Wearing a leather jacket, a Balenciaga t-shirt simulating the Metallica logo, and hands covered in tattoos where the message of hope stands out, Francesco Martucci, considered the best pizzaiolo in the world, signed consecutive minutes of the special dinner served at Pizzeria Sartoria Panatieri in Barcelona so guests could take home a souvenir. A few minutes later, he reappeared in the restaurant workshop wearing an apron and white T-shirt, the same one worn by all the workers designed for the occasion, ready to dip his hands into the dough and round off four of his pizza recipes, the main course at night. As if he were a rock star, the diners lucky enough to attend the banquet — holding reservations for a €60 menu that sold out in thirty minutes — didn’t stop coming to the Pizzaiolo to see him at the Watching work surrounded by the chefs and waiters of Pizzeria Barcelona, who also kept their eyes on the show. Three hours later, Martucci was greeted with applause, hugs and photos.
This could be the summary of the first installment of Sartoria Panatieri Sessions (they will host one a month with pizza makers from other restaurants; the next will be on January 16th with Bæst and his chef Christian Puglisi), the event dedicated to this restaurant pizza cult. Add to that the pizza makers Rafa Panatieri and Jorge Sastre, who run the best pizzeria in Barcelona and are ranked 21st in the world according to the 50 Top Pizza World 2022 ranking – where I Masanielli, Martucci’s Pizzeria in Caserta (Naples) is on the podium – they wanted have their host. A session with six hands that will show what a sensation gourmet pizza is making, also in the Catalan capital, where specialized shops are opening all the time that spoil both the long-fermented dough and all the ingredients that surround it, paying attention to the proximity and set the season. Making pizza a more luxurious and sustainable snack.
Francesco Martucci in the workshop of Sartoria Panatieri in Barcelona.
Martucci follows this philosophy at its Caserta location, which is the same one he found at Sartoria Panatieri. So I had the illusion of cooking with their chefs. Rafa Panatieri said that they met him at the Top Pizza World gala and he immediately proposed this collaboration. “The most important thing is that young people pass on the values of pizza,” believes the teacher, who finds the work of these two young people based in Barcelona, very good, where they have two companies. “It’s very gratifying that he recognizes what we do, we feel very valued,” confirmed Panatieri after the dinner, which was also attended by other professionals in the sector, such as those in charge of Grosso Napoletano or Can Pizza, among the best Pizzerias in the world own the city. .
Born into a humble family, today’s best pizzaiolo in the world went to work at his uncle’s pizzeria when he was just 10 years old. There he started washing dishes, but always with the idea of becoming a great chef one day. Something he has more than achieved and demonstrated in Barcelona. “I got further than I thought I would,” he explains. He defends that his pizzas are “revolutionary” because they are different from the rest. The keys are in a dough fermented for 36 hours with quality flour and a willingness to play with the toppings that vary and mix a lot more than a marinara or a capricciosa. With this open-mindedness, he defends that “the pizza can have anything the cook creates,” even pineapple. That doesn’t mean the classics shouldn’t stay on the menu. For him, the best margherita is the one with San Marzano tomato, Fior di Latte cheese and basil. But what he enjoys most is one of his brothers, who runs pizzeria Sasa Martucci in the same Caserta, with as few ingredients as four kinds of tomatoes and cheese. Naturally sublime fundamentals.
Pizza “Futuro di marinara” with roasted tomato cream, Caiazzo olives, Trapani anchovies, wild garlic pesto, Salina capers and oregano from the Lattari mountains.
For dinner, he served some of the most successful pizzas in his restaurant, such as mani di velluto (silky hands) with friarielli cream (beet tops) in ricotta cheese water, buffalo mozzarella with Designation of Origin Campania, Pelatello Teanese salami with fennel, pecorino cheese from the Lattari Mountains and Itran’s extra virgin olive oil by Madonna dell’Olivo. Also the Alice nel paese delle Meraviglie (Alice in Wonderland) which I had on a base of fior di latte and black cabbage, anchovies, mayo with saffron from Terra di Lavoro, cavolonero black cabbage chips and blueberries. Starters, a selection of Italian sausages with focaccia and smoked butter, were prepared by Sartoria Panatieri, as was dessert, a classic tiramisu.
“You have to adapt to the world,” says Martucci, defending that it’s time to bet on sustainable projects. In his restaurant, the oven is wood-fired, all renewable energy and the ingredients are local and seasonal. But the pizzaiolo, who runs the Sophia Loren restaurant in Milan, doesn’t want to fool anyone either. “My passions are cars, fashion and design,” he admits, explaining that he moves with two powerful machines: a Ferrari and a Lamborghini.