Artisanal Neapolitan pizza has swept the country. An increasing number of restaurants serve the scrumptious (and authentic) version of pizza – with its traditional bubbly and charred crust. Sadly, though, pizza Napoletana is best eaten right out the oven and it doesn’t travel well – so it’s not ideal for home delivery.
But Talia di Napoli has found a revolutionary solution to this problem – so you can enjoy the tasty Neapolitan pizza at home. Their traditional pies are handmade by real pizzaioli in Naples, the birthplace of pizza, then flash-frozen and shipped around the world.
Their signature “sleeping pizzas” are made using the patented cryo-frozen pizza process that preserves the taste and smell of pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven. Within seconds of coming out of the oven, the pizzas are put “in hibernation” at extremely low temperatures, to maintain their freshness. Once ready to serve, they come back to life in just 8-10 minutes in a 400°F oven.
Courtesy of Talia di Napoli
Talia’s CEO Edouard Freda explains what sets their technology apart: “There are two ways to flash-freeze: 90% of the time, it’s done using water because it’s cheaper. But we use liquid nitrogen, which is 11 times more expensive – we call it ‘black gold’ – and it gives superior results. We also patented the process for making the pizza the ancient way and then quickly flash-freezing it in Naples.”
Each pie is made using the traditional recipe, dating back to 1889, with only natural non-GMO ingredients, from provola and mozzarella cheeses from local dairy farms to the exquisite tomatoes at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. The dough is left to rise for 24 hours and prepared with locally-sourced water to give it the right consistency. The pizza is then baked in a high-temperature brick oven fueled with sustainable beechwood that gives the pie a unique aroma.
Edouard grew up in Italy and comes from a 4th generation Neapolitan family on his father’s side. He started his career working for Chanel in New York and Paris, but later decided to become an entrepreneur. Interestingly enough, the idea of Talia di Napoli started with his uncle in Naples, who had extensive knowledge of the food industry, and was, ironically, the first person to bring the McDonald’s franchise to Naples. Talia di Napoli started in 2018 and launched in February 2020, ready to satisfy high-quality pizza-lovers during the pandemic.
Available to order online nationwide on the company’s website and in select Whole Foods supermarkets, Talia di Napoli offers variety packs of 6 or 7 vegetarian pies, including the classic Margherita (their bestseller), and the Provolina, with smoked provola cheese and cherry tomatoes, and even gluten-free options. In December, they will reintroduce their seasonal pizzas, including the Truffles and Four Cheeses varieties. And to celebrate Valentine’s Day, they plan to launch a heart-shaped pizza. Now, that’s amore!