He used to work as a builder but he liked food and pizza so much he decided to study, on top of working as a past-time in the kitchen to learn with his eyes, passing from empiricism to the “science” of pizza.

A pupil of Angelo Iezzi – the putative father of the new generation of Roman pizza chefs – and Federico del Moro, he worked in various restaurants before making up his mind to meet the “king” of Roman pizza: Gabriele Bonci.

«I wanted to understand what was behind pizza, the reason why people would queue for hours. And I knew he was going to Australia for an event; I already had in mind to bring pizza abroad but I was looking for allies. I spent three hours waiting for him, but then it was love at first sight!».

Bonci gave him a job at the Panificio, took him around the world and Cristian – who in the meantime met other people in the Roman restaurant scene, Giancarlo Casa, Mauro Secondi, Edoardo Papa, Bonetta Dell'Oglio– was more and more convinced of the necessity of exporting the “pizza al taglio” format.

«I wanted to gain experience abroad – he says – but most of all I couldn’t understand why no-one had worked hard to get this product known in the world, as in the case of Neapolitan pizza, for instance».

In the end, a few months ago, Cristian took the big step himself: he opened his 22.2° - «22 is for me a master number, I always come across it» - in Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon, in the popular neighbourhood of Delicia.

A nice challenge, convincing local inhabitants to taste his pizza al taglio, the result of the meeting of Iezzi’s technique and Bonci’s philosophy: only fresh and seasonal products, instead of the “can philosophy”.

«It’s hard – says Cristian – There’s no tradition for pizza al taglio here, they’re used to eat only three or four types: cooked ham, champignons, 4 cheeses... They think pizza with potatoes is eccentric, and ask me to add pineapple or BBQ sauce». 

Yet he doesn’t give up and day after day he pulls out of the oven pizzas that unite Italian flavours with local products so as to conquer locals through their palate: pizza with chickpea hummus, lonza and peppers, onion and morcilla, courgettes, salad, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese seasoned in three ways, pastry pies with 4 cheeses and purple potatoes, calzoni with chorizo.

Step by step, he’s making Spaniards understand the value of good dough, of extra virgin olive oil, of potatoes on pizza. With a few concessions: «If they ask me for pineapple, I add it. But not the BBQ sauce, I refuse to do so and send them somewhere else!».

Luciana Squadrilli
source: http://newsletter.identitagolose.it/email.php?id=561

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