• With his concept of fried pizza and an original pairing with Italian wines, the Italian master pizza maker Franco Pepe took part  in Madrid Fusión The Wine Edition Wines from Spain, the wine congress hosted by Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España, which is presenting its most international edition, bringing together on stage more than 30 wine professionals from seven countries.  

• Franco Pepe appeared on the stage with Davide Guarino, sommelier of Pepe in Grani, as part of the Vinomios cycle, demonstrating that pizza and wine can be a perfect duo.

• The audience was able to taste two of the most famous versions of fried pizza: Contaminazione and Crisommola del Vesuvio.

• The presentation was given by the American film and television director, screenwriter and producer Brian McGinn, who is also one of the executive producers and directors of the Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table, a series in which Franco Pepe has participated by starring in one of the chapters of Chef’s Table: Pizza.

• «It’s always very exciting for me to talk to such a wide audience, I’m happy to have done it here at Madrid Fusión. The concept of my fried pizza combined with local wine is something very interesting and I was delighted to show it to everyone. I hope everyone was happy and fascinated by it as I am” expressed Franco Pepe.

• «Where it All Begins» / «Donde todo comienza» is the central theme of the XXII Edition of Madrid Fusión. The fourth edition of The Wine Edition Wines from Spain also features other international names such as: Nicolai Nørregaard and Alberto Segade (Kadeau Restaurant, Copenhagen), Henrietta Lovell (Rare Tea Company, UK), Ivan Bell (Stranger & Stranger, UK), Andre Mack, master sommelier and oenologist, as well as the members of the musical group A State of Mind.

• The Pepe in Grani team is also holding a Pop Up in the Italian restaurant TOTÓ for the first time in Madrid, celebrating the essence of Italian cuisine at its best. The event has been a total success, with all the seats sold out in just 3 hours.

 

 

Madrid, January 31st., 2024. With his concept of fried pizza and an original pairing with Italian wines, the Italian master and pizza artisan Franco Pepe participated in Madrid Fusion The Wine Edition Wines from Spain, the wine congress hosted by Madrid Fusion Foods from Spain, which presents its most international edition, bringing together on stage more than 30 professionals from seven countries.  

While performing for the first time in Madrid a Pop Up in the Italian restaurant TOTÓ which has been a resounding success – with all the places sold out in just 3 hours – the considered best Pizza Chef in the world took to the stage together with Davide Guarino, sommelier of Pepe in Grani, as part of the Vinomios cycle, in which he presented his version of the famous fried pizza paired with Italian wines from the Campania region, demonstrating that pizza and wine can be a perfect duo.

The presentation was given by American film and television director, screenwriter and producer Brian McGinn, who is also one of the executive producers and directors of the Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table, a series in which Franco Pepe starred in one of the episodes of Chef’s Table: Pizza.

The audience was able to taste two of the most famous versions of fried pizza: Contaminazione (with olive pate, mixed leaf salad, stracciata di bufala, Zaatar, citrus zest) and Crisommola del Vesuvio (with lemon zest flavoured with PDO buffalo ricotta cheese, apricot jam from Vesuvius, toasted hazelnuts, dried olives from Caiazzo and fresh mint).

In addition, the public could also enjoy Italian wines proposed to pair with the pizzas, such as the sparkling pallagrello Prima Gioia from Masseria Piccirillo and the Gioì de San Salvatore Classic Brut Rosé. Guarino also referred to the white wine Per Franco, created by the Terre del Principe winery exclusively for pizzaiolo because of its important contribution to the region’s cuisine.

During his presentation, the famous pizzaiolo referred to several fried pizzas made with fried dough that he has developed after years of research in search of a balanced formula that preserves the identity of this preparation technique, such as Sensazione di costiera, Ciro, Estitalia, Ananascosta, Rocco or the Scarpetta, among others.

«It’s always very exciting for me to talk to such a wide audience, I’m happy to have done it here at Madrid Fusión. The concept of my fried pizza combined with local wine is something very interesting and I was delighted to show it to everyone. I hope everyone was happy and fascinated by it as I am” expressed Franco Pepe.

«Where it All Begins» / «Donde todo comienza» is the central theme of the 22nd edition of Madrid Fusión. The fourth edition of The Wine Edition Wines from Spain also features other international names such as: Nicolai Nørregaard and Alberto Segade (Kadeau Restaurant, Copenhagen), Henrietta Lovell (Rare Tea Company, United Kingdom), Ivan Bell (Stranger & Stranger, United Kingdom), Andre Mack, master sommelier and oenologist, as well as the members of the musical group A State of Mind (who compose their songs based on their favourite wines), who will close the congress with a concert. 

Davide Guarino, who took the stage with Franco Pepe, was born in Caserta and moved to Caiazzo in 2016. There he met Franco Pepe and since then he has been part of the Pepe in Grani team as sommelier 17 years ago he gave up studying law to dedicate himself full time to the restaurant business. He studied and trained in hotel management, meat and cheese making, until graduating as a sommelier in 2017 at the F. I. S. A. R. (Italian Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Management). 

With the experience of two generations behind him and inspired by a new vision of pizza, Franco Pepe opened Pepe in Grani on October 14th., 2012. Since then, his pizzeria has become a place where experimentation, craftsmanship, hospitality, training and the enhancement of the territory, flavours and people of Alto Casertano come together. His unique proposal has been part of this edition of Madrid Fusion 2024.

About Franco Pepe

Franco Pepe is considered the most famous Italian pizzaiolo in the world. Dough is in his DNA. His grandfather was a baker, his father was a pizzaiolo, and he and his brothers continued in the family business. Famous for his unique dough, and for his dedication to elevating the art of pizza making, his popularity began with an article by Jonathan Gold, a Pulitzer Prize-winning gastronome who wrote in the American edition of Food & Wine magazine: «I’ve probably had the best pizza in the world from Franco Pepe». From then on, he became the most voted pizzaiolo in Phaidon’s «Where to Eat Pizza» guide, in which chefs indicate their favourite places to eat in the world. Franco Pepe stars in one of the episodes of the Netflix series Chef’s Table: Pizza and has been named Ambassador of the Mediterranean Diet Worldwide, Ambassador of Caiazzo Worldwide, Ambassador of Taste and Ambassador of Territory. He has also been recognised as Pizzaiolo of the Year by «Food and Travel», «Pizza Awards Italia», The Best Chef Awards 2021, 2022 and 2023, and Master of the Art and Craft of Pizza by the «Scuola Internazionale di Cucina italiana ALMA», among others.

 

About Pepe in Grani

Pepe in Grani, a pizzeria located in Caiazzo, a small town of 5000 inhabitants a few kilometres from the province of Caserta, is the place where Franco Pepe welcomes 400 customers and prepares 800 pizzas a day. Pepe in Grani’s project is based on the research and selection of raw materials and the human factor, where he experiments and integrates among other themes and methods: the frying technique, the electric oven, the structure of the equipment and the scientific contribution. His pizza is based on innovation, but starts from tradition. He improves the dough with a special blend of flours produced especially for him, a key part of his production. He is meticulous in his selection of local ingredients. His aim is to share with the world, through his pizza, the flavours and stories of his territory.

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