The Pizza University was started to fill the need for skilled pizza makers and professional chefs in the restaurant industry.
They also train people who want to pursue a career in pizza making.
So, who better to speak with about everything pizza than the Co-Founder of the Pizza University-Mr. Francesco Marra
Q – McDonald’s has a Hamburger School. So, I guess it was only a matter of time before a Pizza University was founded. Correct me if I am wrong, but haven’t pizza sales surpassed hamburger sales these days?
A – I don’t know. I know that pizza revenue is going to be about $65 billion in the United States alone. I’m originally from Naples, Italy where pizza was born so it’s very natural for me to talk about pizza, but, predominantly as an immigrant who came here and started from nothing, the intention of our family is to preserve and conserve the Italian heritage tradition of pizza making. If you look at the statistics we have hundreds of pizza schools, but here in the United States in culinary schools that rarely spend any time on pizza even though there are about 60,000 pizzerias in the United States. When we founded the Pizza University, my brother and I Enzo in 2018 it was really to not only to preserve and conserve the culinary art of pizza making but also to solve a big issue in the industry which is the lack of training and education on this particular skill.
Q – Did you own a pizzeria in Italy?
A – No. I went to culinary school in Italy and we have another company called Marra Forni and we are the leading manufacturer of Brick ovens in the United States. We actually ship all over the world, eight countries on five continents. The company is located in Maryland and we have two facilities. Combined we have over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing. We can not only provide the cooking solution to our clients but also the training and education which is fundamental for the well-being of our industry and the growth to our client. If you look at a study of restaurants and pizzerias. For every six restaurants and pizzerias at least six close in a matter of two years. The remaining change management in a matter of five years. So, in order to change that trend we have to provide some foundation to this particular segment of our industry which starts with the training and education.
Q – Who is coming through your door to the Pizza University? Is it a veteran pizza maker who is trying to hone his skills? Is it someone who’s thinking of owning a pizzeria? Or, is it someone who’s just trying to make a better pizza at home?
A – Its very diversified. Last year we were fortunate to graduate over 250 students. It could be from the professional chef that wants to elevate the skill of pizza making. It could be the second career person that is maybe retiring from being in the government, or being a firefighter or a policeman. You name it. We’ve seen it lawyers, architects. They just end one career and want to start a new one and they want to do what they’re really passionate about. Or, it could just be a passionate pizza fanatic that really wants to learn how to make the best pizza at home. There are clients who want to open a brick and mortar pizzeria or maybe they want to start with a mobile cooking solution and they want to get the education. The best compliment we’ve ever got was I learned more at the Pizza University then I did in the last 20 years of being in business. That’s coming from people who are already in the pizza industry. They thought they knew everything about pizza but, they know very little.
Q –“The demand for healthier made your way in less than a minute pizza is steadily increasing. “I don’t understand. How do you make a pizza in less than a minute and where do you go for such a pizza?
A – Well, when we’re talking about pizza we really have to talk about the baking percentage, how you formulate the dough and the dough could be as simple as four ingredients, but it could be in the baking process because of a different technique direct and in-direct and in addition the format. In some cases where talking about polish. The type of format can elevate the quality of the product, the way it gets digested and also the speed of cooking. In order to make a style of pizza you have to identify the type of dough you’re going to make and the amount of hydration you’re going to have in the dough. The higher the hydration the longer the pizza is going to cook. And the higher the hydration the lower the temperature you need to have. So, if you want to cook a pizza in 60 seconds that means that you’re doing that pizza in 65% hydration. You can cook a pizza in about 60 seconds. As far as ingredients people say pizza is unhealthy, but, that’s incorrect, because if you look at the ingredients they use in a pizza there pretty healthy. If you use natural flower, organic, water salt and yeast. That’s a basic, simple recipe. Then what you put on top it really defines what a pizza is, healthy or unhealthy. We don’t put more than three or four ingredients on a pizza, a topping. It should be as simple as pure tomato, fresh mozzarella, olive oil and maybe a couple of toppings. You don’t want to go more than two or three toppings. I hate when I go into a pizzeria and I see unlimited toppings. It’s not a burrito. This is a pizza. The first pizza in the United States was in 1904 and today we have over 60,000 pizzerias. It’s also become very regional because you don’t always have Italian pizza. You have New York style pizza you have Boston style pizza. You have New Haven. You have New Jersey. You have Detroit style. You have the tavern style pizza. You have the St. Louis style pizza. You have the California style pizza. Pizza in the United States is becoming just like Italy. It’s becoming regional. It really goes to the culture in the particular state.
Q – The Pizza University started on the East Coast (of the U.S.) but now you’re expanding into Canada, Mexico, and UAE (Dubai). There is a big demand in Mexico and Dubai for pizza?
A – So, we have had some penetration in these regions. It is our vision to have more pizza universities in this part of the world because they are countries ahead of other countries and I think it allows for pizza growth. But right now our work is predominantly in the United States. We’ve done some things overseas but we are looking to spread our footprint. We are in a position to become a two location school through the Department of Education in Maryland. We’re going through the process now. We also want to start a Giveback Program to try and do some charity work with the State of Maryland, with the State or the County. We can train young adults who have made a mistakes in their life to integrate themselves back into society. And we also want to work with The Veterans Affairs because as you know there are still about 22 to 23 suicides per day and we want to give these well-deserved veterans an opportunity to learn a new skill so we can fulfill the need in our industry. As you know the biggest challenge that we have today in the United States is to find bonafide personnel. We need more people. We need more skilled people in the United States and the only way to do it is to train and educate the young generation.
Q – You connect well trained chefs with thriving restaurants. So, you’re an employment agency as well?
A – So, that’s part of the evolution of our school. We continue to develop the new generation of pizza makers so the industry can have an ecosystem so we can continue to grow organically. Let’s be honest if the pizzeria closes down it doesn’t do well for the operator, the owner, the distributor, the manufacturers. The whole system falls apart. So, the more qualified personnel we can provide to the industry, the more the entire industry can continue to grow organically. All our partners, we have 15 to 20 partners to support us, the best manufacturers of food in the United States and overseas. They’re really looking for repeat business. They want you to succeed not only because it’s the right thing to do as a human being and to contribute to your society and industry but also to make sure you can have that part of the business. So, we need to be better human beings. We need to be better individuals and we need to contribute to the society. We also need to contribute to our own industry.
Official website: www.pizzauniversity.org
