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As you can see there were about 100 responses to our survey request. What stands out to me is the vast number of different places that you all love. The number of votes is given in parentheses. As you can see it was a close race. A generous thank you to all who responded!
As you can see there were about 100 responses to our survey request. What stands out to me is the vast number of different places that you all love. The number of votes is given in parentheses. As you can see it was a close race. A generous thank you to all who responded!
And the winner is...
And the winner is...
A few years back I remember watching the World Series that featured the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. It was an epic Game 7 and though the Indians lost, New London's own Rajai Davis was almost the hero hitting a key home run late in the game. Strangely, I also remember that he wore a Crown Pizza hat (because he absolutely loves it) during interviews later that night, and it became a fun side note to the series.
A few years back I remember watching the World Series that featured the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. It was an epic Game 7 and though the Indians lost, New London's own Rajai Davis was almost the hero hitting a key home run late in the game. Strangely, I also remember that he wore a Crown Pizza hat (because he absolutely loves it) during interviews later that night, and it became a fun side note to the series.
Last year Mr. Sylvestre, the Department Head for the Electrical Department (who also loves to talk about food), called me up after looking through the food blog and told me to make sure that I check out Crown, that it is simply the best! I told him I would check it out. Then Covid hit and it took me until the middle of the summer to try them out. Delicious! Mr. Sylvestre you were right!
Last year Mr. Sylvestre, the Department Head for the Electrical Department (who also loves to talk about food), called me up after looking through the food blog and told me to make sure that I check out Crown, that it is simply the best! I told him I would check it out. Then Covid hit and it took me until the middle of the summer to try them out. Delicious! Mr. Sylvestre you were right!
Chef Beplat
Chef Beplat
After advancing from sophomore to junior year, the culinary class of 2022 learned how to make homemade pizza with our instructor, Chef Paul Jones. We've learned recipes, techniques, and some helpful tips and tricks all about pizza, but we wanted to know a little bit about our Chefs relationship with the food we've become so familiar with. I've made a list a few questions to help not just us, but everybody learn more about Chef Jones and his experiences with this classic dish.
After advancing from sophomore to junior year, the culinary class of 2022 learned how to make homemade pizza with our instructor, Chef Paul Jones. We've learned recipes, techniques, and some helpful tips and tricks all about pizza, but we wanted to know a little bit about our Chefs relationship with the food we've become so familiar with. I've made a list a few questions to help not just us, but everybody learn more about Chef Jones and his experiences with this classic dish.
Mell Siragusa Class of 2022 (Junior year)
“Did you or your family ever eat or make pizza as a kid?”
“Did you or your family ever eat or make pizza as a kid?”
”No.” Chef Jones’s first time having pizza was actually as a teenager. He first tried it at a restaurant called Pizza Time and he really enjoyed it. They served thin crust, brick oven pizza, and every Friday him and his friends would all go to the restaurant and sit and chat while they ate made-to-order pizza. In his words, this “opened my eyes to the world of pizza”, and even now he continues to make homemade pizza with his family once a week for dinner.
”No.” Chef Jones’s first time having pizza was actually as a teenager. He first tried it at a restaurant called Pizza Time and he really enjoyed it. They served thin crust, brick oven pizza, and every Friday him and his friends would all go to the restaurant and sit and chat while they ate made-to-order pizza. In his words, this “opened my eyes to the world of pizza”, and even now he continues to make homemade pizza with his family once a week for dinner.
“Have you ever worked at a pizza restaurant?”
“Have you ever worked at a pizza restaurant?”
“Yes”, while working at another restaurant, they decided to open a cafe with made-to-order pizzas by the slice, calzones, and other snacks. The cafe got really popular, and the turn-over rate was very quick. Turn-over is a term used in food service that means the amount of money taken by a business in a particular period. Chef Jones worked at this cafe for about a year before handing over the responsibility to somebody else. He enjoyed working there because of how it was different from traditional cooking.
“Yes”, while working at another restaurant, they decided to open a cafe with made-to-order pizzas by the slice, calzones, and other snacks. The cafe got really popular, and the turn-over rate was very quick. Turn-over is a term used in food service that means the amount of money taken by a business in a particular period. Chef Jones worked at this cafe for about a year before handing over the responsibility to somebody else. He enjoyed working there because of how it was different from traditional cooking.
“What is your favorite kind of pizza?”
“What is your favorite kind of pizza?”
“You can never go wrong with a traditional pepperoni pizza”, says Chef Jones, But in his hometown of Manchester, there’s a restaurant called Hartford Road Pizza that serves a finely ground sausage, potato, spinach, and tomato pizza with a cream sauce. If he named an all-time favorite, it’d have to be that one.
“You can never go wrong with a traditional pepperoni pizza”, says Chef Jones, But in his hometown of Manchester, there’s a restaurant called Hartford Road Pizza that serves a finely ground sausage, potato, spinach, and tomato pizza with a cream sauce. If he named an all-time favorite, it’d have to be that one.
“How did you make the recipe for Grasso’s pizza dough?”
“It was a fun process”, He says, During the start of the new school, he started to make new recipes. He went through about a dozen dough recipes before finding a perfect one. The recipes from the internet were too thick, didn’t rise correctly, or just weren’t good enough. But he found one, added some more yeast, changed the fat, moisture, and flour content, and the recipe we have today is the most consistent of them all. It took Chef Jones months until he was confident enough in the dough to sell it. The same process happened for our pizza sauce as well. This one was a little quicker though, on the second try, he ended up with the pizza sauce we use today. The reason we make the pizza sauce from scratch is that Chef Jones didn’t want a canned sauce, he wanted everything we sell here at Grasso Tech to be homemade.
“It was a fun process”, He says, During the start of the new school, he started to make new recipes. He went through about a dozen dough recipes before finding a perfect one. The recipes from the internet were too thick, didn’t rise correctly, or just weren’t good enough. But he found one, added some more yeast, changed the fat, moisture, and flour content, and the recipe we have today is the most consistent of them all. It took Chef Jones months until he was confident enough in the dough to sell it. The same process happened for our pizza sauce as well. This one was a little quicker though, on the second try, he ended up with the pizza sauce we use today. The reason we make the pizza sauce from scratch is that Chef Jones didn’t want a canned sauce, he wanted everything we sell here at Grasso Tech to be homemade.
“If you could, what would be one specialty pizza you’d like to serve at Grasso?”
“If you could, what would be one specialty pizza you’d like to serve at Grasso?”
“I’d like to put a fine dining spin on a pizza, maybe with some foie gras, (/ˌfwä ˈɡrä/)”, was Chef’s short answer, In the past he’s tried fig and goat cheese on a thin crust pizza. Although fig tends to curl at the edges when it’s cooked for too long, so it would have to be put on the pizza about halfway through. Another option he mentioned is shaved wagyu steak pizza. The slices would also have to be thin, because wagyu is a fatty steak.
“I’d like to put a fine dining spin on a pizza, maybe with some foie gras, (/ˌfwä ˈɡrä/)”, was Chef’s short answer, In the past he’s tried fig and goat cheese on a thin crust pizza. Although fig tends to curl at the edges when it’s cooked for too long, so it would have to be put on the pizza about halfway through. Another option he mentioned is shaved wagyu steak pizza. The slices would also have to be thin, because wagyu is a fatty steak.
“What is something you’d want people to know when making pizza from scratch?”
“It’s important to use fresh made dough as often as possible, it’s very easy to make. Letting your dough rise is very important as well. The dough will rise quickly even without a proof box as long as it’s left covered in a warm, moist place. A dough that’s not yet ready to be rolled out won’t hold its shape, so it’s important to be patient with it. Another tip is to make sure you have a hot oven. Our pizza ovens here at Grasso gets to over 600°F before cooking our pizza. No pizza oven? Get a pizza stone. A pizza stone is a round stone that conducts heat from the bottom, making it a perfect substitute for a pizza oven, but it can cook much more. Chef Jones also recommends skim mozzarella or parmesan cheese, but using too much can leave you with a greasy pizza. Lastly, a homemade pizza sauce is always better than a sauce out of a can, and it’s simple to make too. Our pizza sauce here at Grasso is always homemade.
“It’s important to use fresh made dough as often as possible, it’s very easy to make. Letting your dough rise is very important as well. The dough will rise quickly even without a proof box as long as it’s left covered in a warm, moist place. A dough that’s not yet ready to be rolled out won’t hold its shape, so it’s important to be patient with it. Another tip is to make sure you have a hot oven. Our pizza ovens here at Grasso gets to over 600°F before cooking our pizza. No pizza oven? Get a pizza stone. A pizza stone is a round stone that conducts heat from the bottom, making it a perfect substitute for a pizza oven, but it can cook much more. Chef Jones also recommends skim mozzarella or parmesan cheese, but using too much can leave you with a greasy pizza. Lastly, a homemade pizza sauce is always better than a sauce out of a can, and it’s simple to make too. Our pizza sauce here at Grasso is always homemade.
The students often ask me what my favorite food is. My answer, pepperoni pizza. Another question that I am asked frequently is what kind of pizza I prefer. Is it deep dish, Sicilian, or New York Style? I love all kinds of pizza, I think it is all great. However, I do have a favorite style. I have a very strong place in my heart for the local Greek style pizza that is served in my favorite pizza places. I love Ocean Pizza in New London and it has been my favorite pizza for 40 years. I have recently grown to love Great Oak in Norwich (a little closer to my current home), a very similar style to Ocean Pizza. Their pepperoni pizza is a bit different because they hide their pepperoni under the cheese. Still delicious! There are many others of course and everyone has their own favorite. Maybe yours will be the pizza we serve here at Cafe 189.
The students often ask me what my favorite food is. My answer, pepperoni pizza. Another question that I am asked frequently is what kind of pizza I prefer. Is it deep dish, Sicilian, or New York Style? I love all kinds of pizza, I think it is all great. However, I do have a favorite style. I have a very strong place in my heart for the local Greek style pizza that is served in my favorite pizza places. I love Ocean Pizza in New London and it has been my favorite pizza for 40 years. I have recently grown to love Great Oak in Norwich (a little closer to my current home), a very similar style to Ocean Pizza. Their pepperoni pizza is a bit different because they hide their pepperoni under the cheese. Still delicious! There are many others of course and everyone has their own favorite. Maybe yours will be the pizza we serve here at Cafe 189.
For an interesting take on Greek Pizza check out this link. Greek Pizza Article
For an interesting take on Greek Pizza check out this link. Greek Pizza Article
- Chef Beplat
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