Pizza is more than just a slice of pepperoni; it’s an art. From Neapolitan and Roman-style to Chicago deep dish, from New Haven to Sicilian, pizzaioli from around the world will be sharing their unique takes on sauces, toppings and, most importantly, dough during the Endless Summer of Pie at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia.
Throughout the summer, The Grove restaurant at the chef training ground in downtown Napa will feature a changing lineup of pizza hotshots, including Sonoma County’s own Leah Scurto of PizzaLeah (Aug. 2-3).
Scurto is kind of a big deal in the pizza world; chosen for the United States Pizza Team, winning all sorts of important awards in Italy and the U.S., appearing in celebrity pizza competitions on Hulu, and generally being a badass when it comes to the art of dough making.
Other award-winning pizza chefs sharing their pie knowledge include Glenn Cybulski (June 14-15), Spencer Glenn (July 12-13), Laura Meyer (July 26-27), Lars Smith (Aug. 9-10), Vince Sbarro (Sept. 13-14), and Marcus Medina (Sept. 20-21). The event kicks off on June 1 with chef David Nayfeld and Neapolitan-inspired pizza from San Francisco’s Che Fico.
In addition to the chef lineup, The Grove’s menu will also feature regional Italian and American styles of pizza every two weeks from June through November, giving diners a chance to deep dive into the differences between the leopard spots of Napoletana (June 1-16), square Roman Taglio (June 19-30), thick Sicilian-style (July 3-14), super thin Tonda Romana (July 17-28), fluffy Padellino (July 31-Aug. 11) and oval-shaped Pinsa Roma (Aug. 14-25).
American pizza styles will be featured from Sept. 4 to Nov. 3, including New York, Chicago deep dish, Detroit Tavern, New Haven and California Neapolitan. What, no St. Louis style, my personal favorite? Maybe next year. More details and reservations at CIAatCopia.com.
