THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 17, 1994 TAG: 9411160041
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BROWN H. CARPENTER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 163 lines
MARCO POLO would be proud. And maybe hungry.
The culinary traditions of Italy and China seem likely to merge atop a pizza crust.
At the spring Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, where thousands of people in the industry gathered, an Oriental stir-fry recipe out of Louisville was named Pizza of the Year.
Soon, this concoction could be delivered to your door.
Pizza does not stand still.
As gastronomic trends, such as Thai and Cajun, roll across America, neighborhood pizzerias and national chains alike offer ethnic and herbal blends on hot sliced pizzas packed in boxes.
Pizza all the way? It's beyond that: It's pizza all the way around the world, and back again.
No longer Italian, no longer American, pizza is global.
In Japan, you can choose squid or eel for toppings. In Pakistan, order a curry pizza, but next door in India, forget about beef. Cows are sacred.
In Russia, no surprise, red herring is a favorite ingredient although President Boris Yeltsin dined on pies delivered by the Moscow Pizza Hut when he fought off the power usurpers in the coup attempt of 1991, presumably with more familiar garnishments as he held onto his democratic government.
All this information is provided by the National Association of Pizza Operators, with headquarters in New Albany, Ind. The association also says that such ``gourmet'' toppings as oysters, crayfish, dandelions, sprouts and eggplant are gaining ground in the United States.
Some chefs have even tried pizza with peanut butter and jelly, as well as mashed potatoes and bacon and eggs, says an association fact sheet.
``Pizza is emerging as a dessert, as a breakfast entree,'' boasts Gerry Durnell, director of the pizza operators group and editor of Pizza Today magazine. ``They all fall under the umbrella and we don't discriminate.''
Some more recent trends include drive-through restaurants, buffet lines and pies offered by the slice.
Despite the inroads made by gourmet pies, a California innovation, pepperoni is America's favorite topping, the operators association reports. Mushrooms, sausage, green pepper and onion follow. The traditional pizza is a long way from being dethroned.
``There are strong regional preferences,'' Durnell says, adding that Hampton Roads prefers a thin to medium thickness in crusts, with familiar ingredients.
In other words, the chain restaurants like Pizza Hut, Little Caesar's, Domino's andChanello's serve up just what we like.
``The area's taste is conservative,'' says George Poulos, owner of Jimmy's Pizza in the Hilltop area of Virginia Beach. ``I try to keep a local awareness and serve the neighborhood.''
To compete with the chains, he tries to keep his pies inexpensive and doesn't try to lure customers from too far beyond his store.
Poulos began delivering pizzas in 1980, possibly the first local operator to do so after Domino's.
Still, Jimmy's has a few of the newer products - white cheese, Hawaiian flavoring, Greek toppings - because some of his clientele have asked for them.
Another local entrepreneur, Anthony DiSilvestro, goes up against the chains by computerizing his accounts and working 100 hours a week at the Y-Not Pizza in Great Neck Square, Virginia Beach.
``If you want to stay in this business, you've got to do it,'' he insists. He and his wife, Cyndi, moved here from New Jersey and opened their restaurant a year and a half ago.
The Y-Not (``Tony'' spelled backward) specializes is a New York-style pizza: ``It's a thin crust, crispier than the chains, with fresh ingredients and traditional toppings,'' DiSilvestro says. He also says he has imported New York prices, which are lower than the chains.
New York still carries a lofty image in pizza lore. The first American pizzeria, Lombardi's, opened in the Big Apple in 1905. But Chicago also has its ``deep-dish'' pizza tradition. It's spreading across the nation with the chain Pizzeria Uno, which recently opened an outlet at Janaf Shopping Plaza in Norfolk.
``The dough is given extra time to rise,'' explains Mills Kilbourne, manager of the local Pizzeria Uno. ``The pie is filled, not topped.''
But even within the pizza genre, there are variances of opinion. The deep-dish Chicago-style product sold by Cafe 21 on West 21st Street in Norfolk is ``an encased pizza,'' according to John Glenn, a waiter there. ``There's dough on top and bottom with the ingredients inside and sauce on top. It's more like a pie.'' GOURMET STYLE
If Hampton Roads likes mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, there still appears to be ample room for the stuff invading from the West Coast.
Mike Cavish, owner of Fellini's, also on West 21st Street in Norfolk, is a believer. So are the customers who crowd Fellini's foyer every evening, waiting to be seated or to pick up takeout orders. Pizzas on the Fellini's menu include Shrimp Pesto, Cajun, Lime Chicken, Thai and 15 others.
Cavish, who started with eight pizzas six years ago, has since expanded his dining capacity from five tables to 38. He says the gourmet pies ``have revived the pizza industry.''
Fellini's best sellers are the white pizza, made with mozzarella, Fontina, smoked Gouda and Romano cheeses and spinach, and the fresh tomato with basil, garlic and mozzarella.
Cavish stays ahead of the curve by keeping pizza on his brain, even while driving. Sometimes he color-coordinates pizzas. His latest vision, for example, was black: beans, andouille sausage, red and green onions and sour cream. Presto, a Cuban pizza.
Whatever its form, pizza is the nation's favorite restaurant food, with 60,000 outlets dispensing it.
We eat 100 acres of it per day, according to the pizza operators association. Pizzeria growth outpaces overall restaurant growth.
Pizza is now No. 1 among lunch and dinner entrees eaten at home, according to report in the Washington Post. Ten years ago, it was eighth, just behind the bologna sandwich.
It's profitable for the big chains as well as the little entrepreneur. ``It's hard work and long hours,'' says the pizza operators' Durnell. ``But a neat way to see a product from inception to completion.
``It's an inexpensive meal,'' he adds. ``All food groups are represented. It's tasty. In school lunch surveys, kids put it No. 1.
``There are lots of choices today. You can eat it with your hands. It's a fun food, a friendly food.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff color photos by LAWRENCE JACKSON
Pizza is No. 1 among lunch and dinner entrees eaten at home,
according to a recent report.
A Piece of the pie
Specialty pizzas in the area include (1) Deep-dish chicago Style
from Cafe 21; (2) Pesto Shrimp from Fellini's; and (3) Middle
Eastern Style from Azar's.
WE LOVE PIZZA
Some pizza facts, from the National Association of Pizza Operators
and others:
Americans eat 100 acres of pizza each day.
There are 60,000 pizzerias in the United States, 17 percent of
total restaurants.
Pepperoni is America's favorite topping.
Pizza as we know it originated with the introduction of tomatoes
to Europe from the New World in the 16th century. Some believe a
prototype pizzeria existed in ancient Pompeii.
The modern cheese and tomato pie dates from 1889, when Italian
tavern owner Don Raffaele Esposito baked one bearing the colors of
the Italian flag. He named it the Margherita Pizza in honor of the
Italian queen.
The popularity of pizza in America exploded after World War II
when ex-GIs who served in Italy opened pizzerias.
America is now the world's pizza center and is increasingly
exporting the marketing and cooking technology.
Pizza Hut is the world's largest pizza purveyor, with almost
11,000 stores, including 2,600 units abroad. Runner-up is Little
Caesar's; third is Domino's.
National and regional chains represent 50 percent of the pizza
retailers in the United States, but 75 percent of the $30 billion
annual revenue.
Pizza starred in the movies ``Splendor in the Grass,'' ``The
French Connection,'' ``Do the Right Thing,'' and got top billing in
``Mystic Pizza.''
What's next? Look for breakfast pizzas, or fritatas, topped with
an omelet, potatoes and sausage. The Italian Oven restaurant
already has one. Dessert pizzas, with a brown sugar or fruit base
on a sweetened crust, are on the horizon. Rolled-up pizzas? Try
Azar's in Virginia Beach. Burritos, watch out.
by CNB