For those who burn to learn

Posted by Jill Strauss / in Class Essentials, Into the Fire Blog /

My mentor in Naples, Enzo Coccia, is a  proud man. He is proud to be a fourth generation pizzaiolo, proud that he has two pizzerias with ovens built to exacting standards by the famous forno, Stefano Ferrara, proud that his pizzas  have earned him an international reputation for excellence and authenticity, and proud that his good press has led Americans like me to fly all the way to Naples to be his  student. The only thing he is not proud of is his inability to speak English fluently.

Since I do not speak Italian fluently, we often did not easily understand each other, especially when our lessons first began and this greatly frustrated Enzo. Often, while I would be trying to slap down the soft dough the way he had just modeled Enzo would say to me in his broken English: “This…..(and he would point to my fingernails that were never short enough for him) PROBLEM!” and he would emphasize the word “problem” by saying it very loudly. My dear teacher’s high standards were only matched by his impatience and since it seemed to give him a certain pleasure to release his frustration frequently, I often liked to pretend I didn’t understand him, when in fact, I knew perfectly well what he wanted from me.

Posted by Jill Strauss / in Class Essentials, Into the Fire Blog /

Val asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year…and I said, “to study pizza making in New York City with Jim Lahey.”  Jim’s no-knead bread recipe, first published in an article in 2006 in the New York Times brought him widespread recognition as an innovator and artist. In 2009, he applied his unusual style and techniques to pizza making and opened Co. Last year, he published his cookbook My Pizza and divulged his secrets for crisp crusts and amazing toppings.

Posted by Jill Strauss / in Class Essentials, Into the Fire Blog /

Don’t I look happy on this brilliant day in May? I am traveling by water taxi, on my way to Ristorante Signori, one of the finest seafood restaurants in Sirmione on Lake Garda. Maria Callas, the divine opera singer, had a villa on the shore of Lake Garda. Supposedly, this jewel of a spot is where “La Divina” came to recover from emotional wounds inflicted by her lover Aristotle Onassis.

I, too, came to Italy to heal. For me it was from the long, horrible winter of 2009. The only thing that got me through the ice storms and depressing economic news was the dream of coming to Italy in the spring to hone my Italian cooking skills and meet others who are truly passionate about good food.