Two years ago, I made the very bold move to leave everything I've ever known in New York – my family, friends, and of course, good quality pizza – to move down south. Since landing in Columbia, South Carolina, I had yet to find the perfect wood-fired margherita, the kind of pizza that reminds me of home. The Americanized version of Neapolitan style pizza that aspires to the flavors and texture of the Italian original. The beautifully airy pockets of crust with a delightful crunch carefully baked and topped with a light, fresh tomato sauce, fresh herbs, and mozzarella. The type of pizza you find in NYC at Lombardi's, Trattoria Zero Otto Nove, Kesté, Brunetti's, or Ribalta (just to name a few).
One random Monday afternoon while driving around, I stumbled upon this tucked away cozy little pizzeria called Il Focolare, located on Sumter Street in downtown Columbia. The name alone, Il Focolare, which literally means “the fireplace” in Italian made me hopeful that this could quite possibly be the end to my pizza search. As soon as I walked into this undiscovered gem, my eyes were immediately drawn to the big red dome-shaped wood-burning oven that stood in the back right corner, and in front of it stood the “pizzaiolo" himself, Chef Aaron Hoskins, stretching out the dough alongside his wife, chef, and owner Sarah Simmons.
Sarah was named one of the “50 Best Chefs in NYC” in 2015 by Food & Wine Magazine – along with quite a few other accolades: She is also a reoccurring judge on the Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay, the CEO of City Grit Hospitality Group and founder of City Grit Culinary Salon in NYC. And she’s even the former owner and executive chef of Birds & Bubbles, a full-service restaurant on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Aaron, a business partner and culinary director of City Grits Hospitality Group, worked his way through some of the best restaurants in Richmond, VA, where he focused his passion on simple European cuisine. In 2015, he joined forces with Justin Severino and became the Chef de Cuisine at Cure restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA – named a “Best New Restaurant” by Bon Appetit – where he met his soon-to-be wife, Sarah. In 2017, they moved to Sarah's hometown of Columbia, SC, and opened Small Sugar, a New York-style all-day cafe featuring "Carolina Cuisine."
Sarah and Aaron soon started missing quality pizza, the kind of pizza they could get in just about every neighborhood in NYC. So one day last summer, they started playing around and experimenting in the kitchen and came up with a pizza dough recipe. They wanted to create pizza that was straightforward, using high-quality ingredients to pay tribute to some of their favorite pizza places in NYC.
So of course, I had to try them all – including their most popular pie, the Pepperoni, made with natural casing pepperoni made by Swiss American, the same used at their favorite pizza place on Prince Street in NYC. But he saved the best pie for last – the one I've searched high and low for since moving down south: a wood-fired margherita pie. And with that very first bite, I knew that Il Focolare had answered my pizza prayers. I was transported back home – I thought I had died and gone to pizza heaven.
So what sets Il Focolare's pizza apart from all the others? Well, it all comes down to getting the basic elements right. If using high-quality fresh ingredients, pizza needs no embellishments. A classic margherita can be just as satisfying as a pizza with five toppings, which is why Chef Aaron simply uses Bacio mozzarella and fresh basil leaves to top it off. He uses King Arthur flour, water, salt, yeast, and cold-pressed olive oil from Italy for the dough. After shaping the dough – due to the heat and humidity in South Carolina – he lets it ferment for only a day, which makes for a thin-based pizza and an open-textured crust. Nothing beats the crispness factor and smoky flavor from the intense heat od a proper wood-fired stove. He keeps the stone wood-burning oven at 600-650 degrees and cooks 3 to 4 pizzas at a time. It's best to be sparing with the sauce and not go overboard on extra toppings to avoid a soggy dough or the risk of overshadowing the other ingredients. Aaron uses the Strianese brand of San Marzano tomatoes for a raw, not-too-acidic sauce, which he runs through a food processor, simply adding in a little garlic and salt for flavor. He believes that a pizza should be treated just like any chef would when plating a dish – so he sprinkles a little salt for garnish right before serving.
Whenever I'm missing home and craving a good quality wood-fired margherita pie cooked to perfection, I know exactly where to go: Il Focolare. Where the saying "home is where the dome is" has never rung truer.