Uditi, whose neo-Neapolitan pizzas celebrate his Naples roots but also tell a modern story of the immigrant experience, and co-founders Candace and Charles Nelson opened their Silver Lake outpost of Pizzana in March. This came on the heels of Uditi, who first opened Pizzana in Brentwood in 2017 and then added West Hollywood and Sherman Oaks locations, becoming an international TV personality with his head-judge gig for pizza-competition show Best In Dough. That Hulu program has been released around the world by Disney+.

“When I went back to Europe, I was in the UK and then Spain and then Italy, and I couldn’t believe people recognized me,” Uditi says. “Someone took a video of me snoring on the plane. And I said, ‘Please, guys, if you want to take a picture, take a picture. Don’t record me snoring.’”

But overall, he’s happy and grateful that he’s in the spotlight. Pizzana is expanding to Marina del Rey soon, and Orange County could be next. Last year, Uditi debuted Pizzana’s first non-LA location in Dallas, and he says he would love to open more Pizzanas around the country.

And he’s excited to be part of LA’s first Pizza City Fest, a two-day event where he’ll be serving his food alongside numerous other beloved local pizzaiolos on Saturday, April 29. He’ll also be part of a Pizza City Fest “Dough Whisperers” panel discussion with Evan Funke (Felix, Mother Wolf), Andy Kadin (Bub & Grandma’s) and Noel Brohner (Slow Rise Pizza). Expect that to be a lively discussion.

“I don't come from the school of people who study chemistry to make pizza,” says Uditi, who makes his dough with organic stone-ground flours and lets the dough ferment for 48 hours. “I’m a bread maker. That’s how I was born. I wake up in the morning, I see my starter. Of course, people who make pizza should know a little bit of chemistry. But, yeah, just go and make fucking pizza. That’s how you get experience. That’s how you understand it.”

In many ways, Uditi’s the embodiment of the American Dream, a chef who still makes dough with his hands and remembers what it was like when he moved to Los Angeles almost 14 years ago, quickly went broke, lived in a van in Venice Beach and showered at public facilities.

“I don’t know how to use a dough mixer because I’ve never used one,” he says. “When people open more restaurants, they start to automate everything. I hate that.”

He’s a stickler who spent nearly a year perfecting heat-and-slice takeout pizzas to give customers the most ideal Pizzana experience in their homes. But Uditi also knows that being a chef in Los Angeles is about expanding your palate while delighting palettes that range from discerning Brentwood A-listers to families with children who just want familiar flavors.

Uditi’s margherita and pepperoni pizza are no doubt crowd-pleasers, but he really sets himself apart when he takes creative license and serves cacio e pepe pizza and vodka-sauce pizza and braised short-rib Sunday gravy pizza. His wife is Mexican, and he used to have a chorizo-and-jalapeno pizza and is now working on a pizza that’s inspired by Mexican street corn and will feature a chipotle sauce, roasted corn and Oaxacan cheese.

“Putting a label on pizza is restrictive,” Uditi says. “I think human beings should be free to tell their own story. I love Naples, but I want to tell my story as an immigrant.”

So he’ll do that at Pizza City Fest, which is created and curated by respected food journalist Steve Dolinsky. Uditi looks forward to spending time with other creative pizza-makers at the event, which will take place at LA Live and showcase more than 40 pizzerias. He’s flattered that he's considered a pioneer who made it clear that LA is ready to embrace a proper sit-down restaurant where pizza is the main event. But he’s quick to credit Pizzeria Mozza’s Nancy Silverton for jump-starting this movement and he knows he’s in a city where other pizza spots are doing terrific things.

“I appreciate so many other pizza chefs in Los Angeles,” Uditi says. “One of my favorites is Justin (De Leon) from Apollonia’s, which I think is amazing. La Morra does an amazing job. Ronan does an amazing job. They’re all great cooks. This pizza fest is an opportunity for all of us to talk to each other and maybe expand our knowledge. We’re all so buried in the restaurant life that we’ve never had a chance, as colleagues, to really talk to each other.”

LA, led by chefs like Uditi, is definitely having a pizza moment. La Morra, as just one example, launched a takeout/delivery spot in the Valley today.

“I think it was about time that somebody organized a pizza fest.” Uditi says.

By Andy Wang
source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andywang/2023/04/14/pizzanas-daniele-uditi-talks-expansion-and-las-first-pizza-city-fest/?sh=5bd8ec80417f

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