What do Donald Trump, Rihanna, and Marilyn Monroe have in common? That Glasgow chef Domenico Crolla has put their faces onto pizza, of course! Crolla makes pizza at Bella Napoli in Glasgow, UK, but everyone can see his creations on his Instagram, where he currently has over 4,000 followers. He has gotten awards for the best pizzeria in the UK almost every year since 2009, won for best Italian restaurant in 2007 and 2008, and won the Las Vegas International Pizza Challenge in 2007. While talking about his work is great, it’s better if you see it.
Photo courtesy of @domenicocrolla on Instagram
His pizza starts with spreading shredded mozzarella on parchment paper and putting that onto the same circular pan he will use to cook his dough. He then melts it in the oven until it becomes one large, flat piece of mozzarella. He lets it sit for an hour, and while doing so, starts on rolling his dough, putting the sauce on, and baking it halfway.
Photo courtesy of @domenicocrolla on Instagram
After the dough is half-baked, he takes it out and starts the lengthy process of what he calls the “fine detail” in the cheese. He lays the mozzarella layer onto the sauce with the parchment paper facing outwards. He cuts away at the paper and cheese until he has the image he wants. When he needs to fill smaller details in, he uses a bottle of sauce with a fine-tip and smaller pieces of cheese to add on.
Photo courtesy of @domenicocrolla on Instagram
Lastly, he brushed some olive oil on the crust, then re-bakes the pizza to warm it up and soften the cheese. The whole process can take up to 3 hours per pizza, but in his interview with pizza magazine, he says that his pizza has helped him “stand out from the crowd” and that more pizzerias should try “to do something to be different.”
The most important thing for Chef Crolla? That his customers know that he enjoys making pizza.