How a project born before COVID can readjust and re-revolutionize pop food for post covid era
Denis Lovatel is owner and pizza-chef of Pizzeria Da Ezio, located in a small town near the Dolomites. Taught the art by his father, Denis is known as “Pizzaiolo di Montagna” – the Mountains’ Pizza-Chef.
Lovatel is considered one of the Best Pizza-Chefs in the world with a product that has no equals. He has received San Pellegrino’s “Innovation and Sustainability Prize” and was named the most sustainable pizza maker in Italy by Forbes. He has been awarded “Best Pizza in Italy” by the prestigious Gambero Rosso culinary association. He has participated as a guest at Norbert Niederkofler’s CARE and asked by Niederkolfer to oversee the pizzeria of luxury hotel Rosa Alpina’s restaurant and grill, also home to the chef’s 3-Michelin star St. Hubertus. Lovatel has revolutionised the idea of pizza, focusing on sustainability, circular economy and regional development. To support these key concepts, Denis engages with local farmers and utilizes rare ingredients.
His unique dough recipe uses stream water from the Dolomites and reduces salt intake, seasoning it with local dried herbs only. Creative toppings are the finishing touch, turning what is traditionally fast food into a gourmet meal. He has also created “4-hands” pizzas with several international Michelin-starred chefs. Lovatel’s pizzas are pop-language vectors, targeting younger generations and introducing important values like the environment and respect for food.
This year Denis will bring his unique approach to pizza from the mountains to the city, opening pizzeria Denis in Milan. Cheeses, vegetables and other ingredients will be produced and sourced from a local farm, adhering to Lovatel’s values of sustainability and investing in local communities.