by Helen K. Kelley
Authenticity is the hallmark of Antico, as well as its inspiration. Owner Giovanni Di Palma has drawn on his rich family history and Italian heritage to create a menu that features imported ingredients and preparation methods that have been perfected over many generations.
A few years ago, Di Palma decided to travel to the Italian village just outside of Naples where his grandparents had lived. In addition to making family connections there, he spent time working in local pizzerias and learning how to make Pizza Napoletana in the Verace Artigianale method. It was time well spent, as the experience has figured largely in the philosophy and work ethic that fuel Antico’s success.
“Part of my heart is in Naples, which is a great source of pride and passion for me. I strongly feel it’s a major factor in our success and in the quality of what we do,” he says. “Verace Artigianale means ‘true artisan’ – if you are not one, you simply cannot fake it.”
Staying true to this artisanal method, Antico imports many of its ingredients from Naples and the surrounding Campania region.
“We import San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes and San Felice Doppio Zero flour (milled in my grandfather’s town), and we fly in Mozzarella Di Bufala each week from Caserta, which is near Naples,” says Di Palma.
When asked about the expense of importing products to the U.S., Di Palma says that it is not exorbitant when you have a buying strategy.
“If you have good relationships with vendors, negotiate a fair price and buy in large quantity, then shipping adds only a few dollars per case,” he notes.
The equipment at Antico is also authentic – the restaurant’s Acunto wood fire ovens are hand-made from ancient brick, Sorrento refractory stone and volcanic rock, and shipped from Naples. The main benefit of these ovens is in the heating and recovery times, according to Di Palma.
“Unlike California ovens, the heat in Neopolitan ovens can reach 1000 degrees very efficiently, and the recovery time of the stone is brief,” he explains. “The ovens stay hot, so you actually use less wood to maintain the temperature if you’re proficient at managing the fire, which is an art all in itself.”
As for customer preferences and trends in the pizza market, Di Palma maintains that quality is winning over price.
“I can say that I’ve done many things at Antico that have not been done before in the U.S. with pizza, which has created a culture of its own,” he says. “Pizza had been a price-driven product for almost six decades. But I did it [started Antico] in the worst part of the worst economy in American history in a ‘bad’ neighborhood … and rendered price almost irrelevant.”
With a passion for quality and authenticity, Di Palma and his son, Gianluigi, take pride in making Pizza Napoletana available to all to experience. And that, Di Palma says, is the real bottom line for Antico’s success.
“You must love doing it for the pride of the product,” he says, “not the money.”
