SLICE of LIFE

Franco Manca are pioneers of the sourdough pizza, but what work goes into achieving this? We speak to their brand area chef, EmilianoRuzzu, to find out more

By MARK KEBBLE

Q How long have you worked at Franco Manca and what originally attracted you to joining the business?

A I first started working at Franco Manca in 2011 as a pizza chef, before leaving to work in other restaurants. I then re-joined Franco Manca in 2017, initially as a head chef, before starting in my current role of area chef for the north of England in 2018. I was initially attracted to the business because I wanted to learn more about Neapolitan pizza, and Franco Manca, in my opinion, is the best on the high street.

Q What does your role as brand area chef of North England involve?

A In my role as area chef, I am responsible for many things, including recruitment, training, menu development and ensuring our high standards are always met. I oversee 10 Franco Manca restaurants, covering Manchester, Birmingham, Lincoln and up into Scotland. There is currently only one Franco Manca in Yorkshire, based on Trinity Street in Leeds, but we soon hope there will be many more! We’re hoping to grow our presence in the north of England this year.

Q What makes your pizzas di erent?

A We are known as the sourdough pizza pioneers, and we make our dough fresh each and every day at all 70 of our restaurants. This focus on sourdough, as it should be, is a massive di erentiator between Franco Manca and other high street pizza restaurant brands. We also use as much authentic Italian produce as possible, including tomatoes and mozzarella, ensuring we use the highest quality ingredients across every menu item. Something else that helps Franco Manca stand out is that everything is prepared freshly on site; we don’t have a central kitchen and there is minimal freezing across the entire business. francomanca.co.uk

Q Can you explain the cooking process?

A Our pizza ovens operate between 430450 degrees, and our pizzas are typically cooked in there for between one minute and 90 seconds. This is dependent on the toppings, and how much goes on to a pizza. Rather than just drop the pizza in the oven, it’s important that it is lifted up on the paddle after the first 30 seconds of cooking; this prevents the base from sticking to the oven. We know the pizza is perfectly cooked when the cheese has melted and the sourdough crust has turned crisp, golden and slightly charred.

Q In your job, are you often looking at new flavour combinations?

A I work very closely with the wider menu development team, in order to help advise on what we feel will be most popular, especially in the region I operate in. We are regularly tracking the latest food trends, to see how we can incorporate these onto our pizzas. Our menus have a seasonal focus, and change twice a year, with lighter pizzas featuring during the spring and summer months, and some heartier and more comforting pizzas taking over during the autumn and winter.

Q Does sustainability play a role in the company?

A We do our very best to keep plastic to an absolute minimum across our restaurants, switching to things like paper straws and recyclable pizza boxes. We are entirely committed to using fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients where possible, which is certainly an e ective way to reduce supply chain emissions. We also make sure that all of our paper, cardboard and glass waste is recycled, by utilising the services of a third-party provider across all of our restaurants.

Q Do you have a personal favourite when it comes to the current menu?

A My favourite pizza that’s currently on the menu is the new No.9. This delicious pizza consists of our fresh, homemade sourdough base topped with wild mushrooms, burrata, tru e pesto, mozzarella and fresh basil. It’s part of our summer menu and is a really light and super fresh pizza –perfect for the warmer weather.

Q Pizzas aside, what else do you o er?

A Despite being known as a pizza restaurant, we do o er much more across our menus. Guests can order Mediterranean sharing platters, charcuterie, light bites including our incredible Tuscan fennel sausage and bu alo mozzarella bruschetta, salads and desserts. One of my favourite Franco Manca dishes is actually the yellowfin tuna salad, with roasted baby plum tomatoes, Kalamata olives, yellow peppers, mixed leaves, shallots and a creamy dressing.