If you ask chef Mirko D’Agata what’s the best way to attract workers, fuel passion for the restaurant business and delight foodies, he’ll say one word: pizza.
When we meet him in the Limoilou district, in Quebec, he is finalizing certain details for the opening of the fourth Morso restaurant, devoted to Roman pizza; this long rectangular pastry filled and served al tagliothat is to say cut according to the desire.
The renowned chef — Mirko D’Agata won the prize for the best Roman pizza in the world in 2019 in Naples — always knew that this specialty had potential. When he joined the family noh 900 as executive chef in 2016, he seized the opportunity to make it a destination object in its own right. According to him, this dish, which traditionally gives pride of place to modest ingredients, embodies simplicity, sharing and discovery. “Not only is it visually beautiful, but it allows you to play even better with flavors and textures, and it heats up better than the Neapolitan. It really is my favorite pizza! »
Sprout creativity
Drawing on his years of experience as a pizza maker and baker in Italy and Montreal, at the head of the Arte Farina pastry-bakery, Mirko D’Agata has succeeded in creating a delicious dough, fermented for 72 to 96 hours, ” that anyone in the kitchen can achieve”. An ideal base for all kinds of creations, and undoubtedly one of the ingredients of its success: involving its team in the success of the company.
“I had the chance to work with people who taught me a lot of things. It’s my turn to pass on my knowledge. I give them a guideline and techniques to start with, and then we create. Having a development relationship with young people rather than imposing is important to me. And it helps with the labor shortage. If the passion is there, you have to have space and time to create and contribute your ideas, because that’s the creativity you want in a pizzeria. We must give the place and the desire to flourish at work. Otherwise, we are not moving forward. »
A lover of culinary competitions, Mirko D’Agata even goes so far as to organize his own competitions in the various branches of the Group noh 900, and soon those of Morso, to solidify the team spirit. The winning pizzas are then featured in restaurants and participate in the usual menu change. At the same time, they preselect the colleagues who will showcase their talents internationally. “I often say that several brains are better than one. I like team sports, I like working together, I need human contact, small talk near the coffee machine. Most of the beautiful projects I’ve done have started on the corner of a door. »
His desire to give back, he does it one pizza at a time. In addition to volunteering for people in need, he created with colleagues Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione the pizza “La collective” to raise money for restaurant workers who had financial difficulties during the pandemic. . “With each pizza sold in five months, we were able to help up to $53,000. It was a way to support them, to be together. »
First and foremost craftsmanship
This feeling of collegiality, Mirko D’Agata also lives it in his relations with the producers. For him, it is essential that the carte blanche he is given as executive chef comes with local and seasonal products. “I want to do a chef’s job, not a job of Excel spreadsheets and ‘price-cost” ! he says, laughing. Mirko D’Agata does not hesitate to describe the company as being an artisanal chain whose purchasing power allows him to buy a large quantity of quality products. He cites in particular the deli meats, which are made in partnership with the Biological Meats of Charlevoix. “I say it all the time, pork in Quebec is something absolutely wonderful! »
Head of the Canadian delegation of the Association of Real Neapolitan Pizza (AVPN) and co-owner of the private import house Forbita, Mr. D’Agata refuses to be perceived as an ambassador of his native country. “Bringing a bit of Italy to Quebec, absolutely, but the customers are Quebecers. We have to understand where we are, it’s important. »
He remembers a very typical pizza that he had put on the menu, made with fava beans, a sauce of green peas and pecorino. “There is no more classic! Nobody liked it! Never mind, he managed to infuse some subtleties of Italy while playing with Quebec influences and varied palettes of flavors. The proof: for the world pizza competition in Parma – where he was competing this week for the title of best Roman pizza – his version combined Arctic char from Opercule and Redfrog Lab microgreens, two small companies from Montreal. “Yes, the pizza is Italian, but Quebec has everything to make it a success. »