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VPN NEWS |
International Pizza Expo 2012
- Las Vegas
(March 22,2012)
(Click the picture to see all the photos of the event)
T he
Pizza Expo closed its doors few days ago, but still we are living the
incredible moments that we spent together with everybody who had the chance
to participate at the event.
VPN Americas would like
to thank all its members, former trainees, promoters and all the friends of
the Neapolitan Pizza who visit us at our booth at Pizza Expo 2012.
Thank you Peppe Miele, Joe Fugere and all their staff for
the terrific organization, thank you Massimo Di Porzio and Stefano Auricchio for the incredible
support to the success of the event, thank you to all the VPN pizzaiolis for
making
these 3 days so special, thank you to all our sponsors
and supporters for the magic night at the Caesar Palace.
To all our
friends who didn’t have the chance to come to the Expo, we just invite them
to watch few pictures of the event hoping to see them next year. |
All the news:
March
22nd,2012
-
Pizza Expo 2012.
March 22, 2012 -
Vera Pizza
Social Event - Las Vegas Caesar Palace Hotel
February22nd,2012
-
Tutta Bella makes special delivery for
President Obama.
November 15th, 2011 -
VPN Americas
will be present at the International Pizza
Expo in Las Vegas.
November 12,2011 - Welcome to Pizza Festival
- Los Angeles
October 1st, 2011 -
VPN Americas
partecipation at "Taste of Italy" in
Los Angeles
August 01,2011 - My Revelatory Moment
(from PMQ Magazine)
July, 2011 - Best Eat for a Buck - Cavalli
Pizzeria
(from Forbes Magazine)
July 26,2011 - Cavalli Pizza
Napoletana Claims First Napoli Certified
Pizza
In Texas
(fron PMQ Pizza
Magazine)
June 22, 2011 - Tutta Bella's Joe Fugere
Named VP of VPN Americas
June 01,2011 - Neapolitan Pizza is Hot
May 22, 2011 -
Il Cane Rosso review
March
27,2011 - Merchant Register
March 18, 2011 - Pizza
Maker Registry
March 05,2011 - Pizza Expo in Las Vegas
Sept. 01, 2010 - Whole
Foods opens to the Neapolitan tradition.
Aug. 19,2010 -
Obama's
Pioneer Square speech on economy |
Vera Pizza Social Event - Las Vegas Caesar Palace Hotel
(March
22,2011)
(Click
the picture to see all the photos of the event)
A t the presence of many
guests, local members, partners and promoters a pleasant and relaxing event
has been held at the pool side of the Caesar Palace Hotel in
Las Vegas.
Massimo Di
Porzio, Acting President and Stefano Auricchio, Marketing Director from the
headquarter in Naples together with Peppe Miele, President and Joe Fugere
Vice President of the American Delegation, welcomed the 4 new members for
the 2012 (Cellar 849, Il Canale, Zaza and the third new location of
Settebello).
All the AVPN pizza staff (Guglielmo Vuolo, Josè Barrios,
Roberto Morotti, Giulio Adriani, Paolo Surace and Johnny Di Francesco)
performed in the preparation of traditional Neapolitan pizzas and fried
pizzas.
A thanks for attending and promoting the event goes to Costantino
and Lino Cutolo from Ciao Pomodoro, Jeff Hill from Grande Cheese, Ron
Salerno from Ferrarelle Usa, Francesco Zimone from Accademia Barilla, Antimo
Caputo from Molino Caputo, Giorgio and Riccardo Aguggiaro from Molino 5
Stagioni, Domenico Ragosta from Molino San Felice, Fred Mortati from Orlando
Food, Massimiliano Bertuzzi from Molino Pasini, Laura Autorino from Vitelli
Food, Marco d'Annibale from Gi Metal, Massimo Valoriani and Andrea Mugnaini
from Valoriani Forni and Mugnaini, Stefano Ferrara from SF Allestimenti, and
Francesco, Emiliano and Enzo Marra from Marra forni.
Behind the scene a
special thanks goes to D.J. Kot, Manager of the Caesar Palace and all the
hotel staff, Joyce Morinaka and Lori Randall from Tuttabella and Donato
Rumi, Marketing and Promotion Manager of VPN Americas for making this event
so particular and successful.
Thanks also to all the VPN Americas
members, the VPN pizzaiolis, the team of the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli and
all the numerous friends of the Neapolitan Pizza for attending the event.
See you at the 2013 !!!
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Tutta Bella pizzeria makes special delivery for President Obama
(February22,2012)
A
call from the White House last week sent employees at Tutta Bella Neapolitan
Pizzeria in Seattle scurrying to make a 40-pizza delivery to a visiting
President Barack Obama aboard Air Force
 One.
Joe Fugere, founder and
chief executive of four-unit Tutta Bella, and a small crew of company
employees (and also Vice President VPN Americas ndr) Friday manned a
borrowed wood-fired pizza oven in the parking lot of Paine Field in Everett,
Wash. Air Force One was parked there while the President made nearby
appearances.
The decision to make the pizzas at the airport stemmed from
Fugere's concerns that the thin-crust pies would not be optimum for serving
after a 30-minute trip by car from the Tutta Bella restaurant closest to the
Everett airfield, he said.
Once cooked, the pizzas were loaded into the
back of three Mini Cooper automobiles loaned by a local dealer and sent to
the President's flying command center.
All the components just fell into
place, said Fugere, who had only gotten word that the President would be in
town and appreciative of a taste of Tutta Bella on Wednesday evening.
Fugere had met with Obama in Seattle in 2009, when the president was seeking
input from small business owners about how the government could help main
street put people to work after Wall Street had nearly melted down and large
banks were holding tight to the funding entrepreneurs and smaller firms
needed to expand.
Later, Fugere was invited to the White House to watch
Obama sign into law the Small Business Jobs Act that, among other things,
raised the amount of money startups could seek under federal Small Business
Administration loans.
Full Article at:
http://nrn.com/article/tutta-bella-pizzeria-makes-special-delivery-president-obama |
International Pizza Expo 2012 - Las Vegas
(November15,2011)
 The Assocazione Verace Pizza Napoletana will attend the next International
Pizza Expo in Las Vegas from March 13 to 15, 2012. For the second year
in the row we will be present with our own boot (#1107), double in size
compared the 2011 edition.
The calendar of the expo is already posted
online. VPN Americas is planning to host few events in its boot, like
seminars or meetings with all the entities belonging to the world of the
Neapolitan Pizza. It will be a nice occasion to meet all our members
attending the exibition and discuss with them all the programs for the
future.
Keep following us on this website or on Facebook for all the
news regarding the program. |
Pizza Festival - Los
Angeles
(November15,2011)
 On
the commitment to be an essential part for the charity community,
VPN Americas proudly sponsored the event
to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital attending the pizza festival at the
Olympic Collection in West Los Angeles, last Saturday Nov. 12 on the first
part of the national event "Joe Pesci's Pizza Festival"
Joe Pesci's Love for Good Causes
and Good Food comes together in a national campaign to raise funds for
children's cancer causes. The festival is a part of a series of special
events in 15 states from LA to Chicago to NY bringing the best pizza makers
together for a celebration of Pizza.
(see pictures) |
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Welcome to the Pizza Festival - Los
Angeles
(November12,2011)
 Joe
Pesci's Love for Good Causes and Good food comes together in a national
campaign to raise funds for children's cancer causes starting with Los
Angeles , NYC, and Chicago with 12 other stops at major US cities. The
festival is a part of a series of special events in 15 states from NY to
Chicago to LA bringing the best pizza makers together for a celebration of
Pizza. The festival features several competitions to pick the best
pizza in each city.
Pizza Festival proudly brings
you the LA Pizza Festival the first part of the national event "Joe Pesci's
Pizza Festival"
To
celebrate our love for Pizza in Los Angeles to benefit St. Jude Children’s
Hospital. EVENT SPECIFICS:
When:
Saturday November 12, 2011 1pm - 5pm
Where: Olympic Collection 11301 Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA
90064
What: A Pizza
Festival featuring the best chefs and pizzerias in Los Angeles. Along with
some of the best wines, spirits, and delicious from around the globe; There
will be interactive demonstrations for everyone to enjoy. Live
demonstrations from celebrity chefs showing off their pizza skill; all
brought to you by PMQ Pizza Magazine and CBS Outdoor.
Why:
To raise funds for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital
non-profit Tax ID 35-1044585.
VPN Americas will proudly sponsor the
event and will attend the pizza festival at the Olympic Collection in West
Los Angeles this Saturday Nov. 12.
More information at:www.pizzafestival.net
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VPN Americas
partecipation at "Taste of Italy" in Los Angeles
(October1,2011)
 The
third annual Taste of Italy Los Angeles showcased more than forty of the
region's best restaurants, wineries, and fine food and beverage purveyors,
including fifteen restaurants recently awarded with the Marchio Ospitalita'
Italiana, Italy's highest culinary honor.
As
Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, we successfully participated to the
event with our mobile oven, that gave us the opportunity to make our
Neapolitan style pizzas for all the numerous fans
participating at
the event.
YouTube Video |
My Revelatory
Moment (Jay Jerrier /Il Cane Rosso, Dallas, TX)
(from Pizza Today Magazine) (August 2011)
 My
obsession with Neapolitan Pizza began on our honeymoon trip to the
Italian Riviera back in 1995 — Pizzeria Aurora on the Square in
Sorrento to be exact. I was working in New York at the time for GE
Capital, and all of the natives had warned me that I would hate the
pizza in Italy, that it tasted “nothing like New York.” That little
pizzeria in Sorrento was where I had my “holy crap!” moment. Each
bite of that pizza was a revelation — tangy, milky cheese and
tomatoes that tasted like, well, tomatoes. I was blown away.
Life happens, so fast forward 10 years, several “real jobs” and two
kids later. I had relocated to Dallas and had a crazy idea to build
a wood-burning pizza oven in our backyard. After many failed and
incinerated pizzas, I sought out training with L’Associazone Verace
Pizza Napoletana, the American delegation headquartered in Marina
del Rey, California. After lots of hands on training, gentle
guidance and yelling (“Jay! Pizzas are round!”; “Jay! This is
burned”; “Jay! Do it again!”), I began to get it. From there, I knew
the path forward. We’d open a Neapolitan pizzeria in Dallas and join
the very few, select pizzerias to obtain certification from Verace
Pizza Napoletana (VPN). After all, how hard could it be?
In February of 2011 we opened Il Cane Rosso in the Deep Ellum
neighborhood of Dallas — complete with a custom Neapolitan oven, a
“fork mixer” imported from Naples and pizza ingredients imported
from Campania. We were fortunate enough to be well received by both
the public and the food critics. We were making pizza with passion
and put great thought into all the components. All of the stars were
finally aligned to pursue certification. The initial application is
easy — a short form, some photos of the process and ingredients, a
few YouTube videos and our application was in the pipeline.
Several weeks later, the e-mail arrived indicating that schedules
were being arranged for our pizzeria to be “inspected” by a Master
Pizzaiolo from VPN. That’s when the stress and the reality of the
situation hit me like a ton of bricks. Despite having made thousands
of pizzas, hand-selecting our equipment and ingredients, and
enjoying good reviews, we were about to be “inspected” by someone
who has been making pizza ALL HIS LIFE. I suddenly realized that
while certification by VPN is indeed a great honor, it is also a
great responsibility and a great commitment. It’s so much more than
a business decision or a marketing strategy. We Americans just don’t
have the sense of, or respect for, the tradition of pizza making
that stretches back hundreds of years.
I don’t think I slept at all the night before the inspection. I
barely spoke to the team at our restaurant for the week leading up
to it. My anxiety was heightened after picking the inspector up at
the airport and discussing the importance of tradition on the ride
to our pizzeria.
The inspection lasted all night long and involved all aspects of our
operation — ingredients, dough making, ball rolling, dough
stretching, peel techniques, oven management, cooking and finishing.
It was, to say the least, an incredibly humbling experience. While
we had been confident in our ability to reproduce authentic
Neapolitan pizza, we quickly realized we had an incredible amount to
learn. Although stressful, the inspector taught us a tremendous
amount — not only about making pizza, but also about respecting and
honoring tradition.
That very same commitment to tradition produced a “holy crap!”
moment for me 16 years ago on a warm summer evening in Sorrento. We
hope to do the same for even just one of our customers.
If you’d like to see the application video we did for the VPN, you
can find it here:http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=canerossotx
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Best Eats For The Buck
(Forbes Magazine)
(July,2011)
 Our
list of 20 restaurants includes those with food scores no lower than 25 and
an average price per head no higher than $27. Cuisines range from American
to Peruvian and Soul Food to Mexican.
Here, then, are the best eats at the lowest prices:
3. Cavalli Pizzeria
Location:
Irving and McKinney
Food Type:
Italian/ Pizza
Owners Tip:
“Love what you do–love every part of it and be excited about it.”- Paolo
Cavalli, owner and chef
Fun Fact: Paolo
Cavalli and his sister (and co-owner) TK Cavalli were born in the United
States but grew up in Italy.
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Cavalli Pizza Napoletana
Claims First Napoli Certified Pizza In Texas
(fron PMQ Pizza Magazine)
(July 26,2011)
 According
to D Magazine, "For Paolo Cavalli, making pizza is just continuing
the work started by his great grandparents. For the rest of his family
running
Cavalli Pizzeria Napoletana it is also the
continuation of the family work. The family is now large enough to support
two locations: the original spot in Irving the more recent McKinney
incarnation. They might be able to birth another at some point but that will
depend on such imponderables such as span of control and birth rates.
However, from the first bite you take from the pizza at Cavalli, this is not
chain restaurant mentality pizza. In fact they have been so under the radar
that I dare say many Dallasites are unaware that such a gem exists in the
area. To partly rectify this problem they organized a press dinner."
"Cavalli claims to be the first pizzeria in Texas to be certified by the
Verace Pizza Napoletana Association
(VPN), the producer association established in Napoli to prevent what they
saw as the mongrelizing of the whole concept of pizza in the world. [Ed.
note: They opened in Irving on January 17th, 2008 and were certified April
17th, 2008.] They wanted to declare some places above the
you-like-tomatoes-on-your crust-or-pineapple-on-your-pie mentality. And,
since many places use pizza as only a container, why don’t we start selling
pizza in the housewares department and use extra gluten so it can be used to
carry dirty washing? Why not make pizza hats to wear in the showers? The
possibilities are endless and, if I am willing to risk being whacked by
Paolo, not all bad."
Click Here to View Full Story
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Tutta Bella's Joe Fugere
Named Vice President of VPN Americas
(fron PMQ Pizza Magazine)
(June 22, 2011)
 Seattle,
Washington --- Joe Fugere, founder of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, has
just been appointed Vice President of Media, Marketing and Events for the
Associazione Verace Pizza
Napolenata
(AVPN) headquartered in Naples, Italy and the VPN Americas in Los Angeles.
In his new position, Fugere will assume responsibility of assisting the VPN
in strategic planning and the organization of VPN related activities,
including those at the International Pizza Expo and Pizza Fest; public
relations in the promotion of the VPN on a national and international level;
and assisting the VPN in carrying out special projects.
Massimo Di
Porzio, President of VPN Italy, felt that Fugere’s passion for the
authenticity and tradition of Neapolitan pizza making made him an
outstanding candidate for the position. “We are growing all around the
world and need new vitality and enthusiasm to increase our visibility”, says
Di Porzio. “We have lots of projects and ideas that we need to share.”
The VPN is an international non-profit organization that was founded in
the mid-1990’s by a group of Neapolitan pizzaiolis (pizza makers) seeking to
cultivate the culinary art of making Neapolitan pizza. In June of
1998, the association was officially established as a denomination of
control (DOC) by the Italian government, a designation that made the VPN a
legal entity able to give special designation to pizzerias who meet strict
requirements that respect the tradition of the art of Neapolitan pizza
making.
Tutta Bella was the Northwest’s first Vera Pizza Napoletana
(VPN) certified Neapolitan pizzeria and as such is held accountable to the
Association’s high culinary standards. The company has four locations:
Columbia City, Issaquah, Stone Way and Westlake. Tutta Bella has been
honored with the Nation’s Restaurant News “Hot Concepts” award, the
Washington State Restaurant Association’s “Full Service Operator of the
Year” award, two Waterford Crystal Beverage Awards, Pizza Today’s
“Independent Pizzeria of the Year”, GSBA “Business of the Year” award, and
the national “ICIC Inner City 100” award. For more information, please
visit
www.tuttabella.com.
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Neapolitan Pizza Is Hot
(from Pizza Today)
(June
01, 2011)
 I
don't see this as a fad, but as a staple of the industry. It embraces the
trends we see in the industry while addressing the needs of operators. The
realization for healthier eating is fulfilled with a 'less is more'
attitude. This pie is made with fresh, heathy ingredients containing
anti-carcinogens. Usage of fewer ingredients gives the operator a lower food
cost on an item with a high perceived value. With this style of pizza,
flavors pop and customers experience the true taste and texture of our great
dish. The classic Neapolitan pizza has been around since the Middle Ages,
which gives you a story and a great marketing tool.
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Il Cane Rosso (Dallas)
(May 23, 2011)
 Here
is the latest review of our member Il Cane Rosso from the Fort Worth
Star Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/2011/05/19/454751/il-cane-rosso-pizza-dallas.html |
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Merchant Registry
(March 27, 2011)
The Vera Pizza Napoletana Association, during the
last Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, introduced the new Merchant Registry, created
with the aim to protect the suppliers of any kind of ingredient suitable for
the preparation of real Neapolitan Pizza.
All the suppliers of pizza ingredients operating in
local markets can now have the opportunity to become members of the Merchant
Registry, whose purpose is to classify the producers of authentic and
original high quality ingredients for making pizza (flour, tomato, olive
oil, cheese, etc) and other products (cold cuts, meats, cheeses, etc) used
as toppings.
The origin of
these products will not be considered the only requirement in order to
become part of the Registry.
The main requirement to be certified by the Registry is to respect certain
quality standards, fixed and periodically checked by the Agronomical
Department of the University Federico II of Naples.
“This is a further step” – said Massimo Di Porzio, General Director of the
Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana in Naples – “to
definitively assert
the
real Neapolitan pizza in the international market.
The Neapolitan Pizza is going to become a heritage of mankind and only
safeguarding its tradition and its origin we can protect its naturalness,
releasing it from its natural borders and open to the world, without be
afraid of the innovations.”
“The Americas
is always been a fertile land for the Association” – ends Stefano Auricchio,
Marketing Director of AVPN- “and even in this beginning of the year we had
the chance to certify 3 new pizzerias, reaching 350 members all over the
world.”
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Pizza Maker Registry
(March 18, 2011)
 The
Pizza Maker Registry (Albo
Pizzaiuoli) of Verace Pizza Napoletana has been established with the aim
of professionalizing the category of pizza maker to the end of guaranteeing
not only the quality of the productive process or of the products utilized,
but also of the personnel at work within the pizzeria.
The
Registry was born to safeguard the image of pizza makers professionally
carrying out their work making true Neapolitan pizza and it
is valid internationally.
The Register consists
of three sections:
1) Oven
Operator (Addetto al Forno) /
Pizza maker assistant (Aiuto Pizzaiolo)
2) True Pizza Maker
(Pizzaiolo Verace)
with a honorary status of :
Senior Pizza Maker
Master Pizza Maker
3) Instructor Pizza Maker (Istruttore Pizzaiolo)
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A Las Vegas
'sbanca' la Vera Pizza Napoletana
(March 05,2011)
 Nella capitale mondiale del gioco
d’azzardo, la vera pizza napoletana cala il
suo poker d’assi e batte tutti.
Grande
attenzione, infatti, hanno suscitato le
nuove iniziative che l’Associazione Verace
Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) ha presentato a Las
Vegas in occasione dell’International Pizza
Expo, la più importante rassegna al mondo
dedicata alla pizza, tenutasi dall’1 al 3
marzo scorsi.
Giunto alla sua
ventisettesima edizione, l’evento ha riunito
oltre 10mila addetti ai lavori e più di
mille espositori: la location ideale,
insomma, per lanciare, sul mercato
internazionale, i due nuovi progetti che
l’AVPN ha messo in cantiere, l’Albo dei
Fornitori ufficiali e l’Albo professionale
dei Pizzaioli, destinati a tutelare e
promuovere la vera pizza napoletana, i
prodotti tipici con cui è realizzata e la
professionalità degli operatori che la
preparano.
I pizzaioli italo-americani
hanno immediatamente compreso l’importanza
dell’iniziativa, tant’è che sono state
numerosissime le richieste di adesione
all’Albo specialistico che prevede regole
ben precise a tutela della professionalità
della categoria.
Tra le aziende
americane e gli operatori italiani che
operano sul mercato statunitense grande
interesse ha suscitato l’Albo dei fornitori,
che mira a raggruppare i produttori degli
ingredienti indispensabili per realizzare la
pizza napoletana (dalla farina all’olio, dal
pomodoro alla mozzarella agli altri
ingredienti - prosciutto, salame, etc. - che
trovano ‘collocazione’ sulla pizza).
Aderendo all’Albo, le aziende potranno
certificare l’alta qualità dei propri
prodotti: conterà, infatti, il rispetto dei
parametri di qualità individuati dagli
esperti della Facoltà di Agraria
dell’Università “Federico II” di Napoli e
non la provenienza geografica.
“In questa
terza fase di attività della nostra
Associazione - spiega Massimo Di Porzio,
vicario e direttore generale dell’AVPN -
l’obiettivo è promuovere la vera pizza
napoletana anche e soprattutto a livello
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Whole Foods opens to the Neapolitan
tradition
(Sep01,2010)
 Whole
Foods, the famous food store chain presents in all the United States as
a symbol of healthy eating in all its product range and certified
organic brands, opens to the true Neapolitan pizza preparation. In
Fairfax, Virginia, the President of the VPN American delegation Peppe
Miele together with Giulio Adriani the master instructor Giulio
Adriani, led a collective training to 12 of Whole Foods pizzaioli. The
goal was to teach them the technique for the preparation of a
traditional Neapolitan pizza, a process considered more natural and
genuine. The possibility of applying techniques for the preparation of a
Neapolitan pizza inside the Whole Foods market, is considered a huge
success and makes us proud to think as, a concept almost unknown a few
years ago, is becoming an increasingly growing phenomenon, combined with
a more natural and healthyway of eating.
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Watch: Obama's Pioneer Square
speech on economy
(Aug19,2010)
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1998 and following by Verace Pizza Napoletana Association® |
