Pizza Today - November 2022 - 32

" These products are either delivered
on an 18-wheeler from a broadline
distributor or maybe from Mexico or
Chile, " says Matthew Lyons, owner
of Tribute Pizza in San Diego. " Or
maybe they come from a guy who
just that morning was loading a van
and driving 20 miles to your neighborhood. "
Lyons
buys produce from two
nearby farmers markets where consumers
also shop. The difference is he
brings a dolly and buys 100 pounds
of tomatoes at a time. Some farmers
let him pre-order. " They text us and
ask, 'What do you want tomorrow?' "
he says. " They will make sure they
are bringing it in and putting it aside
for us. " For a fee, some farmers set
aside an amount of acreage of, for
example, kale or peppers, and Tribute
Pizza buys the entire crop.
One drawback to this method of
sustainable sourcing is that it's time
consuming to go to a farmer's market
once or twice a week. Also, while
some of the farmers have card readers
at their booths, others require
cash payments. " It's a different kind
of accounting, " Lyons says. " They are
not doing invoices. "
Still, he is building relationships
with the farmers, which has its
advantages. Some farmers offer
Lyons a bulk discount. " It's more cost
effective, " he says. " We are cutting
out the middleman. " He gets alerts
about the week's crop and makes
changes to the menu, such as adding
prosciutto and melon when melons
come in. There is also a rotating
Farmer's Market Pizza on the menu.
For some, buying from farmers
is less convenient but still worthwhile.
When Talula's Pizza opened
in Asbury Park, N.J. eight years ago,
husband and wife owners Steve and
Shanti Mignogna cold-called local
farmers and asked if they would
deliver. " We did a lot of research, "
Shanti Mignogna says. " We were
starting from scratch. "
For a few years they sourced ingredients
from several farms. Eventually
they began working with Harvest
Drop, which delivers food from local
farms. " That allows us to have access
to so many more small family farms
that don't sell direct, and don't have
transportation, " Mignogna says.
Another way to source
sustainable ingredients is to
prepare items onsite. Instead of
buying packages of mozzarella,
Talula's Pizza buys large bricks of
curd and makes the cheese in-house.
The restaurant also buys large packs
of meat and slices it in-house instead
of buying packaged sliced meat.
While that takes more labor, the
quality and flavor are better,
Mignogna says, and it cuts down on
packaging. Also there are savings
on food costs. " I prefer to put our
money in people than buying things
pre-made, " she says.
Some operators buy products from
long distances but say the sourcing is
sustainable because the ingredient is
organic. Ambrogio15, part of Milano
Five Group, with locations in California
and Scottsdale, Arizona, uses Petra
Flour from the Molino Quaglia grain
mill in Verona, Italy. Fabio Rauscher
Bascon, chief marketing officer at
Milano Five Group, explains that
Molino Quaglia is an agronomic
system that limits its environmental
impact. The Italian wheat is grown
with the minimum usage of fertilizers,
pesticides and synthetic substances,
and the stone milling technique crushes
the grain of wheat while conserving
its natural qualities.
" Using stone ground flours made
in a sustainable way is critical to
our mission and product, " Rauscher
Bascon says. " There is a special
process to it, but it gives it a better
taste, gives it more nutrition, and a
nice aroma. "
NORA CALEY is a freelance writer who
covers small business, finance and lifestyle
topics.
http://GalbaniPro.com/Premio http://GalbaniPro.com/Premio
Pizza Today - November 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - November 2022
