Go Back to School: Pizza School at Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza
Everyone in Miami knows the Star Luca pizza at Mister O1. It is perhaps the most recognized pizza in South Florida, and now with over 14 locations in Florida and Texas, Mister O1 has expanded its pizza and pizza-making classes and taking its “Star” with it.
BUT, did you know you could learn how to make their delicious, thin crust pizza? Right here in Wynwood in a spacious bright restaurant with a private glass-enclosed pizza classroom with its own pizza oven right up front.
So when Olga Megrabian invited me to join her and 11 other food influencers for a special pizza-making class and pairing with S. Pellegrino Essenza flavored mineral water, I literally jumped at the chance.
Pizza is my favorite food, and being originally from NYC, and also Connecticut (home of the Nationally famous Frank Pepe Pizza of New Haven), my search for good pizza has been fraught with disappointment. Too thick, too saucy, too much crust, not enough oil, I can go on and on.
Mister O1 has been a favorite for years with their original hidden location in an office building on Miami Beach. Where else can you get a Star Luca, or Coffee Paolo, with roasted coffee grinds, gorgonzola and honey, or a mozzarella and ricotta white pizza with truffle oil?
The crust is thin and crispy on the bottom and flavorful with an array of creative toppings.
Chef Alvin Gil is Mister O1’s professional pizza instructor and I think part time comedian, and once we were outfitted in chefs’ hats and aprons…and washed our hands, he had us immediately laughing as we dug into our individual bowls of pizza flour, water, yeast, salt and olive oil.
We thought he was joking when he showed us how to knead the dough and told us we “needed to knead” for over 30 minutes. That felt like it was true as we folded over, pressed down, and smacked the dough until it was a large loaf shape and no longer sticky.
Next, we were instructed to cut the dough into pieces weighing no more, no less than 120 grams (scales were provided) and mold into balls which we put in trays and set aside. Pizza dough needs to sit refrigerated for 72 hours before it can be made into pizza.
After all this hard work, we were rewarded with four already prepared pizzas, each with a suggested S. Pellegrino Essenza pairing. The robust Star Luca was paired with the Dark Cherry and Pomegranate Essenza, the Paolo Coffee with Blood Orange and Raspberry,
and the Elisa white pizza with the light Lemon and Lemon Zest.
The refreshing beverages were subtle enough to not interfere with the pizza flavors and was a nice change from red wine or beer, which can overpower the flavors.
Our work was not yet over, as next Chef Alvin pulled out dough that had been prepared 72 hours before and dusting our work areas with flour, we were taught how to take the ball of dough and begin to stretch and turn to create the round pizza shape. Not so easy, as you needed to be gentle to not tear the dough. I personally had to redo 3 times. Once the 10 “ shape was achieved, it was placed on a pizza paddle and we were escorted to the toppings bar to customize our personal pizzas.
Toppings included a thick San Marzano tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, zucchini, roasted peppers, olives, and even pineapple. I added mushrooms and roasted peppers to my sauce and cheese pizza. And, Into the 600 degree oven it went to melt and crisp up.
The finished pizza could then be further customized by adding proscuitto, arugula, parmesan and other toppings.
All of this led us to the infamous Star Luca. Chef Alvin (@mr.sweetsss) demonstrated how to create the iconic Star shape, but I refuse to reveal the technique as I highly recommend you see for yourself by signing up for a class. It is a simple but quite a distinctive technique.
The final class instruction came by the way of a sweet ending, a Nutella Pizza, as Chef layered, still hot from the oven, pizza crust with Nutella and powdered sugar, and we were each awarded a Certificate of Participation signed by Mister O1 founder, Chef Renato Viola.
A wonderful and tasty 3 hours, if you are looking for something different to do.
And of course, if you just want Mister O1 excellent pizzas, visit any of their locations in Miami area on Miami Beach, in Wynwood and Coconut Grove and Brickell and beyond.
Mister O1 Pizza School and Restaurant
2315 N Miami Ave.
Miami, FL 33137
info@mistero1pizzaschool.com
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