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Well, we are about 1/2 way through our year and the pizza’s keep flying off the peels. We continue to be humbled and amazed at our dedicated following, and especially grateful for all of the interest in Weddings, Rehearsal Dinners, Bridal Parties and Company Parties.

As I’ve said before, we mainly thought we’d just be selling our za’ on some side of the road in Loudoun when we started in 2010. But, due to a huge demand for catering, we’ve stepped into a whole new realm of business and are absolutely loving it. Our first event almost two years ago was for 60 people…and just last week we were part of an event at Marriot Ranch for over 600 people! We love being a part of these events, sharing our craft with the people, and just trying to make the experience just a little bit better and easier for everyone.

As the year progresses, we’ll be adding more events to our schedule, brining on and training new staff, and also be launching a sister company that will specialize in small batch artisan foods (think various breads, pickles, jams, soups, etc.) We’ll start off selling at Loudoun’s farmers markets more towards Fall, and will continue throughout the winter.

We’ve also got some big plans for spring, but I’ll withhold that for the time being

Thanks for all the support…see you soon.

-Jay

We just came across an article that featured one of our friends, the fabulous Carpe Donut, based out of Charlottesville, VA. ( http://tinyurl.com/7qo43p9 ….we’ve worked a few events with them around Northern VA and Loudoun County, but it’s surprising at how many private events they do, mainly weddings.

I’ve blogged about this before, but it resonates with me so much. Many brides / grooms to be, don’t want the typical fare that is mainly characterized by sit down, formal meals. Is this a trend? Yes and no….it’s getting more popular but I think it’s here to stay. Carpe Donut has been doing this over 4 years and his wedding business gets bigger every year. Last year we did quite a few weddings and we already have over 10 weddings and rehearsal dinners on the books so far this year….and growing!

Is this for everyone…probably not. Some couples are really looking for that fairytale special day and want nothing less. But, the good news is there is always the rehearsal dinner too. Many couples instantly think about doing a good BBQ (so 1990′s ….but why not DO the NEW BBQ…..wood fired pizza cooked on site in front of all of the guests!

A couple of years ago I was training for a marathon and was running down the W & OD trail in downtown Leesburg. This trail passes through the town of Leesburg on it’s way either to Washington, DC or Purcellville, VA. As I was running, I looked off the trail and saw a bunch of tents in the woods. Being new to the area, and somewhat naive, I thought oh, interesting… they have a park here with camping. As I got closer I saw items strewn about the campsite and quickly realized that this was not a normal campsite. As my gaze started to shift back to the trail, a man that was sitting by the campsite yelled, “take a picture, it will last longer”. I felt absolutely horrible when I heard him say that, and it was not my intention to gawk.

I live in a county that is consistently rated in reports as the richest in the country. But there are still people in this area that don’t have homes and struggle to get by. I’ve been blessed thus far with a business that has the opportunity to provide a living for my wife and I, the opportunity to employ others, but also has the chance to help out other organizations and make a small difference in our community.

We’re proud to announce that Pizzeria MOTO is going to play a small role in the upcoming Loudoun Habitat for Humanity’s Masquerade Ball and Silent Auction (http://www.loudounhabitat.org/masquerade/home ) on Saturday March 3, 2012, from 6pm-11pm. We’ll be donating a private party for 20 people to the event, with all of the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity and their efforts to eradicate homelessness in Loudoun County.

If you can’t go to the event, consider making a donation, or even helping your chapter with something like this… even if the help is small, it does make a difference.

-Jay

So I think I have taken another leap in the obsessiveness I call baking. I’m attending the Asheville Bread Festival in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait. Seriously….we’ll be going over fermentation techniques, baking with local grains, various baking methods, kneading tech….am I boring you!?! Well, I could see how that could happen. But, would you want anything less from the guy who is trying to make the BEST wood fired pizza you have ever had?

Although this festival will be dedicated to bread…. Pizza and bread go hand in hand. It’s the same medium, same cooking methods….the only major difference (besides it being flat), is the application of toppings to enrich the cooked dough.

We’re crust centric and we LOVE to focus on the crust being the center of attention. It’s not just a base for toppings….it’s the main course that is adorned with some of the best toppings we can find. Be weary and RUN when you see pizzeria’s that focus on unusual topping combinations and the crust is hidden under those toppings. Ok, you don’t have to run….but think about it and consider it….we use a minimal amount of toppings to let the crust shine through, we don’t hide behind anything.

Thanks for being a MOTO fan…we can’t wait to start the season!!

-J

When we started this business in 2010 we had this idyllic vision to serve wood fired pizza to people in amazing places. We thought we might be on top of mountains, or in rustic barns selling our za’, or setting up at local farmers markets and catering to the foodies. While some of that is true, we’re actually setting up in more amazing places than we dreamed of originally. Part of that has been due to the overwhelming response from brides and grooms to be. We did our first wedding in early 2011, and since then have done a hand full more, with a ton more on the books for 2012. What amazes me is the desire to step outside the norm and do something completely different. We’ve gotten a lot of “my parents are not going to be happy with this”. I ask, why???

Why is there such a wedding “norm” for how food should be served? The type of food that is served at weddings is, “most” of the time, just marginal at best. Why not take it to another level (even though it might be a little more casual) and serve something that is 100% handmade and well thought out. We’ve spent years, if not decades (seriously) practicing our craft and coming up with recipes that are sure to make most people say, “this is the best pizza I’ve ever had”.

All of our catering clients since we started have been extremely happy with their catered weddings, rehearsal dinners and events…if your thinking about having us cater your wedding or rehearsal dinner, let us know… We would more than happy to provide references.

Until then…..eat, sleep and dream pizza….you’ll wake up inspired. I do

-Jay

I just finished reading life, on the line by Grant Achatz, an all-star chef of a couple of restaurants and a “bar” in Chicago. The story is pretty incredible from Grant’s start working at his parents restaurant as a short order cook, to working at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, to opening an acclaimed restaurant at a young age in the windy city….all of these incredibly successful endeavors. Grant unfortunately was diagnosed with tongue cancer and underwent massive radiation treatment VS. getting his tongue removed. He chose the riskier and more painful road, something that many other doctors had not even thought of. But the alternative would have left him without his biggest cooking tool…..taste. (spoiler alert) In a nutshell, Grant overcomes this disease and presses on, with sheer determination and extremely hard work, opening another restaurant and bar.

This story is inspirational for us at Pizzeria MOTO because of the sheer determination and focus of a chef to be the absolutely best that he can be, despite life’s happenings. When we started this business we could have gave you dozens of reasons why we should not have done it…reasons about the economy or the recession…but we didn’t….we put it all on the line, and we’re fortunate to have new opportunities presented every week. It truly amazes me.

Our commitment to the business is changing too ….we’re working harder, bringing more attention to the product and the ingredients we use, re-designing our web-site, and doing new things that will expand our business and provide new opportunities for those around us. This is a vision that keeps developing & expanding and I find that the more I do it, the more I realize this line of work is my life’s path. I truly want to thank every person that has touched MOTO in some way, weather it was just coming out to eat our pizza, or being a part of the business to help it grow and prosper.

Even better things are just on the horizon….stay tuned my friends.

-Jay

One would think that pizza would be a food that is fairly simple to make. Get some crust, put some sauce and cheese on it and pop it in the oven. We did this on our first pizzas we made over 25 years ago. Since then, our recipe has changed dramatically, and yes, we have become completely obsessive about the attention that goes into one of our pies.

We came up with a list of at least 36 things we consider and scrutinize on the most basic pizza we have — the Lucia (also called the Margherita) …Others that have more ingredients, more scrutinization required.

Our goal is not to boast about the length of our process, but to dedicate our time and energy in making a product that will stand out from the rest. Stop by one of our events sometime and try us out!

Cheers,

J

Factors that contribute to a successful Lucia pizza in a somewhat logical order

1. Fermentation and acidity of starter

2. Water / flour content of starter

3. Recipe ratio of dough of Flour & Salt

4. Quality of Flour

5. Hydration ratio of dough

6. Quality of water

7. Water Temperature

8. Temperature and humidity when making dough

9. Time additions of flour to mixer

10. Length of time of dough mixed

11. Fermentation schedule (between 2-5 days)

12. Proofing time (humidity, time and temp)

13. Oven pre-heat

14. Oven temp (3 types of heat involved – floor, dome, air)

15. Type of wood used (hardwood, type of hardwood)

16. Type of cut to wood (length & thickness)

17. How dough is stretched and shaped

18. Amount and type of flour used to stretch

19. Type of tomatoes used and where they are grown

20. What type of can are tomatoes are packed in

21. Quality of tomato by type

22. How are tomatoes processed

23. Seasoning to sauce (salt)

24. Quantity of sauce on pie

25. Type of cheese used and the way it is made

26. Quality of Cow’s milk or Buffalo milk

27. How fresh cheese is

28. How cheese is cut up and placed on pie

29. Ratio of Cheese (too much will dwarf other flavors)

30. Addition of additional aged cheese (pecorino or grana padano)

31. Quality of aged cheese

32. Addition of olive oil and the quality of olives used for oil

33. Quantity of oil used before baking

34. Addition of basil and the quality of basil used

35.  Addition of Sea salt and quality of salt produced

36. How pizza is cooked in oven and for how long (a bit of char is good!)