Now this is a gentleman I would love to have a conversation with, over dinner, of course. Chef Giulio Adriani is perhaps one of the best pizzaioli in the world. He has redefined Neopolitan pizza in America and gained quite a lot of media attention along the way.

Giulio opened three restaurants in Italy, including the famous "Alla Corte dei Borboni", located in Ostia near Rome, and became the head instructor at AVPN in 2008. Currently as chef and owner of Forcella in New York City Chef Giulio oversees every aspect of his establishments in Manhattan and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A self-proclaimed stickler for authenticity, he insists that his mozzarella be handmade at each of his restaurants.

Chef Giulio’s career has focused on developing the perfect crust, and from the looks of his pies and the mouth-watering effect they have, I imagine he may very well have. He has developed quite a unique method which has gained him notoriety. As I learned from his bio, in 2011, Chef Giulio galvanized the media’s attention with his signature pizza, the Montanara, an authentic Neapolitan pie where the dough is flash-fried, toppings are added, and the pizza is finished off in a 1,000F-degree wood-burning oven.  The frying inflates the crust, giving it a pillowy texture, while adding an extra layer of rich flavor.  The brief baking evaporates any residual oil, leaving the crust light and fragrant.  Again, one look at his crust leaves little doubt in the mind that this man knows how to bake a pizza! Chef Giulio almost immediately gained the love and admiration of New Yorkers with his Montanara. Time Out New York bestowed it with their 2012 Reader’s Choice Award for Best Pizza.

A Naples native, Chef Giulio grew up in Rome learning the art of pizza making from his grandmother ‘Nonna Maria.’ He later moved to Naples to learn from the best, including Italy’s master pizzaiolos Gaetano Fazio and Antonio Starita. He is now certified as an authentic Neapolitan Pizza Master by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) and the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (APN.)

This year, Giulio became the first pizza maker to open an authentic Neapolitan Kosher pizzeria, "Pizza da Solo", located in New York, revolutionizing the Kosher pizza world, setting new quality standards while attracting admiration from the Jewish Community.

Luckily for the world of pizza, Chef Giulio travels across Europe, Asia and Latin America instructing pizzaioli and teaching the proper Neapolitan techniques. Chef Giulio may very well be the best reason to take a trip to New York City…I would be willing to travel just to try one of his pizzas!