Naples
The pizza king of Naples
Words & Photos Sarah Lane
With his dazzling smile, pop idol good looks and bucketfuls of charisma, Gino Sorbillo could fill a pizzeria just by donning an apron. He takes his profession seriously, however, and his Sorbillo pizzeria, whose motto is “quality and quantity at honest prices”, plays a very active part in a crusade to maintain the high standards of one of his city’s biggest draws – the Neapolitan pizza.
“I feel it’s my mission to make the best possible pizzas,” says Gino and, as a third-generation pizza chef, his dedication is based on solid foundations.
“You must never forget where you come from,” stresses Gino, who’s made pizzas for the pope and for stars such as Sophia Loren. “Even now that there are queues of people outside the door each day and we’ve expanded our premises, it’s important for us to remember our roots and all the tougher times we’ve been through. We must never stop striving to improve.”
The Sorbillo pizzeria started out with just four tables in the 1930s, run by Gino’s grandparents Luigi and Carolina. Life wasn’t so easy for Gino’s father, Salvatore, 18th in a family of 21 brothers and sisters, all of whom stayed in the family trade and became pizza chefs. Salvatore, who mans the till at the pizzeria nowadays, didn’t believe in pampering the young Gino.
“He made me come to work from a very early age,” recalls Gino. “I was waiting tables while still at elementary school, then when I went on to attend the high school just opposite the pizzeria I wasn’t thrilled that I had to spend all my free time here working.”
So when did the inspired pizza chef first emerge? “I always enjoyed making my own pizza each day and I’d actually sold my first one to a client when I was just eight – or rather, I would’ve done had I remembered to ask for the money. I was so proud!”
Gino was thrown in the deep end nine years later when he had to step in and take over when his father was laid up after slicing open his kneecap cutting wood for the pizza oven. On his return, Salvatore was surprised when customers asked if Gino could make their pizzas, and Gino hasn’t looked back.
“I think one of the secrets of our success is working with the family,” considers Gino (pictured right). He’s proud of his pizza heritage and portraits of Luigi and Carolina are a permanent presence at the pizzeria, supervising goings-on from their place on the wall. “Another fundamental is to respect all clients – we have a very wide range here, from penniless students to VIPs and they all get treated the same.
“I disagree with those who consider pizzerias to be a kind of second-class restaurant and don’t bother to create an attractive environment. I believe standards should be kept as high as possible and you should try to improve on them all the time.”
The major key to success, however, is the quality of the pizzas. Gino seeks out the very best of each ingredient and works with micro-suppliers. “We have a guy from the local countryside who provides our oregano, somebody else supplying tomatoes, another for mozzarella and so on.” The flour is from Antico Molino Caputo, a local family-run firm dating back to 1924. Nowadays they also run professional courses for pizza chefs who come to Naples from all over the world to perfect their skills.
“This is a really exciting time for us,” beams Gino. “In December last year the Neapolitan pizza was granted TSG (traditional speciality guaranteed) status by Europe. It’s something we’d been battling for for ages and it’s a real boost for the local economy as well as a breakthrough for those of us who’ve always believed in maintaining standards high.”
The regulation gives strict guidelines to be followed if a pizza is to call itself a real Neapolitan. Key elements include the dimensions (max 35cm diameter), ingredients (such as local buffalo or cow’s milk mozzarella for the Margherita), methods (including a second rising for the dough), the use of a wood-fired oven with a temperature of around 485°C and the baking time of 60-90 seconds.
While most pizzerias offer a wide choice of varieties – indeed, the menu at Sorbillo is made up of 21 pizzas named after the record-breaking family of pizza chefs, plus a selection of classics – the European regulation only concerns Margheritas (tomato, mozzarella and basil) and Marinaras (tomato, garlic and oregano).
That said, Da Michele (Via Sersale 1/3, +39 081 553 9204, www.damichele.net), another of Naples’ historic pizzerias, serves nothing but these two varieties and the lack of choice certainly doesn’t seem to put people off – they’ve even adopted a numbered queue management system to keep the flocks of hungry diners under control.
While in Naples, pizza pilgrims should also pay a visit to the place where the Margherita first gained its name – Pizzeria Brandi (Salita Sant’Anna di Palazzo 1, +39 081 416 928, www.brandi.it). Although mozzarella, tomato and basil on a pizza was nothing new, the Italian queen’s preference for this variety, with its patriotic green, red and white colours like the Italian flag, caused it to be baptised in her name following her visit to Naples in 1889.
While the city doesn’t claim to have a monopoly on pizzas, or even necessarily to have invented them first – as Gino says, “all it takes is a bit of flattened dough to say you’ve made a pizza” – here in Naples it’s become a genuine speciality. The Association of Pizza Chefs does its bit to promote them. “We take our portable ovens to all sorts events – we made pizzas in the central Piazza del Plebiscito during the Naples marathon for example and we even went down to Abruzzo after the earthquake last year to bring some tasty cheer.”
Gino’s social conscience doesn’t stop there – his menu includes Amnesty pizzas that incorporate a donation to the charity and he’s an active member of a consortium of local businesses that promote security measures in the Old Town centre where his pizzeria is located. “I really love the colourful atmosphere of the old centre of Naples – it’s unique,” Gino enthuses.
But doesn’t he ever switch off? “When I got married we closed just for the day and I was back making pizzas instead of jetting off on a honeymoon the day after. Incidentally my wife is the only person I know who doesn’t like my pizzas!” he grins wryly. “But, yes, I do get free time and I love going mountain biking – that, as well as my plants, is my other passion alongside my work.”
Sorbillo, Via Tribunali 32, +39 081 446 643, www.sorbillo.it
