

Among its different varieties is a “snow white” variety she says lends itself to pizza crust. “When people are expecting this bleached flour pizza crust, their expectations are met. What’s nice about it is that it browns up to mimic that gluten crust.”

Sorghum has a neutral taste, which she points out is a benefit to a pizzeria looking for a consistent product. “It has a nutty taste,

ABOVE: Canadian consumers are showing interest in ancient grains, seeds and pseudocereals such as buckwheat, spelt and sorghum.

JUNE 2017 pizza 21

feature similar to that of barley but not as nutty. It’s bland so it works well in a variety of applications.”

It works best in your dough when it has an ingredient to imitate, she says. This is sometimes done using hydrocolloids, which include thickening agents such as potato starch and guar gum, and gelling agents such as pectin and carrageenan. “When making a gluten-free crust, the moisture in the process – where you add it, how you add it and if you need another ingredient – is all part of it,” she says.

If you want to know more, she suggests checking out the website www.simplysorghum.com for nutritional information, suppliers and cooking tips.

micronutrients and antioxidants.

And as with sorghum, you need to experiment with it in combination with other flours in order to get it to mimic the cell structure of another ingredient.

Buckwheat flour has the texture of pastry flour and gives a dark crust, she says, and as such it can be tricky to get a consistent colour to your crust.

“It is a nice vehicle for other ingredients such as mushrooms, onions and cheese.”

SPELT HELPS TELL A STORY Bryn Rawlyk, owner of the Night Oven Bakery in Saskatoon, regularly uses khorasan and spelt in his “Whole grains bread and pizza combined with other flours such QUINOA HIGH IN FAT – BUT GOOD FAT Although technically a seed, quinoa is another are nutty, fruity as red fife and rye. Rawlyk likes the element of story these grains add to his pizza. superfood that has a lot going for it. “We treat it as and have a “The benefit in using any heritage local grain a grain – you cannot eat it raw like you can sesame for me is the direct relationship with the farmers seeds and sunflower seeds,” she says of the versatile richness.” –Bryn who grow the grain,” he says. “Everyone loves grain wannabe, which she explores in depth in her Rawlyk, Night pizza. To add in a story of where even a part of that book The Need for Seeds. dough came from and to give depth to the usually Quinoa has an excellent balance of carbohyOven Bakery common food of pizza is awesome.” drates, protein and fat, she says, noting it is high Whole grains we use carry noticeable flavours, in antioxidants and micronutrients such as maghe says, adding that his staff mill their flours on site nesium, zinc and phosphorus. It is gluten-free and nut-free. “It’s very nutritious and that’s probably what has cata- with a stone mill he built to ensure they are fresh and 100 per cent whole grain. Of the taste, he says, “They are nutty, fruity and have pulted its popularity.” a richness.”

As for taste, it has an earthier, nuttier taste than sorghum.

“We use red fife, spelt and rye in our pizza dough. The majority She recommends choosing the lightest coloured variety posof the flour is unbleached, organic sifted white flour, with the sible to achieve a consistently lighter crust colour.

“It makes a really nice flatbread,” she says, adding that you may others added. The red fife and rye are in sourdough starters we want to add yeast or baking soda if you’re going for more of a tra- build for the dough, and the spelt is added to the flour.”

He has some advice for those starting out with ancient grains. ditional pizza crust.

One thing to be aware of is that quinoa has a fairly high fat “I would not recommend trying a 100 per cent different flour on (albeit “healthy” fat) content compared to wheat, she cautions. your first go. Perhaps start with your regular recipe but sub in five to 10 per cent of total flour and go from there.”

“When you’re grinding it into a flour, you need to consider that.”

Heritage whole-grain flour is at times unpredictable and incorporating it is tricky, he explains: “Moisture contents change.

BUCKWHEAT BAKES UP DARK Buckwheat is a pseudocereal grain: it’s a fruit seed that is related Fermentation schedules change. It is not as easy as just subbing more to rhubarb than to a grain. Like quinoa, it’s a source of flour for flour. A lot of testing is needed for each application. But even at 10 per cent of total flour, it would add a noticeable flavour.”

On Friday nights, Rawlyk dedicates his oven to making woodfired pizzas for a hungry crowd who seem to agree.

Teff is gluten-free with nutty, almost chocolaty notes that can stand up to strong, aromatic ingredients like cumin, coriander, garlic, mint, curry and lamb.

22 pizza JUNE 2017

MILLET IDEAL FOR BLENDING On the supplier side, Ardent Mills manufactures a line of flour made using several ancient grains: amaranth, buckwheat, millet, spelt, sorghum, teff and quinoa.

A staple in India and common in Africa, millet was domesticated more than 4,000 years ago from a wild, West African grass, says Elaine O’Doherty, marketing manager for Ardent Mills Canada. “Millet’s nutrients include the B vitamins – thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6 and folic acid – along with a number of other important nutrients. It’s also gluten-free.”

“Millet is a small, pale yellow, round grain with a mild flavour that’s ideal for blending with the flours of other grains,” she says.

Amaranth is a very small, light-coloured grain with a peppery flavour. It is a dietary staple and revered symbol of Aztec culture.

TEFF TINY AND SWEET Teff is a tiny, ivory-coloured grain with a slightly sweet, molasseslike flavour that’s compatible with other grain flours, O’Doherty says. Originally the foundation of the Ethiopian diet, teff is widely used throughout Africa in sourdough breads such as injera but is now making waves worldwide as a notable source of calcium and magnesium, she explains.

“Also gluten-free, its nutty, almost chocolatey notes can stand up to strong, aromatic ingredients like cumin, coriander, garlic, mint, curry and lamb,” she adds, noting that honey also helps the earthy flavours of the grain come through.

AMARANTH HAS HIGH-QUALITY PROTEIN Amaranth is a very small, light-coloured grain with an appealingly peppery flavour, O’Doherty says. Native to the Americas and prized by the Aztec civilization, it is a dietary staple as well as a revered symbol of the culture. Amaranth protein quality is among the highest with respect to other grains. It has comparatively more calcium and iron than other grains and is gluten-free.

O’Doherty sees a lot of potential for all ancient grains in baked goods and pizza dough. The granular appearance, mouth feel, and perceived nutritional benefits can add new twists, she says. She says the company’s line of flour works well in most dough applications and may help boost whole-grain nutrition and fibre. The flours are available in a variety of forms, including custom multigrain blends, mixes and our gluten-free, all-purpose, 51 per cent whole multigrain flour blend. “We find that customers like the flexibility we have in developing custom multigrain, gluten-free blends. We also develop and produce coarse blends with the entire grain or particulates, depending on what the customer prefers,” she says.

Daniel Marciani, executive development chef for Ardent Mills, in Denver, Colo., offers tips for working with ancient grains.

“These grain inclusions can make the mixing process difficult

and lead to some dough tearing and unwanted yield loss,” Marciani says. “Mitigating tearing is a matter of finding the right flour with proper levels of protein and correcting dough absorption to reflect the changes in the grain.”

A small seed, like teff is a good choice, he says, because it’s fine, smooth and delivers great “piece identity” to the dough, he says.

“Experimenting with the mesh size of whole-grain flour is another way to change up the look of your bread or pizza crust,” the chef explains. “With any baking, you have to pay attention to mixing times, dough temperature, absorption and the effects other ingredients have whenever you begin to make changes.

White wheat flour keeps the dough lighter than when you incorporate red wheat, so it’s often a better choice for the base flour; and this is usually followed by a one to two per cent increase in liquid content.”

“Getting a dependable pizza dough that you know is going to bake the way you’d like, day in and day out, takes a lot of due diligence,” he says.

For all of the challenges associated with ancient grains, it’s clear that when you hit on a winning formulation, you can draw in customers looking for interesting new flavours and textures, and a nutritional boost, in their pizza. • For more on ingredients, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com

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JUNE 2017 pizza 23

recipe

Wild Blueberry Pizza

By Rocco Agostino, Pizzeria Libretto INGREDIENTS • 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

pizza stone, place it in the oven.

3. Stretch out the dough to 12 inches.

• • • • • •

our dough. We recommend using Pizzeria Libretto dough to achieve the same results.

However, feel free to try this recipe with your own homemade dough or any store-bought version.

PREPARATION

4. Place the mascarpone cheese evenly on the pizza dough.

5. Place the wild blueberries evenly on the pizza.

6. Add 1/2 of the lemon sugar.

7. Place the pizza in the oven and bake until the pizza is cooked at 500 F for about 8-10 minutes.

1. Mix sugar and lemon zest and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 500 F. If you have a

8. Add the honey and the chopped mint.

Cut into four slices and enjoy.

This recipe appears courtesy of the Wild Blueberry Association of North America.

1/2 cup wild blueberries 1/4 cup sugar Zest of 2 lemons 2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp chopped mint 1 pizza dough

Note: At all Pizzeria Libretto locations, we sell

THE PIZZA BIBLE Everyone loves pizza! From fluffy Sicilian pan pizza to classic Neapolitan margherita with authentic charred edges, and from Chicago deep-dish to cracker-thin, the pizza spectrum is wide and wonderful, with something to suit every mood and occasion. And with so many fabulous types of pie, why commit to just one style?

The Pizza Bible is a complete master class in making delicious, perfect, pizzeria-style pizza, with more than seventy-five recipes covering every style you know and love, as well as those you’ve yet to fall in love with.

Pizzaiolo and eleven-time world pizza champion Tony Gemignani shares all his insider secrets for making amazing pizza. With The Pizza Bible, you’ll learn the ins and outs of starters, making dough, assembly, toppings, and baking, how to rig your oven to make pizza like the pros, and all the tips and tricks that elevate pizza-making into a craft.

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Learn tips & tricks from a Master Pizziolo. Order your copy of Canadian Pizza Baking Champion Diana Coutu’s cookbook Passionate About Pizza at www.Amazon.ca

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Page #

Annex Bookstore .............................................. 24 Burke................................................................... 7 Canadian Pizza Show 2017 .........................14 -15 Middleby Marshall............................................. 27 Moretti Forni ..................................................... 13 Pizza Power Page .............................................. 25 Ricco Food Distributor ...................................... 19 Salerno.............................................................. 11 Saputo .............................................................. 28 Springer’s Meats ............................................... 23 Stanislaus .................................................... 4 & 5 Viau Food ............................................................ 2 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.

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Giorgio’s corner

How to keep your menu fresh Giorgio Taverniti our menu is your masterpiece. them and to adapt to them.

You create it, you edit it, you It’s important to evaluate each new fad perfect it. Your creative mind to see if it can fit with your menu and to is in full bloom and you’re anxiously ensure you don’t commit to it financially waiting for people to enjoy your food. without the proper demand for it. A A menu is a labour of love and can perfect example of this is pineapple. Half sometimes be hard to change from a of my customers hate pineapple on pizza chef’s perspective. My menu items have and cannot understand how fruit on a been on the chopping block many times pizza could be tasty. The other half order and with good reason. I love to create it on a weekly basis and swear by the new menu ideas and need to make room explosion of flavour it brings to the pizza for them by letting go of the older ones. or calzone.

Otherwise, my menu would read like Truth be told, I am not a lover of a novel. pineapple on a pizza. When I first As the saying goes, “Out with the old, introduced it, I had no sure way of in with the new.” New additions allow knowing how it would perform. Would you to stay on top of trends, all the while people like it? The best way to test out keeping your menu fresh. It’s important a new topping is to give it a trial run. I to routinely review your business sales made a point of informing my staff and and see which menu items have increased customers that the new topping was in sales, which fan favourites remain and available. Once I saw there was a steady which items are not performing. demand, I quickly made the decision Despite my personal love for the non- to make it a part of the regular menu. performing items, they do Pineapple is now is one of ultimately need to be axed. my bestsellers.

The removal of unpopular The food items are the I often bring items is necessary: quite stars of the menu, but it’s frankly, it costs money to back as a weekly important not to overlook keep ingredients on hand menu presentation. I’ve special an item been in business long to make them without any demand.

I have taken off enough to know that the I often bring back as a menu layout and design the menu. weekly special an item I are just as important as have taken off the menu. the items on the menu This strategy allows the Menus, like anything customers who did love else in your business, can it to have it on occasion and prevents become dated. A fresh look can give a me losing money on a product that will little spring to the new items as well as not sell. make the classic ones look shiny and new.

The introduction of new toppings is The key elements to keep in mind when an important addition. Some toppings revamping the look of your menu are the are fads but can quickly become trends font, size, colour, layout and description. and have true staying power. Despite my These are all equally important. Haven’t personal views on these new toppings – we all come across a menu we couldn’t be they fad or trend – as a business owner read that well, didn’t understand or I know I must always be willing to try thought was ugly? Elements of the menu

Y

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The food items are the stars of the menu, but it’s important not to overlook presentation.

should be attractive in their description and overall look. A bad font can set the tone of the dining experience.

A menu also should also be logical and easy to navigate; for example, appetizers should be followed by main dishes, etc.

Here is a rule of thumb I follow: if I make a major change to the menu items then I should also tweak the look of the menu.

It allows my business to maintain that “new” feeling.

We can all be hesitant to embrace changes, but when done right they have the potential to win you new customers, increase your sales and ensure your pizzeria’s longevity. • Giorgio Taverniti owns Frank’s Pizza House in Toronto, which has been in his family since 1990. A graduate of George Brown College’s culinary management and Italian culinary programs, Giorgio helped found a popular pizza-making workshop at the college and ran it for three years.

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Contact your local repesentative to arrange a demonstration MARITIME PROVINCES Flanagan Agencies, Inc. Moncton, New Brunswick 506.387.8757 Fax: 506.387.8750 sales@fai.ca

QUEBEC Distex M&M, Inc. St. Laurent (Quebec) 514.382.3620 Fax: 514.382.7837 info@distex.ca

ONTARIO Distex M&M, Inc. 905.565.5992 or 1-800.645-7324 Fax: 905.565.5992 info@distex.ca

MANITOBA and SASKATCHEWAN Simpson Wilson Ltd. Winnipeg, Manitoba 204.632.6941 or 1-800.342.3626 Fax: 204.633.9254 cam@simpsonwilson.com

ALBERTA Bert Johnson Ent., Ltd. (BJE) Calgary, Alberta 403.870.4763 Fax: 403.287.7788 Calgary: dave@bje.cc Alberta: erin@bje.cc

BRITISH COLUMBIA Distex M&M, Inc. Port Moody, BC 778.989.3620 cvandenhoven@distex.ca

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