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Pizza-wine fest provides a robust taste of Italy

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

After canceling the last two Italian Festivals of Arizona, Francesco Guzzo, the executive director of the Italian Association of Arizona, �igured he had to think of a new way to celebrate.

He believes he’s found the right way to celebrate with the Italian Pizza & Wine Festival noon-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Scottsdale City Hall.

Guzzo decided to anchor the festival around the two most beloved things about his native country of Italy – pizza and wine.

“Italians love food and we have a passion for food and wine,” said Guzzo. “Given that people have been locked down well over a year, people have been waiting. We wanted to �igure out a way to get people out of their homes and outside to celebrate life.”

Besides, he said, “Pizza can be made in a myriad of ways and it will satisfy anybody’s craving for whatever type of topping they want.”

What began as discussions of how to bond the community over food and drinks quickly evolved into a day for families to get out of the house and enjoy a day outside.

Beyond giving people a chance to try new cuisine from �ive authentic pizza makers, Guzzo wanted to �ind ways to entertain the family.

“As we started looking at entertainment, we thought we would do something different,” he said. “We thought of bringing in stilt walkers, jugglers and face painters to make it fun for the kids.”

There will also be Ferraris, Lamborghini’s and other Italian antique vehicles on display along with live music provided by Steve Ansel and the Jackson Street Band.

The headline of the event will be a performance by the Italian indie-rock band Mbrascatu, who are assured to deliver a unique setlist.

With plans secured for entertainment, Guzzo’s next step was securing a location.

He originally planned to host the festival on the lawn of the Civic Center. However, the renovation of the Civic Center forced the festival to relocate to the parking lot in front of City Hall.

“The one thing that we’ve all learned from the pandemic is we have to be �lexible,” he said. “With all the things we want to do at the festival, we have to think outside the box and come up with new ways to make things work.”

Guzzo is anxious to share the tastes of his native country once again, calling the festival a “preview” of the seventh annual Italian Festival of Arizona Feb. 27-28 in downtown Phoenix.

“Nothing can ever replace Italy but this is as close as we can get to the foods and products of Italy, at least here in Arizona,” he said. “You take Italian-made pizza and top off with Italian imported wines or beer and it will be an Italian meal.” The �ive pizza makers are Fabio on Fire, Trattoria D’Amico, Bored Baker Pizza Maker, L’Impasto and Re Di Roma. They will be accompanied by big-name wine vendors like Stefano Farina Wine Group.

“We have a historic wine company in Italy and to be able to participate and promote our wine at an event that promotes Italian food and recipes was a good opportunity,” said Dr. Pietro Birroni, president of Stefano, one of Italy’s largest and most prestigious wine suppliers.

Birroni is providing a special selection of the company’s award-winning Chianti Classico and Moscato, which offers a sweeter option to event attendees.

Re Di Roma is a new pizza truck that makes wood-�ired Neapolitan pies combining the �lavors of Italy with fresh ingredients from the West Valley.

“We tend to sell more margherita pizza and pepperoni pizza but our specialty is a white pizza with mushrooms, black truf�le and garlic,” said Oulid Ferhati, the co-owner of Re Di Roma.

Another pizza he boasts of is a biancaneve pizza, which is made of mozzarella, arugula, shaved parmesan, ricotta and honey that is harvested from bees in Buckeye and purchased at the Arizona Farmers Market.

Ferhati’s wife and business partner Kristen hopes that by offering a unique take on pizza, people will try something new.

“I think out here people gravitate towards cheese and pepperoni pizza, so it’s nice to get people to try different types of pizza they aren’t generally exposed to,” she said. “This event brings more people into the culinary fold.”

Guzzo has the same goal in hoping that people will give each vendor a taste.

“I don’t know that there’s going to be one pizza vendor that is better than the other but there is going to be a variety in terms of how they make their pizzas,” he said.

In addition to selling pizza, most of the vendors will also be selling specialty items like tiramisu, cannoli and gelato.

By giving guests a variety of culinary creations to choose from, Guzzo hopes it will underscore his organization’s goal.

“Everything that we do is to promote Italian arts and culture,” he said. “Whenever we host a festival or do a dinner, it’s always tied into Italian foods and Italian products.”

Admission to the festival is $10 online in advance and $15 on day of event, pizza and wine prices will vary.

Info: italianassociation.org. This is a cashless event. All purchases must be made via credit or debit card.

Francesco Guzzo, executive director of the Italian Association and, Oualid Ferhati, owner and chef at Re Di Roma pizza food truck are ready for Saturday’s Pizza and Wine Festival at Scottsdale City Hall (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

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Valid at McDowell and Miller location only. Limit one coupon per customer per visit, plus applicable tax. Not for sale. Restrictions may apply. No cash value. Prices may vary. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Coupon may not be altered, photocopied or truncated. Valid for dine-in only. Expires 11/14/21. ©2021 Peter Piper, LLC. All rights reserved.

Dine-in or Carry out! Miller & McDowell 7607 E. McDowell Rd. • Scottsdale, AZ 85257 480-947-9901

Pick your topping & choose your crust: original, pan or ultra-thin

Valid at McDowell and Miller location only. Limit one coupon per customer per visit, plus applicable tax. Not for sale. Restrictions may apply. No cash value. Prices may vary. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Coupon may not be altered, photocopied or truncated. Valid for dine-in only. Expires 11/14/21. ©2021 Peter Piper, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Sink your teeth into this low-cal dessert

I’m not sure when pumpkin spice became such a national addiction, but these days you’ll nd that avor in everything. And I do mean everything – from frappucinos to pumpkin spiced sun ower seeds. The minute October rolls around, pumpkin spice season is in full swing. You can bet that with just about anything pumpkin spiced, it’s going to have some calories.

I am sharing an exception with you this week. I created a healthy, low calorie dessert for the clients at Red Mountain Weight Loss who are trying to nd delicious things to eat while shedding the pounds. This recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Caramel Apples is the perfect tasty treat for anyone who doesn’t want to give up dessert while losing weight.

The best part is, the only calories in the entire recipe come from one crisp apple. The ingredient used for sweetening the apple is Swerve Sweetener Brown Sugar Replacement. The caramel drizzle is from Walden Farms, a company known for its zero calorie, zero carb and fat free product line. The recipe calls for just a small amount of pumpkin spice, but it’s just enough to avor the apple and yet give you the fabulous taste of fall.

Finally, you’ll notice that I’ve opted for a crisp organic apple for this recipe. That’s because, in doing some research about which apples are the crispiest, I stumbled upon some disturbing information about apples. EWG (Environmental Working Group) is a non-pro t organization that focuses on researching and rating a wide range of consumer products from sunscreens, cosmetics to food items in order to promote healthier consumer choices.

Guess what always turns up on EWG’s Dirty Dozen List? Apples. EWG’s List describes food additives and pesticides that on certain products that may have a health risk to consumers. Nonorganic apples consistently land on the list, year after year. So, I say opt for organic apples when you can, and enjoy this delightful dessert that may end up being a new fall favorite!

Ingredients:

1 crisp, red organic apple per serving. (Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala) 1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 heaping teaspoons Swerve Sweetener Brown Sugar Replacement ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/8 teaspoon salt Walden Farms zero calorie, zero carb Caramel Dip/Sauce

Directions:

Peel, core and cut apple into ½ inch cubes. Squeeze lemon juice over apples. (This is so the apples don’t turn brown and it also adds a zing to the apples!) Heat a skillet on medium high heat, and then coat the skillet with zero calorie cooking spray. Drain the apples and add to the skillet. Add the Swerve Brown Sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir often until the apple cubes are soft but not mushy. Spoon into a dessert dish and drizzle with Walden Farms Caramel Dip/Sauce. Watch my how-to video: jandatri.com/recipe/pumpkin-spiced-caramel-apples.