Greetings
In late September, Roberto Caporuscio of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, returned to work with us. I am only sorry that he is not with us every day! Roberto is such a great teacher and inspiration. Not only did we continue to work with how we extend the dough and engage the oven, Roberto introduced several new antipasti (assagi) to our repertoire that we will be offering on our menu as specials, such as carciofi e patate, carote al parmigiano, mozzarella in carrozza, melanzane involtini, polpette di finocchietti, angioletti to name just a few. We also played with the form of the pizza, such as quattro catone or four corners (making pies with four mini calzone); naso a naso or nose to nose (one calzone facing another); cornicione ripeino or stuffed borders; volcano (one on top of the other), and pizza fritta or fried pizza.
Roberto and I had some time to play as well. Zucchero, the popular and great Italian blues artist was in the US for a brief tour. We were given the opportunity to cook for him and his ensemble on the dates he performed in Chicago. If you aren’t familiar with Zucchero, check out his music and his history. He has played with many, many great artists from the world over. It truly was a lot of fun to be part of these events.
I followed Zucchero to New York where he performed on his birthday at Carnegie Hall. During this trip I was able to take some time with Lou DiPalo, whose great grandfather began the family’s Latteria (cheese and ricotta shop) in 1910 in lower Manhattan’s “Little Italy”. Lou is a wonderful guy, very willing to share his great knowledge of cheese, Italian meats and other Italian specialty products. There’s nothing like fresh mozzarella! Casa della Mozzarella on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is another great place to visit.
As we experience the changing of the seasons, the pizze we offer evolve to complement those changes. You will see a greater use of pancetta, porcini, guancialle, potato and egg, and the hand-dipped ricotta more widely used. A new favorite is the “L’Antonio,” 
consisting of bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, speck (a dry-cured smoked ham from Alto Adige) and our creamy ricotta. This pie is named in honor of Antonio Starita, one of the great pizzaiuoli of Naples. A third generation pizza maker, you can find him in the neighborhood called Materdei. Pizzeria Starita dates back to 1901. The year of Italy’s Giubileo, Antonio had the good fortune to present Pope John Paul with his “Pizza Del Papa.” Crema di zucca, fiorilli, zucchini, pepperoni (peppers) and provola were the ingredients.
Our soups also change with the seasons. Fagioli e scarola, minestra with prosciutto and soppressata, and one with mussels and clams are now back in rotation. Soups are soothing, the classic comfort food, and something we are all in need of as we face greater challenges in our daily lives.
One of our greatest pleasures at Spacca Napoli is hearing from someone that this is where they want to be, that we are able to provide a sense of belonging and community, as the following little story illustrates. Recently one of our regular diners came in to eat. I spoke with her at the end of her meal and realized that she had called earlier to see how busy we were. She then told me that she had originally planned to stay home that night, but decided that she wanted some company, and that she wanted to be with us. Not only do we aspire to offer good food and drink, it is our intent to make our place feel like it is yours as well. I’ll close with an autumnal welcome to all of our customers, new and continuing. Let us know how you like our new offerings. I am thankful for your continued support, kindness and feedback.
I find taking a break helpful. The opportunity to rest and reflect allows me a moment to focus more clearly on what we are trying to do with Spacca Napoli. None of this would have happened without my and my family having had experienced the good life of the Mediterranean. I have tried to share some of those qualities that seem to make that life special and enjoyable: good food and wine, a slower pace, a celebration of both young and old. I have tried my best to select worthy cheeses, oils and vinegars, to put forth fresh ingredients that my aunt Joyce Goldstein, a continuing inspiration, (see 
With warm weather here and joyfully opening up our outdoor seating we want to thank everyone for coming out as the summer season gets underway. We hope you are loving the sunny afternoons lengthening more slowly into evening and the big night skies which make it perfect for meeting friends and hanging out–Italian style!
Along with this honor, Accademia Barilla has included us in a May tour of the Parma region to learn more about important local food purveyors and their traditions. The focus will be on producers of cheese, meats, balsamic vinegar and wine. In Naples I will again visit with di Mateo, da Michele and Don Antonio of Starita as well as ‘walk the streets’ in search of more ideas to bring back to Chicago.
Our participation with the Provincial Councils of Avellino, Caserta and Napoli as part of the Global Food and Style Show yielded great tastings for our customers! Each night we sampled distinct recipes from the region of Campania such as Pasta e Fagioli con Le Cozze, Fusilli alla Napoletana and Paccheri al Ragu. And we are thankful to have participated with First Slice in a benefit held at Architectural Artifacts. The event helped raise funds to purchase a van that will better help to serve people in need.
Spring at Spacca Napoli brings with it new lighter fare such as a minestra di zucchini and Maccu di San Giuseppe. Arthur Schwartz, The Food Maven, describes the latter soup as combining “two foods that are preserved for winter — dried beans and dried chestnuts — with the greens that are just emerging from the cold winter earth.” We have introduced a pizza made with a varietal of mozzarella called burrata, a creamy, light and spectacularly flavorful cheese renowned for its freshness and soft texture. Red pepper, onion and zucchini trifoliate along with porcini and a touch of bufala mozzarella make this a white pizza dream!