Some parents (life
myself) don’t really think about what the younger stages will do for your little ones future. For myself I
learnt the hard way the first time around with Hayley, but aced it with Madison
in the food department.
Im almost positive
every family has a picky eater and that I am not alone in this, whether it’s
the lack of teaching how food can be fun and such a broad menu or just your
little one doesn’t like the look of something.
For me it came down
to Hayley’s dad being very picky and that totally reflects now she is older,
eating barely anything. But with Madison is was a lot more broad and I was all
about making food fun for Hayley to get it into her, so it stuck with Madison.
Today I went to the
Masterclass for adults at 400 Gradi in Brunswick for adults as apposed to the
children’s Masterclass. I was happy to report back to Johnny that he had
changed our household for good when it came to the kitchen and everyone getting
involved.
I might touch base
on the first experience at 400 Gradi with Johnny and the Children’s
Masterclass.
400 Gradi has
expanded with a brand new restaurant opening in Essendon about 8 weeks ago, but
also have two other restaurants- East Brunswick on Lygon street and one in
Crown Casino Melbourne (Gradi).
Johnny Di Francesco
owns 400 Gradi and apart from being a top bloke with massive insiders knowledge
to Neapolitan food (and king of pizza making), he’s also been crowned the 2014
World Pizza Champion.
Previously pizza
night would be Mum and Dad in the kitchen buying bases and throwing
pizzas together and
on the stone out the back, only then did the family sit together at the table
and share their pizzas.
So after the Master
class and after the girls got their hands dirty and was able to make their own
pizza from scratch you cannot get them out of the kitchen and all they want to
do it help.
This was the light
bulb moment for me that would change everything, what the hell have I been
doing this entire time. Here I was making them foreign food (that sometimes
didn’t look the most appealing but was packed with nutrients) and expecting
them to eat it. They don’t know it took three hours to cook the goulash and
make the pasta from scratch, or the hours it takes to put something as simple
as a pizza together. The problem was they didn’t appreciate what was on their
plate and for all they knew it came from a packet.
So every since what
I now call the miracle day where the family unknowingly walked into 400 Gradi
for a Children’s Master class with the master of pizza himself Johnny, would
change the whole family
When we arrived
there were shiny metal bowls and all the ingredients needed to make a base
lined up on the tables. Johnny was up the front going through each step and
coming around to each child and assisting them in making the perfect dough.
By the end of it
there was a perfectly, bounce back ball of dough in front of the children.
Madison aced this and Johnny complimented her dough (future pizza chef in the
making maybe).
So it was the same
concept with the adults Master class except I didn’t have to stress about where
the kids weer and was able to take all the information in.
Here are some key
tips that Johnny gave to us:
- Always make your
pizza with a crust and stretch it from the middle out. This was you’re aerating
your pizza, which helps in the digestion of your food.
- Never overdose on
the yeast, and try when possible to use fresh yeast. Using too much yeast is
exactly what leaves you bloated and feeling sick, as the yeast activates and
expands in your stomach craving water, hence the reason you get extremely
thirsty.
- Know what you are
putting in your pizza, starting from scratch you know exactly what you are
putting into yours and your families stomachs.
The family being so
keen that we a looking out for a quality wood fire pizza oven, for out on the
deck. The ovens at 400 Gradi in East Brunswick heat to 400 degrees and cook in
around 90 seconds,
To finish this write
up I thought I would leave you with a little interview with Mr Gradi -Johnny :
Why did you
open your own restaurant, and what advice would you give to others looking to
walk the same road you have?
Growing
up, I never actually thought I’d open a pizza shop. My family, obviously, has
history with pizza, but it was always something I did for a part time job. I
didn’t realise it was my passion until I was sitting in a university lecture
discussing engineering completely oblivious to what the lecturer was saying
because all I could think of was pizza! It was there and then that I decided
that if pizza was what I wanted to do, I needed to make it happen, so that’s
why I opened my own restaurant.
For
those who are looking at following their dreams and opening their own
restaurant, it is important to realise that sometimes, no matter how excited
you are, it’s okay to have moments where you don’t know what you’re doing, how
you’re going or where you’re going! There were plenty times when I freaked out,
but one thing I was always aware of was my passion for pizza and sharing the
tradition of it. Also always remember that hard work is what gets you places.
What did
you gain from taking the title as the World Champion Pizza maker at the
championships in Parma, back in 2014? How did it impact your restaurant chains
if at all? Did you receive a lot more customers as a result?
Winning the World Pizza
Championship in Parma, Italy was a huge moment for me – not because of the
title or exposure, but because it gave that 17 year old who had a dream for
pizza the reward for all his hard work!
Since
then, Gradi has only continued to grow – it was exciting to be recognised for
our great pizza, so the increase in visitors led to more restaurants. The last
year has been a total whirlwind of setting up Gradi at Crown, opening my
Cicchetti bar next door to 400 Gradi and another restaurant in Essendon.
I will
finish it off with my absolute favorite question to ask - What would be your
absolutely favorite/dream pizza, toppings and all?
I
just love making great, traditional Neapolitan pizza with the simple margherita
toppings – mozzarella, basil and tomato. You just can’t go wrong with that, to
me it’s the ultimate food. You can eat it without any cutlery, its hot, it’s
delicious and its pizza!
