Prova Pizza

Bari is a big port city along the Adriatic Sea, on the Southeastern side of Italy. It's here that an 8-year old boy named Vito Iacopelli learned to make pizzas in his father's establishment. The city, a little smaller than the size of Long Beach, was where Chef Vito's 100-year old family recipe was born. Lucky for us, he has perfected it here in L.A. and you can try it for yourself.

Prova Pizza is the newest pizzeria in L.A. It just opened last week, serving authentic Neapolitan style pizzas in wood burning ovens. Chef Vito has been doing this pretty much his entire life. Using the best ingredients like San Marzano style tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, he makes super thin, savory pizzas with a perfectly chewy and charred (charred is a good thing) crust. Each pizza is baked in a 800 degree oven, 780 degrees to be exact, using olive and orange wood along with wood chips as the fuel for the fire.

The pizzas are baked in just a couple of minutes, so you don't have to wait too long to get your taste of Italy. I was impressed with the quality and taste of my margherita pizza with pepperoni. It's not like the other "build-your-own" pizza places that have popped up lately. You can tell Chef Vito (who previously worked at Michael's Pizzeria in Long Beach) doesn't make pizza systematically, but rather artistically. He's truly passionate about his work and every detail that goes into making your food. After all, it's 100 years in the making.