Passion for pizza: New York father, daughter bring trade secrets to St. John's

Roberto Caporuscio has no problem sharing his most scrumptious secret — how to make the world's best Neapolitan pizza. 

"What we want to do is spread the word. The more people [who] know this kind of stuff, the better for everybody." 

Caporuscio and his daughter Giorgia recently shared their secret with kitchen staff at the St. John's restaurant EVOO. 

"I don't find anyone in the entire world that doesn't like pizza," said Giorgia Caporuscio.

"My father and I go around and we always say ... that pizza brings together people ...rich people and middle class people and poor people because it's simple and really unique."

From Naples to NYC

Caporuscio's story is captivating. He grew up as a farmer and cheese maker in a small village near Naples, Italy, and spent years learning the art of pizza making with some of the best in the country. Naples is where pizza is said to have originated. 

I don't find anyone in the entire world that doesn't like pizza.- Giorgia Caporuscio

Seventeen years later, he took all that he learned about the pizza business and moved to the United States where he opened several pizzerias, as well as a pizza school.

Today, Caporuscio lives in New York where his two restaurants have won numerous awards. 

Giorgia's story is no less interesting. She came to live with her father in 2009 with the intention of only staying long enough to learn English.

But because she didn't know anyone and could not speak the language, she spent most of her spare time at the pizzeria. It turned into a passion. 

"I decided four years ago to be professional. To improve myself more and more. My father opened a second location (in New York) and I was in charge. I teach myself every single day how to make the best pizza for the customer."  

'We knew she was the best'

It was that passion for pizza that caught the eye of EVOO's general manager, Grant Fowler, at the the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas last March. 

Just the way they actually press the dough, form the dough, it's completely different...it's almost perfect.- Chef Daniel Butler

"We went down there to take ourselves back to school and see what the latest innovations were in the business," he said.

"But the most impressive person we saw was Giorgia. You could tell just by the way that she held herself and spoke to the crowd and talked about the job that she did. We believed even before we knew that she was the best, that she was."

Fowler said on returning to St. John's he got in contact with the Caporuscios to see if they would come to teach EVOO staff all the tricks of the pizza making trade. 

EVOO is a new Mediterranean inspired restaurant located in the Murray Premises courtyard downtown.

The menu already consists of several pizzas, but Fowler said they're always looking for ways to step up their game, and the Caporuscios were the perfect people to help them do that.

The head chef at EVOO Daniel Butler said that the experience was eye opening. 

"We've all made pizza before, but just the way they actually press the dough, form the dough, it's completely different than I've ever been shown. When it comes down to it, it's almost perfect."

So what are some of the tips that the Caporuscios shared with the chefs at EVOO? 

• The right flour. They recommend caputo flour. 
• Let the dough rise for at least 48 hours.
• Use imported canned tomatoes for the sauce. Buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake to perfection in a woodfired oven.