Madrid creates a school of pizzaiolo to develop a pool of the most sought-after profiles

The rise of Neapolitan pizza at the hands of authentic pizzaiolos has proved to be a very profitable business in Spain. However, pizzerias are struggling not only to recruit well-trained professionals in this noble art, but also to retain them.

This is a real headache, as the majority of pizzaiolos come from Italy, in many cases recruited directly by the pizzerias themselves, which, given the high demand and turnover of these profiles, are forced to constantly search for new talent.

In response to this need, Madrid has just created L’Arte del Pizzaiolo, the first pizza school promoted by Mammafiore in Spain. The Spanish company, which has specialised in the distribution of top-quality Italian products for 14 years, has launched this project because of a problem common to all the pizzerias it serves, not only in Spain but also in the rest of Europe: it is difficult to find well-trained staff.

The scuola will have two industry leaders as permanent teachers.

The school, located in Leganés, puts all the know-how of its teachers and producers at the service of apprentices and restaurateurs, with the idea of offering the best training and facilitating the entry into the market of qualified professionals, and it does so from completely new facilities where they can learn technique and practice, from the purest essence of the profession to the latest generation techniques.

Companies that decide to opt for this training for their teams will be able to take advantage of FUNDAE training credits that subsidise the full amount of the course, in a new school with exclusive training for a maximum of 14 students, with timetables designed and adapted to the needs of the sector.

The scuola will have two leading figures in the industry as permanent teachers, each specialising in a different style of pizza. Fabio Cristiano, an expert in Neapolitan pizza, is the owner of the Scuola di Pizzaiolo in Naples, chosen as the best school in Europe by the international organisation 50 Top Pizza. Rigour and seriousness are his hallmarks and the principles he transmits in each of his training courses. On the other hand, Massimiliano Saieva is a pioneer in Roman pizza and co-founder and instructor of the first Roman Academy in the United States. A teacher of students across five continents, he has also taught for internationally renowned hotel and restaurant chains.

At the end of their training, the students will be able to carry out their internships among great professionals, entering the kitchens of Fratelli Figurato, Can Pizza and Grosso Napoletano, among other professionals who will welcome the students so that they can complete their training.

These certified courses include all the material necessary to complete the course and offer a job exchange that includes more than 4,000 pizzerias all over Spain, with work experience guaranteed in 75% of the courses. Although new formats and types of training will be added, the school is starting out with a series of courses in two styles of pizza: Neapolitan and Roman.

For Neapolitan pizza, L’arte del pizzaiolo offers: a five-day Basic Professional Pizzaiolo Course; a three-day Indirect Doughs Course, where you can learn the secrets of the Biga, Poolish and autolysis dough techniques; a Gluten-Free Doughs Course and a Pizza on a Peel and Tray Course. In the Roman pizza branch, you can take the Basic Course and the Advanced Course.