Our Pizzaiolo Training Program
If you know anything about Talia di Napoli, you know that we have authentic Neapolitan pizzas that are actually 100% made by hand at our pizza facility (the pizzificio) by our trained pizza chefs (pizzaioli). But do you know where they were trained? You may have already guessed the answer due to the title of this article, but we are the ones that provide the training through our own program.
For centuries, Neapolitans have been making pizzas through methodology passed down from generation to generation. These techniques cover everything from ingredient ratios to dough stretching, and require extensive study and practice to fully master. Neapolitans take pizza making so seriously that they're the only people that can certify aspiring pizza chefs, and that until one completes the training, one cannot be called a pizzaiolo.
At Talia di Napoli, we conduct the training ourselves through our own program. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. We want to make sure every pizzaiolo making our pizzas received the proper training, which they will through us. We also want to create opportunities for the Neapolitan community. Some training programs require prior experience in the food industry; we do not. So long as a genuine commitment to learning is there, we will admit anyone into our program and we pay them during their training, as well as offer them official pizzaiolo positions at our pizzificio once training is complete.
Our pizzaiolo training program works like an apprenticeship and can take up to two years to complete. There are certain pizzaioli who educate the pizza apprentices on the different stages of pizza making, recipe development, etc. While most of the material is applicable to all pizza making in general, there are also Talia-specific skills that would not be taught elsewhere, like learning how to use our cryogenic freezing chamber, how to create the gluten-free crusts, and how to work with the ovens we had custom built for our facility.
Once an apprentice completes our training, he or she earns the title "pizzaiolo" and can technically take this skill anywhere. But more often than not (in fact, it might actually be every time), our newly named pizzaioli stay with us and continue to handcraft the delicious pizzas we deliver right to your doors!
Talia di Napoli
