September 25th to September 27th, 2023
9:00am to 5:00pm for three (3) consecutive days.
3-Day Intensive “Four Signature Styles in Three Days” with Pizza Champions Leah Scurto and Laura Meyer
Event Date:
September 25, 2023
Event Time:
9:00 am
Event Location:
Pizza University & Culinary Arts Center
CLASS DESCRIPTION
In this 3-day intensive hands-on class you will learn the techniques needed to properly execute NY, Detroit, Grandma, and Sicilian style pizzas.
Pizza Chefs Leah Scurto and Laura Meyer will cover the dough-making process for both direct method and indirect method made with a poolish. You will gain hands-on experience for handling 2 different styles of pizza dough; an artisanal New York style and a higher hydration dough that is versatile for pan style pizzas.
Our instructors will discuss the cheese and sauce options to use for all 4 styles and demonstrate how to hand pull mozzarella and burrata.
Women in Pizza is a movement that empowers women in the pizza industry to share their stories, display their talents, inspire innovations, and connect with one another and the world, with the vision to grow a social movement that gives a voice to the under-represented female segment of pizzaioli. The contributions these women have made to the pizza community have and will continue to be vital to the advancement of the pizza industry.
WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE
- Pizza University Certificate
- 18 CEHs by the American Culinary Federation®
- Pizza University Apron
- Pizza University Chef’s Jacket
- Swag Bag
CLASS CURRICULUM
❖ 8:30AM – Arrival at Pizza University & Culinary Arts Center – Light Breakfast
❖ 9:00AM – Introduction by Pizza University Founder and CEO Francesco Marra
❖ 9:30AM – Class overview. Direct method vs. indirect method dough.
❖ 10:00AM – Make direct method dough
❖ 11:15AM – Ball dough that was bulk fermenting for 24hrs
❖ 12:00PM – Discuss different types of flour and fermentation
❖ 12:30PM – Make dough and pizza sauce, ingredient prep
❖ 1:30PM – Working lunch
❖ 2:30PM – Orlando Foods presentation
❖ 3:00PM – Cook New York-Style pizzas
❖ 4:45PM – Make poolish for indirect dough for next-day use
❖ 5:15PM – Q&A
❖ 8:00AM – Marra Forni Factory Tour
❖ 9:00AM – Drive Back to Pizza University & Culinary Arts Center
❖ 9:30AM – Push out Pans – Detroit, Grandma
❖ 10:15AM – Make indirect dough – second and final pan push outs
❖ 11:30PM – Ball and shape dough from the previous day
❖ 12:00PM – Make arugula and basil pesto
❖ 12:30PM – Grande Cheese presentation and fresh mozzarella and burrata-making session
❖ 2:00PM – Working lunch
❖ 3:00PM – Make hand-made Italian sausage
❖ 3:30PM – Cook Grandma and Detroit-Style pizzas. Par bake vs. not par bake
❖ 4:45PM – Q&A
❖ 8:30AM – Arrival at Pizza University & Culinary Arts Center
❖ 9:00AM – Students make the style of pizza they want to focus on, using the dough they hand-made the day before
❖ 10:15AM – Corto & Stanislaus presentation
❖ 11:00AM – Make vodka sauce for Sicilian and Grandma-style pizzas
❖ 11:30AM – Ezzo presentation
❖ 12:00PM – Working lunch
❖ 12:45PM – Sicilian pizzas. Make Sicilian and Grandmas, and discuss the two styles.
❖ 2:45PM – Exam and Q&A
❖ 3:45PM – Graduation and Certificate Presentation, Photos
❖ 4:15PM – Video Testimonials
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
Leah Scurto has been making pizza for over 25 years and is a 4 time national champion pizza maker, a member of the United States Pizza Team and an ambassador for the Women in Pizza movement. Leah currently owns and operates Pizzaleah in Sonoma County, California. Since opening in 2020, Pizzaleah was listed as one of the 25 Top Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area by food critic Soleil Ho.
In 2022 Leah was featured on Hulu’s original TV show, Best In Dough.
Leah actively operates her restaurant in California and also travels the world cooking pizza at international competitions and festivals.
Born and raised in Hayward, California, Laura Meyer’s first job was working at Pyzano’s Pizza, her local pizzeria. At just 17 years old, the pizzeria was where Laura met her mentor, Tony Gemignani, and her career as a pizzaiola began. After high school, Laura went to earn her Bachelor’s Degree, when she discovered her passion for culture and food while studying abroad in Italy. Upon graduating, Laura moved to San Francisco to take the helm at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana as kitchen manager alongside Tony himself. With Tony, Laura honed her skills in fermentation and perfecting more than 10 regional styles of pizza.
In 2013, Laura took her competitive spirit back to Italy where she won first place in her first competition in Parma, Italy, becoming the first woman and first American to win the Pizza in Teglia category. The following year, she won Best Non-Traditional Pizza at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. In 2019, she won first place at the Caputo Cup in Naples, Italy for Best American-Style Pizza, once again becoming the first—this time winning in a newly created category in one of Italy’s oldest pizza competitions.
Throughout her tenure at Tony’s, Laura’s rising success earned her recognition as SF Chronicle’s Rising Star Chef, an Eater Young Gun, and one of Zagat’s 30 Under 30, and was named Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2016.
Amid the pandemic, Laura dipped her toes into the waters of entrepreneurship, opening Focaccia da Laura, a focaccia pop-up. Given the success and prospects of Focaccia da Laura, Laura made the decision to depart Tony’s wing after nearly 20 years to open Pizzeria da Laura
in Berkeley, California.
Certificate & Chef Swag
A Pizza University certificate and cool chef swag.
Chef Jacket and Apron
You’ll receive a Pizza University apron and chef jacket.
Networking
Connect with fellow pizzaiolos and restaurant owners.
Support
Post pizza-class support.
PAST STUDENTS IN ACTION
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