CHEFS FRANCO PEPE AND MAURO COLAGRECO CREATE A ONE-OFF PIZZA AT PECORANEGRA LYON FOR ONE DAY ONLY
Lyon, January 17, 2025 – Yesterday, the culinary scene witnessed an extraordinary event as Franco Pepe, the renowned master pizzaiolo, joined forces with three-Michelin-starred and globally celebrated chef Mauro Colagreco for an exclusive dinner at La Pecoranegra Lyon. This unique collaboration marked the beginning of an exciting year for the restaurant, nearly one year after its grand opening in the heart of Lyon, the City of Lights.
The evening celebrated the shared passion of these two culinary visionaries for Italian gastronomy, blending tradition with innovation in a menu that delighted guests. Franco Pepe, founder of Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo and a four-time winner of The Best Chef Awards’ Best Pizza Chef, showcased his legendary expertise in artisan pizza-making. His inventive creations, rooted in the flavors of Alto Casertano, highlighted his commitment to local ingredients and the artistry of pizza.
Mauro Colagreco, the acclaimed chef behind Mirazur in Menton and a UNESCO Ambassador for Biodiversity, brought his signature philosophy of circular gastronomy to the table. As the visionary behind La Pecoranegra, Colagreco has redefined popular gastronomy with his modern take on wholesome Neapolitan pizzas crafted from ethically sourced ingredients.
Guests were treated to an exclusive eight-course menu celebrating the richness and creativity of Italian cuisine. Highlights of the evening included Franco Pepe’s signature creations such as the iconic Margherita Sbagliata (Campana Dop buffalo mozzarella pizza, riccio tomato purée, basil reduction, evo oil), the Acciugrana (fried pizza with cheese fondue aged for 12 months, Cetara anchovies, parsley, chilli and citrus peel) or the Pastiera Fritta (sweet fried pizza with citrus cream, Fior di Latte cheese, candied fruit, toasted hazelnuts, sugar, cinnamon and orange peel). These proposals were accompanied by Mauro Colagreco’s daring and innovative creations, such as the Smoked Fish Salad, the Carciofo (artichoke cream pizza with 24-month aged Comté cheese and truffle sauce) or the Agrumi (slice of Fior di Latte mozzarella pizza, San Remo gamberoni, stracciatella, citrus fruits, watercress). The menu included a one-of-a-kind pizza, collaboratively crafted by the two chefs, composed of goat cheese, fennel, anchovies and Menton lemon —a true masterpiece that showcased their combined talents and philosophies.
Set in the charming and eclectic ambiance of La Pecoranegra Lyon, located at 89 Rue Bossuet, the event embodied the essence of modern Italian dining, where the simplicity of pizza met the sophistication of haute cuisine.
Reflecting on the evening, Franco Pepe remarked «I was incredibly excited and grateful to share this moment with Mauro Colagreco, a true giant in the world of international cuisine. I sincerely thank him for inviting me to his pizzeria in Lyon for this four-handed event. This is an important milestone in my professional growth.»
Chef Mauro Colagreco added “I am grateful to my dear friend and master pizzaiolo Franco Pepe for joining us at La Pecoranegra in Lyon for this incredible four-hand event. This collaboration was more than a celebration of our shared passion for Italian gastronomy and the art of pizza, it was the ideal way to kick off an exciting year of events at La Pecoranegra.”
The collaboration with Franco Pepe has been a landmark event for La Pecoranegra, which anticipates a promising future.
>>Pictures and Full menu HERE<<
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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».
He went on to become the most voted pizzaiolo in Phaidon’s «Where to Eat Pizza» guide, in which chefs name their favourite pizzerias around the world. Franco Pepe stars in an episode 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 named Pizzaiolo of the Year by Food and Travel, Pizza Awards Italia, Best Pizza Chef in the World by The Best Awards 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, and Master of the Art and Craft of Pizza by the Scuola Internazionale di Cucina italiana ALMA.
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.
About La Pecoranegra
Launched in 2019 in Menton as Mauro Colagreco’s take on a welcoming family pizzeria, La Pecoranegra is built on a simple and authentic concept: enjoying your favorite modern Neapolitan pizza in a relaxed setting. Comforting yet distinctly unique, the pizzas are exceptionally wholesome and made with ethically sourced, top-quality ingredients, actively supporting the local community. While worlds apart from the fine dining codes of Mirazur***, La Pecoranegra shares the same underlying philosophy, brilliantly demonstrating that popular cuisine can go hand in hand with fresh, local, organic ingredients and a profound respect for both the earth and its people.
About Mauro Colagreco
Mauro Colagreco is known for his passion for his craft and commitment to protecting the planet. Colagreco puts environmental concerns at the heart of his cuisine, championing the emergence of a circular gastronomy that respects the cycles of nature.
In 2006, he founded Mirazur in Menton, France, in a 1930s modernist building with sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea. Much more than his three-Michelin-star flagship restaurant, Mirazur is a Mediterranean estate and ecosystem with nature as its heart. In 2019, the restaurant was voted Best Restaurant in the World (No.1) by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and in 2021, it was inaugurated into the awards’ Best of the Best category. Mirazur was also the first restaurant to obtain Plastic Free certification in 2020 and the B Corp label in 2024.
Nourished by journeys, discoveries, encounters and ambitions, Mauro Colagreco’s cuisine is instinctive, generous and deeply respectful of the environment. Led to the pinnacle of his art by his audacity, vision and commitments, this eco-conscious chef, who knows neither borders nor boundaries, now runs +30 restaurants around the world (London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Palm Beach, Buenos Aires…).
Colagreco works every day to contribute, as best he can and within his means, to the environmental transition. Recognised by the French government for his services to the hospitality industry, he has been awarded the rank of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in the 2022 list of honours. A tireless advocate of raising the awareness of public authorities, gastronomy professionals and everyone else about the challenges facing humanity, in 2022 he became the first chef to be appointed by UNESCO as a Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity.
About circular gastronomy
Circular gastronomy is a culinary movement pioneered by Mauro Colagreco in 2006. Inherently respectful, necessary and visionary, its aim is to reconnect deeply with nature, and to reconcile cuisine in general with a genuine commitment to society. In his fervent desire to preserve the planet, its resources and its biodiversity in order to ensure a future for the world’s children, Mauro Colagreco has enshrined the principles of his circular gastronomy in a manifesto that develops various areas in which the whole industry can commit to changing the global food paradigm, whatever the level of gastronomy. Briefly summarized, this manifesto calls on us to: always make choices in favor of nature; consume ultra-fresh, local, seasonal, ideally organic or even biodynamic produce; take care of the soil to make it more and more alive; cook in a way that respects plant and animal biodiversity; value products in their entirety; sort, recycle and systematically consider a return to the earth; completely eliminate single-use plastic; support our community; respect, educate and train our neighbors; and work to offset our carbon footprint, for a gastronomy that respects life.
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