Pizzeria Prima Strada

 

Employee Bio – Andrew Johnson

If you’re a regular at PPS Bridge Street there’s a good chance you’ve already met Food & Beverage Manager Andrew Johnson.  A veteran in the hospitality industry, Andrew completed the Hospitality & Tourism Management program at Camosun College and has been working in hotels & restaurants for over a decade.

One of Andrew’s many passions is wine – he developed our new Southern Italian wine list.  You may recognize the rising star from his YouTube debut – Wine Time.  So if you like food, wine or fishing – feel free to chat up Andrew next time you spot him.Food & Beverage Manager

 

Q. How long have you been with Prima Strada?
A. Going on 4 years

Q. Where can we usually find you – PPS Bridge or PPS Cook?
A. PPS Bridge

Q. Where is your hometown?
A. Duncan, BC

Q. What’s your favorite restaurant/food item in your home town?
A. I’m pretty impressed with the Hillary’s cheese/True grain bakery combo in Cowichan bay.

Q. What’s your favorite pizza?
A. Filetti with prosciutto

Q. What’s your ultimate comfort food?
A. My Nana’s raisin scones with butter. I could eat myself to death with those puppies.

Q. Current favorite wine/beer or drink?
A. St Hubertus Riesling or anything by Deschutes Brewery.

Q. What is the theme song to your life right now?
A. Joel Plaskett- Lightning Bolt

Q. If you could go to one place for a week all expenses paid, where would you go?
A. I would go fly fishing in Alaska.

Q. Best part of being with Prima Strada?
A. Getting a chance to learn, work hard and have fun while selling a product that I really believe in.

Forza Prima Strada!

Buon Anno!

We’re already one week into 2012. Like me, I’m sure many of you are hard at work on your New Year’s resolutions.  Will you begin a healthy lifestyle and start new routines in January?  Why don’t we set a goal together?

Join me and the PPS team – Forza Prima Strada – for the Times Colonist 10k!  Whether you run, walk or a combination of the two, we’d love to have you!  Mark your calendar for Sunday, April 29th, 2012.

I’ve only run one 10k race myself (many years ago).  Luckily, it was with a team.  You know the sayings: the more, the merrier and there’s power in numbers.  It’s true!  It seemed like an impossible task but having a team made the run an amazing experience.

If you’re interested in running with us, please register.  Registrations received before  March 17 get a Forza Prima Strada team shirt.  Have a question or a problem registering?  Email me – courtney@primastrada.com

 

The Prima Strada Gang Goes to Italy: Finale

And so ends our pretend journey with the Prima Strada crew as they gallivanted around Southern Italy. From the wine tastings to the ping pong tables, it has been quite the ride. Luckily for us, they saved the best for last!

A couple of months ago, a lovely man named Peppe came to Victoria and deemed our pizza VPN worthy. For those of you who are not sure what VPN means, it stands for Verace Pizza Napoletana, or “True Pizza of Naples.” Similar to the DOC label you find on that beautiful bottle of Chianti, the VPN certification is awarded to those pizzerias who follow the traditional method of pizza making that has been used in Naples for hundreds of years. And just to give you an idea of how strict the regulations are, only a handful of VPN pizzerias exist in Canada. It only made sense that we received our VPN certificate in the motherland of pizza, Naples.

The gang headed to Ristorante Umberto in Napoli for an unforgettable dinner. Seeing as how the restaurant is run by Massimo Di Porzio, the President of the VPN, you can bet his pizzas taste pretty darn good! After the certificate presentation, the guys couldn’t resist jumping in the kitchen to show the Italians their skills.

All in all, the trip was a success. I didn’t even leave Victoria and I feel like my life got a little more exciting! If you want to see more photos (they only took around 800) please check out our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pizzeriaprimastrada. Grazie!

The Prima Strada Gang Goes to Italy: Making Fior di Latte

When the Pizzeria Prima Strada gang went to Italy, they learned how to make fior di latte (fresh mozzarella) from an Italian primo! At Prima Strada, we use only fresh mozzarella and fresh buffalo mozzarella on all our pizzas. Ever wanted to know how it’s made? Now you can!

The Prima Strada Gang Goes to Italy: Part 3

After a few days of relaxing and eating gelato, the Italy crew has got to work. First up on their agenda, eating the local pizza. They went to Pizzeria Da Franco in Sorrento to begin.

Da Franco’s pizza is not Sorrento style. It’s not Napoli style. It can only be described as Da Franco style, with a mix of fresh and smoked mozzarella on every pie. From the pictures it looks like they asked the right locals!

Next on the busy To-Do list is visit a vineyard (talk about tough work!) And while Andrew is all business it appears his wife Vanessa has the right idea.

And what trip would be complete without a visit to Caputo, the company that makes the flour we use to make our authentic pizza in Victoria! They meet up with Directorre Eugenio Caputo for the VIP tour.

They all get a hands on lesson on the milling process and watch the bags fill with flour. These are the exact same bags we use in Pizzeria Prima Strada.

And it looks like Enzo just got hired! Head to toe in Caputo gear, he’s ready for duty!

There’s more work to be done, the gang is heading out for pizza in Napoli next. My mouth is watering already…

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