They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I suppose I feel flattered that there are so many ‘gourmet’ pizzerias these days. More than a decade ago the trend was quantity over quality and we went against the herd to offer the best quality of pizzas that we could create using all natural ingredients like Olive Oil and 100% dairy cheeses.
We’ve always loved to create new and interesting tastes on pizza; this is how our ‘Taste of the Month’ pizzas that we feature in our monthly newsletter began. Every month we’ll bring in a new kind of cheese, or topping and create something completely different for the month. The most popular Taste of the Month pizzas are added to our regular menu.
Back in 2007 we brought on a slow-roasted pulled pork that we marinate with our Sweet’n’Tangy BBQ sauce and then add a splash of hot sauce for a little kick. It’s one of my personal favourites toppings , especially when paired with our dry-cured pepperoni and fresh hand cut pineapple with a cheddar cheese blend, which we call our “Sweet’n’Spicy Divine Swine”. This pizza was so popular that it was added to our menu back in 2008. I’m told of another pizza place in the city that claims to be the first to offer this ‘gourmet topping’, but since they didn’t exist in 2007, I don’t give it much thought.
When I was awarded “Canada’s best pizza chef of the year 2005” by Canadian Pizza magazine the editor flew out to spend the day with Pierre and I. He loved our newsletter and our unique approach to pizza and he asked me to write a regular column for the magazine. As a result I have exposed many other independent and chain pizzerias to our style and dedication to excellence in the art of pizza making. Today it isn’t uncommon to see more than one style of crust offered, more than one kind of sauce available and more than the 12 most common pizza toppings on pizza menus. I’ve been told by individuals who work for large pizza chains occupying positions from manager to franchisee, to VIP of operations, to CEO, that they read every column I write and they frequently check out our website and menu to see what the new trend is for pizza. I’m flattered and I am lucky to be considered an expert in my field, although I didn’t set out to be a leader in my industry and that aspect didn’t come about overnight.
My goal was to be known in Winnipeg as the place to go for great tasting gourmet pizzas; the awards, the media attention, the friendships with other talented pizza chefs from around the world and the honour of judging international competitions in Las Vegas and Italy are all cherries on top of a 20 year career focused on hard work and dedication to the art of pizza making.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Healthy Pizza is in Demand
Pierre and I started watching Village On A Diet on CBC Monday nights and I have to say that I'm not surprised about the pizzeria owner. I was surprised that the chef created a pizza dough with flax seed because flax often cuts the gluten in the dough and creates tears when you slap it out, but I would've like to work with it and taste it. I'm a little disappointed that CBC didn't call me because I'd love the opportunity to showcase & share healthy pizza making recipes and tips. And although I've been told many times that I don't look like a award winning pizza chef, I think I'm a pretty healthy one. It may surprise you to know that Winnipeg doctors have been referring diabetic patients to us for over ten years. Our 100% whole wheat crust and low fat mozzarella is diet friendly and diabetic diet friendly.
Pizza can be delicious & nutritious, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Although not all pizzas are created equal and not all pizzas are made to be healthy.
On the show the pizzeria owner said they use a full fat mozzarella, which are usually around 35% m.f. whereas our mozzarella is a nice low fat one at 15% m.f.
For those of us who love real dairy cheeses, I always recommend a cheese blend; mix our low fat mozzarella with our medium sharp cheddar (30% m.f.), or with the garlic n chive havarti for something different. That way you get the additional flavour of the specialty, higher fat cheese without all of the added calories & fat which quickly turns into grease in the hot ovens.
Pile on the fresh veggies and you've got a great tasting and good for you meal.
The pizzeria owner on the show was resistant and seem to believe that if she adopted the healthy chef's suggestions she would be out of business shortly. She talked about her 'Northern style pizza' being in demand and while it may still be she is shortsighted in that her community is crying out for change, otherwise they would not be participating in this ambitious and important lifestyle change challenge.
I would offer an entire new line of healthy pizzas and invite the village to sample 'California style pizzas'. I'd make our whole wheat thin crust and our award winning marinara, low fat cheese and add some spinach with sundried tomatoes and a few fresh veggies from their garden - Yummeh! A couple of slices are perfect to snack on and great portion control too. Maybe throw some grilled pesto chicken breast on there or chick peas for added protein. I bet even the biggest guy in the village could get used to that kind of meal! You may also be surprised to know that we have many body builders who visit us regularly without spoiling their diets. Maybe one them would be willing to offer the villagers some helpful advice too.
That was the inspiration behind our 30 day pizza diet challenge. Not only do we believe that someone could lose weight by eating only our healthy pizzas for 30 days, but we also believe that because of the variety of sauces, cheeses & toppings we carry, they wouldn't get tired of it. This is a diet that anyone can stick to, which is one of the most difficult parts of dieting. As a side note I must say that not every pizza we make is healthy, for some of our clients it's not the primary reason they order a pizza from us. And I personally don't only eat our whole wheat pizzas with low fat mozzarella, there are days where I crave our deep dish Moosehead beer crust with double pepperoni and triple cheese and I satisfy that craving. BUT it's about balance.
We put our pizza diet challenge on hold because by the time we got things in place it was already October and the holidays were right around the corner so we thought we should postpone our challenge until the new year.
And here we are, January 2011. Seems that it's the perfect time to showcase how healthy pizza can be part of a healthy lifestyle. We will choose our candidates and launch our pizza diet challenge shortly. It'll be interesting to see the progress and the ongoing results, so stay tuned!
BTW if someone from CBC's Village on a Diet is reading this I'd be happy to offer my services (gratis) to the pizzeria owner of Taylor BC. I realize that filming is over, but the residents may or may not have reached their goals and good health is too important to give up on. Ever.
Pizza can be delicious & nutritious, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Although not all pizzas are created equal and not all pizzas are made to be healthy.
On the show the pizzeria owner said they use a full fat mozzarella, which are usually around 35% m.f. whereas our mozzarella is a nice low fat one at 15% m.f.
For those of us who love real dairy cheeses, I always recommend a cheese blend; mix our low fat mozzarella with our medium sharp cheddar (30% m.f.), or with the garlic n chive havarti for something different. That way you get the additional flavour of the specialty, higher fat cheese without all of the added calories & fat which quickly turns into grease in the hot ovens.
Pile on the fresh veggies and you've got a great tasting and good for you meal.
The pizzeria owner on the show was resistant and seem to believe that if she adopted the healthy chef's suggestions she would be out of business shortly. She talked about her 'Northern style pizza' being in demand and while it may still be she is shortsighted in that her community is crying out for change, otherwise they would not be participating in this ambitious and important lifestyle change challenge.
I would offer an entire new line of healthy pizzas and invite the village to sample 'California style pizzas'. I'd make our whole wheat thin crust and our award winning marinara, low fat cheese and add some spinach with sundried tomatoes and a few fresh veggies from their garden - Yummeh! A couple of slices are perfect to snack on and great portion control too. Maybe throw some grilled pesto chicken breast on there or chick peas for added protein. I bet even the biggest guy in the village could get used to that kind of meal! You may also be surprised to know that we have many body builders who visit us regularly without spoiling their diets. Maybe one them would be willing to offer the villagers some helpful advice too.
That was the inspiration behind our 30 day pizza diet challenge. Not only do we believe that someone could lose weight by eating only our healthy pizzas for 30 days, but we also believe that because of the variety of sauces, cheeses & toppings we carry, they wouldn't get tired of it. This is a diet that anyone can stick to, which is one of the most difficult parts of dieting. As a side note I must say that not every pizza we make is healthy, for some of our clients it's not the primary reason they order a pizza from us. And I personally don't only eat our whole wheat pizzas with low fat mozzarella, there are days where I crave our deep dish Moosehead beer crust with double pepperoni and triple cheese and I satisfy that craving. BUT it's about balance.
We put our pizza diet challenge on hold because by the time we got things in place it was already October and the holidays were right around the corner so we thought we should postpone our challenge until the new year.
And here we are, January 2011. Seems that it's the perfect time to showcase how healthy pizza can be part of a healthy lifestyle. We will choose our candidates and launch our pizza diet challenge shortly. It'll be interesting to see the progress and the ongoing results, so stay tuned!
BTW if someone from CBC's Village on a Diet is reading this I'd be happy to offer my services (gratis) to the pizzeria owner of Taylor BC. I realize that filming is over, but the residents may or may not have reached their goals and good health is too important to give up on. Ever.
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