Pizza Today - July 2024 - 10

Conversation
Mario LaPosta
Da LaPosta | Newton, Massachusetts
Neapolitan inspired pizza
cooked in a 900-degree wood
fired oven. Our pizza is naturally
leavened, made with proprietary
whole wheat flour from Central
Milling, so our dough is very
unique. It's crisp, soft, light and
airy all at the same time. Not
as soft as Neapolitan and not
as crisp as Roman, somewhere
in between. The starter for our
sourdough is almost 8 years old.
I spent a year developing the
flour blend, Farina da LaPosta,
so no one else in the world is
using it. Our dough method
is very old school, with the
sourdough, high hydration and
a low salt content, it then rises
in wooden dough trays at an
ambient temperature. It's similar
to what a lot of great bread
bakers do. Lots of structure, very
flavorful very easy to digest. You
don't feel heavy after eating the
pizza.
With a rich background in
pizza making, what went into
getting Da LaPosta off the
ground?
Well let's just say I feel like
Concept:
da LaPosta is an authentic
wood-fired pizzeria and restaurant
with Italian roots and New
England flair. da LaPosta honors
chef Mario LaPosta's dedication
to tradition and innovation, with
a menu that showcases the best
ingredients that regional purveyors
have to offer. Naturally leavened,
artisanal pizza is at the center of
10 / PIZZATODAY.COM / JULY 2024
the seasonal menu, along with
street food inspired starters, and
handmade pasta. The wine list
boasts the best of Campania and
Southern Italy. Specialty crafted
cocktails emphasize seasonality
and Italian Spirits along with a
Negroni and Spritz menu.
Pizza Style & Dough:
We're an artisan pizzeria serving
my entire life has been geared
towards getting da LaPosta off
the ground. I've always been
overly passionate about food
and pizza. Growing up in a very
Italian household, food, family
and big dinners were always
important. My mom made the
best pizza, and I always said
" mom, I'm going to have a
pizzeria one day. " Professionally I
worked as hard as I could, learned
as much as I could, and worked
my way up the ladder to become
a chef. I was lucky enough to work
with some amazing chefs along
the way that not only taught me
how to cook, but how be a leader
and run a restaurant. Once I put
roots down in Boston, I spent two
years developing the da LaPosta
concept, and sought out business
partners who believed in me and
my vision. It was an incredible
amount of hard work to get where I
am today and took a lot of support
from a lot of people, especially my
wife.
You have a talent for
interesting ingredient pairings.
Tell us about your process
of coming up with those
combinations.
I like to take inspiration from
lots of different things. Childhood
memories, great meals I've had
whether it be street food, a great
restaurant, or one my family or
friends cooked. I love specifically
Roman style pizza al taglio. The
toppings are usually unique and
abundant because the sturdier
pan pizza can hold it. So, I think
about different creations I've had
and how that can translate to my
pizza. In the summer and fall every
ingredient we buy is local, so I let
the bounty of local farms do the
speaking. I'm just lucky enough to
get to use the beautiful produce.
I'm inspired by great chefs I've
worked for like Andy Nusser, Corey
Cannon, and Chefs like Marc Vetri
& Chris Bianco. You know you
take what they've done and try
to give it a spin of your own. But
the overall approach is simple.
Simplicity is the key; don't overdo
it. Doesn't have to be Italian,
either. For example, my wife lived
in Baltimore for five years, so I
came to love Maryland style crab
cakes. I bought some local Maine
crab, made a homemade old bay
seasoning, a light aioli, a little
arugula, and put that on top of a
pizza Bianca with some really good
olive oil ... woah!
Photo courtesy of Mario LaPosta
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - July 2024

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