Lebanese born Chef Marc Abed’s latest project saw him hanging his hat and comfortably slipping into the role of apprentice. The aim, is to learn firsthand, how some of his favorite dishes are originally made. To do so, he decided to travel the world and enroll in cooking classes offered by various culinary masters. His latest mission saw him roaming the streets of Naples in Italy on a quest to learn the ancient traditions of pizza making straight from its country of origin. Abed attended an intense one-month Pizzaiolo course at the end of which he received a diploma to become a certified pizza maker.
The school he enrolled-in, Enzo Coccia‘s La Notizia, is the very first pizzeria in history to be recommended by the influential Michelin Guide. Throughout the years since opening, the pizzeria was awarded many prestigious prizes chief among these was the coveted Best Pizzeria 2014 by AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) for being the true Neapolitan pizza in all of Italy. Reflecting on his experience, Abed remarked, “While to most the process of making a pizza seems simple and straightforward, I on the other hand learned that it is anything but. It involves understanding the specific physics, chemistry and techniques that go into its preparation. Other considerations pertain to the selection of ingredients and cooking time in a wood-powered oven. Though these initially proved challenging, learning the tradition, history and culture of that cosmopolitan dish made it worthwhile. All in all, it was a great and unforgettable experience, which henceforth changed the way I view pizza.”
