Eyes on the Pies: Top chefs across the world share stories behind their favourite pizzas slice

Pizza is the most eaten food in the world after rice, and it deserves a day of celebration.You can’t really put a price (and please no pineapple) on the memories associated with pizza. And so, we ask some of the most celebrated pizza chefs from India and abroad to share three bite size pizza box memories with us and get Antonia Pace, who is essentially the head of the pizza police, to tell us why every great slice begins with respect for the craft.

Ritu Dalmia - Owner/Chef, Motodo Pizzeria
Comfort Slice: I fell in love with the classic Margherita the very first time I tasted it, and that feeling has never changed. It’s all about simplicity done right. I don't want it overloaded or distorted by anything else. When these few ingredients come together perfectly, it’s comforting, deeply satisfying, and truly timeless.

Best bite: My best pizza memory goes back to when I was 11 years old and visiting Italy for the first time. In Rome, I tasted both Roman pizza and Neapolitan pizza, and the latter was truly love at first bite. I remember paying just 300 lira, which would be `22 today, and feeling like I couldn’t possibly have had a better meal for that price.


Pizza in love: If I had to make a pizza for someone I love, it has to be a Diavola. That means a beautiful salami from Naples, fresh jalapeños, and creamy mozzarella or fior di latte. Simple but full of character.

Lex Sanchez - Owner/chef, Americano

Comfort slice: When I eat pizza, I’m transported back to my youth and some of the happiest moments of my life. In that spirit, I stick to the simple flavours I grew up with. That’s why I love a classic pepperoni: thin slices crisped at the edges, browned cheese bubbling on top — the unmistakable mark of a great New York slice.

Memory box: The first time my son ate a slice of cheese pizza in New York City, he ate it vertically with the sauce and cheese pressed against his face! He was in heaven!

Secret sauce: The secret to a great sauce is making sure it suits the style of pizza and the dough beneath it. A New York-style pie calls for a cooked sauce with depth and concentration, while a Neapolitan is best with a fresh, uncooked tomato sauce, seasoned simply with a few leaves of basil.

Domenico Cicchetti - Executive Sous Chef, Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences

First bite: The first pizza I remember truly loving takes me back to my childhood in Italy. Every Saturday, my mother and I travelled from Treglio to nearby Lanciano for the lively market in the main square. After wandering the colourful, noisy stalls, she’d buy me a slice from a tiny old-fashioned pizzeria tucked away nearby. It wasn’t fancy — just simple ingredients, warm and eaten on the go — but that first bite stayed with me. It’s probably where my love for pizza began.

Pizza in love: I’d make a half-and-half pizza. To me, love is about meeting in the middle and finding balance together. A half-and-half brings two tastes to one pie — shared, personal and made for both of you. It’s simple, but it says a lot.

Slice of life: If I could make pizza for someone it would be my late father, Antonio. He wasn’t a celebrity, but he was the greatest influence in my life. I never had the chance to cook for him — and that’s stayed with me. Making him a pizza would be my way of honouring him, of sharing the moment we never had. Food has always been how I express myself; that pizza would say everything I didn’t get to say out loud.

Massimo Verzini - Executive Chef, Si Nonna’s (AVPN certified)

Comfort slice: When I’m in Italy, my comfort pizza is a classic Margherita topped with porcini mushrooms. The tomatoes taste bright and fresh, the buffalo mozzarella melts into a creamy layer and the porcini — sautéed with olive oil, garlic and parsley — turn soft and silky.

Pizza in love: I would make a simple Margherita and garnishing with a burrata and fresh basil. Who doesn’t love lots of creamy cheese in a pizza!

Secret sauce: My secret is doing almost nothing. Top quality pelati tomato, crushed by hand, seasoned lightly with salt… that’s it.

Adriano Baldassarre - Michelin-starred chef, Tordomatto, Rome

Call of comfort: There are quite a few: Red base no mozzarella with mushroom, Margherita classic, with potatoes no mozzarella and a Romana-style pizza or a New York-style slice. But my new favourite is pepperoni Detroit style.

Go-to places: My top three: Rosie pizza bar Brooklyn, New York; Slice & Pie in Washington, DC and Ai Marmi Trastevere, Rome, Italy.

Rule breaker: One pizza rule I break at home is a pizza with pineapple, Pata Negra Ham and coriander. It doesn’t slightly break the rules, it shakes them up like a kind of earthquake (laughs).

Simone Zanoni - Michelin-starred Chef, La Mamounia, Marrakesh, Morocco

First love: My first true love was the pizza of my childhood — a simple Margherita. Every Sunday, my father would make the tomato sauce himself, and we’d have our family pizza nights at home. That smell of slow-cooked tomatoes, melting mozzarella and warm dough is still my emotional reference point for pizza today.

Crime line: I’d call the pizza police for what we see too often on social media today: videos where people stretch mozzarella endlessly, drown pizzas in sauce, or make exaggerated, messy gestures just to please the algorithm. It has nothing to do with a refined, delicate pizza. It’s painful to watch. And, of course, pineapple on pizza. The ultimate sacrilege.

Topping it: I’d love to make a pizza for Sylvester Stallone. I can totally imagine him loving a buffalo mozzarella pizza with prosciutto crudo and a slightly spicy rocket pesto. Strong character, big heart — that’s a pizza with personality.

The Pizza Police

While pizza needs celebrating, it also needs protecting. And that’s where Antonio Pace, the founder and president of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) — aka the Pizza Police — comes in. The association was founded in Naples in 1984 to defend the honour of true Neapolitan pizza. Born in the mid-1800s, it’s a style often copied but rarely mastered. In 2017, the “art of Neapolitan pizza makers” was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list — a fitting tribute to a craft Naples has guarded fiercely.

At its heart, Neapolitan pizza is beautifully simple, governed by a handful of strict rules. Follow them, Pace says, and you’ll have the real deal. In an interview with ET, he talks pizza, protection — and pineapple (gasp!).

What does pizza mean to you?
It means only one word, wonderful.

What was the first pizza you ever made?
I think it was 77 or 78 years ago. I enjoyed it with my grandfather. I still remember the flavour and taste of that first slice.

Why do you think pizza has become such a popular dish globally?
We’ve put a bit of effort into that. Neapolitan pizza is not only a product; it’s a lifestyle. The secret of pizza is its simplicity. In Naples, we always say, “Let’s go make a pizza.” It’s something you make with your friends, with your family. So it’s not only about eating — it’s a convivial moment.

What is the definition of pizza? When does it stop becoming Neapolitan pizza?
Neapolitan pizza is 250 to 300 years old and there are only a few simple things you must check to verify that a pizza is truly Neapolitan. It must be round, with a crust between one and two centimetres. You should be able to fold the pizza, because traditionally we eat it by hand. It’s foldable — not crispy. It must be thin at the centre. After that, you can taste the flavour of the crust. Everything else is an imitation of Neapolitan pizza.

How did you feel when you found out that AVPN was recognised by UNESCO?
We say that it touched the sky with one finger, because 40 years ago, when the association was founded, we never believed it would receive such an important recognition. This helped a lot in developing the Neapolitan pizza. Some countries that didn’t know about it became interested after this recognition.

You've spent decades protecting tradition. How do you feel about creative or gourmet pizzas?
Pizza is open to evolution. We were the ones who embraced gas ovens and electric ovens. We accept all variations that do not alter the original product. The association is open to innovation. But the important thing is that innovation respects the product.

QUICK BYTES

Wood oven or electric oven?
Wood oven.

Margherita or marinara?
Margherita for the taste, marinara for the flavour.

One person you'd love to share a pizza with?
With myself.

Which city outside Italy better understands the concept of the Neapolitan pizza?
The first to understand were the Japanese. Because of their culture and respect for their own traditions, they also respected ours. They were the first to truly understand the method and repeat it in the same way. After that, all over the world, we found many people who embraced it. For example, we ate a pizza at Si Nonna’s in Mumbai. The secret of pizza is the pizza maker. Sixty per cent depends on the person who makes it — the pizza maker.

Indians add masala to many dishes. What do you think about adding tandoori chicken and similar flavours to pizza?
If someone is skilled in gastronomy and understands its rules, they can find Indian ingredients that are suitable for a pizza — and we appreciate that. We are curious and we are happy to taste it.

Some chefs turn pizza into a luxury dish with caviar or truffles. Does luxury pizza have a place in your heart, or is its simplicity still the real appeal?
These are pizzas that satisfy certain people — and they like them. As an expert in gastronomy, a pizza with truffles satisfies me. A pizza with caviar, no. Caviar should not be on a hot pizza.

What has been the most offensive thing you’ve seen on a pizza?
I’ve seen many. But mainly, it’s when people create excess — too many ingredients on the pizza. You should not use more than four ingredients, plus olive oil. Another mistake is using fruit. Pineapple, perhaps, is the main mistake. It’s a psychological war.

What other food do you think needs to be protected other than pizza?
I would protect Italian pasta. There should probably be rules to ensure that Italian dishes are respected and prepared in the right way. But that is the job of others, not mine. I have already done my job.