Cristian Tolu

“I have always been a dreamer. Ever since I was a child, I have always had the habit of setting myself important goals and behaving as if there were no limits. I believe I'm really determined and definitely quite charismatic."

Born in Cagliari in 1987, Cristian Toluwinner of the 2023 World Championship in the "Pizza a due" but also head of the best Pizza Team - is the undisputed "dominus" of pizza competitions in Italy and around the world. Cristian lived the first years of his life in a small village in southern Sardinia, Maracalagonis, known for the ancient confectionery tradition of which his maternal grandmother was one of the most famous experts of the area. "This - says Cristian - was a great fortune for me as it allowed me to be able to taste, prepare and experiment from an early age, knowing in detail what the fundamental raw materials of my tradition are, and making me passionate about good food ”. As a teenager, he moved to Quartu Sant'Elena, one of the renowned places in our national history because it is the port from which the thousand red shirts led by Peppino Garibaldi set sail.

How and why do you get passionate about pizza?

I come from a family of very hard workers from which, thanks also to my mother, I immediately understand how important independence is. After completing my basic studies, I immediately enrolled in a training course at the Forte Village Resort where I managed to spend two years of boarding school in order to enter the kitchen. I think I was lucky, because this allowed me to study and immediately learn a trade that would then allow me to have the "independence" I dreamed of. Perhaps the engagement at an early age with my wife and the fact that my father was a highly experienced pizza chef are "responsible" for my estrangement from the stove due to the timetables and the approach to the wood-burning oven. Thus, by combining what I liked to do, "cooking", with what has now become my greatest passion, I created a union between cooking and pizza. shared by more people and, in general, this is the case all over the world. Pizza is social redemption, thinking of all the neighborhoods in the suburbs where young people find work in restaurants and, more precisely, in pizzerias. Pizza is love because - let's face it - if you don't love it, you can't do this job. Pizza is union because it unites tradition with innovation, it unites peoples, it unites intelligent people. In short, pizza is the perfect dish.

Talking about pizza in Sardinia is not easy, but getting Italy and the world to talk about Sardinian pizza could seem like an impossible mission: how did you do it?

Sardinia boasts a great gastronomic tradition, especially as regards bread-making. It is quite easy to find good durum wheat bread almost everywhere, we have it almost in our DNA. I will always remember in my grandmother's house the bowl with "Su Xetti", the sourdough that she jealously guarded for leavened products and some types of desserts. The island, as per its geographical conformation, suffers from the great problem linked precisely to insularity. From an early age we have had the problem of travel: on the contrary, I wanted to exorcise this situation by taking advantage of it.

I come from a rather depopulated area, where doing something good is difficult but doing something excellent is almost impossible. So, it became a mission for me to be able to achieve all these results: my goal was to get the kids to understand that anything can be achieved in life: "only" study, devotion and lots and lots of work are needed. After that, everything is possible. You just have to really want it. Today, having achieved so many goals is a source of pride for my people and above all for my children who regularly support me and prepare their lucky drawings for me. It is the true meaning of my challenge: to leave a mark and give hope.

62 Why does someone who "has won everything" like you participate in the World Pizza Championship?

The World Pizza Championship in Parma is truly the Olympus of competitions in the world of pizza. Only once you win in Parma can you call yourself World Champion. I had one goal, which was to get on the podium with my Team: the Cerevisiae Team, a group of guys who trained precisely in the competitions we participated in. We succeeded. Parma is the most important stage for everyone, not just for me. All the colleagues with whom I am in regular contact say so. Being able to climb to the top of the podium twice in one day was a dream. I cried for two days straight. I still can’t believe it.

This is a good question. I think pizza is the symbol of sharing. It is sliced to be

Your reflections are really beautiful, I would say "moving". At this point, however, you "must" tell me what "your" pizza is, the one that tells your story. I think this is the hardest question. When I think about the ingredients, I'm spoiled for choice. Over time, I have had the chance to dedicate various pizzas to all the members of my family: my grandmother, my mother, my children… Now that I think about it, I still haven't dedicated one to my wife but now the right time has come, also because if it weren't for her, I would be able to do very little. However, coming to the answer, in terms of category, I think it is the Roman shovel. Let's just say that it's the one that fascinates me the most. Although I have mostly worked with classic pizza, pizza on a shovel is the one that intrigues me the most. I think it's the most versatile, also because it lends itself more to the use of a mix of cereals: we can make various blends, we can insert seeds, raise hydration, fill it in the middle or even make it "on the plate". Let's say it's the one that needs the most technique, but it's also the most versatile.

As always, you know how to amaze us. So, surprise us all the way: what will be the pizza of the future?

The pizza of the future definitely has to reverse the course. It must be a pizza that selects raw materials in terms of efficiency and circular economy, first and foremost. There is a lot of talk about local produce, waste reduction, etc. I think it's time to actually do it. In my company, in my small way, I try to identify local producers and address them only. With the serious crisis we are experiencing, the only way is to look to the future with a product that is more refined and that manages to reduce waste. We have to improve the transformation of raw materials by limiting costs and increasing customer care. The main objective is to keep the Italian agri-food sector active: we have an immense fortune, an incredible selection of raw materials, we just need to remember it more often. It is possible to preserve all of this, you just need more commitment and a great desire to do well. We have a great responsibility, which is to create a better future.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

850gr (30 oz) Soft Wheat Flour “0”

150gr (5 1/3 oz) Artemis rice