History

"Flour-dusted hands, the magic of rising dough, and then that unique flavor of freshly baked pizza. Those with a passion for baking live for the little thrills that only the world of pastry can provide. They can’t live without it.

So it is for Stephan Guarino, born in 1985, a native of Capua (a small town in the province of Caserta), who decided to dedicate his life to the art of baking. Today, with 22 years of career behind him, the man from Campania has become a respected and established craftsman, and most importantly, he has exported his expertise to Belgium.

Stephan entered the world of pizza at just 13 years old when his father, an employee of a pharmaceutical company but passionate about dough, decided to open a restaurant in the center of Capua. Thus, the young boy, enrolled in his first year at the hotel institute, discovered the magic of bread-making. In the morning he was at school, and in the evening he never missed an opportunity to help his parents at the pizzeria. As days went by, he grew more passionate about the art of baking: he was especially fascinated by his father's teachings and the mastery of the restaurant's first pizza chef.

One evening, his father sat him on a stool, placed a loaf of bread in front of him, and said: 'It's time, show me what you can do.' Stephan was waiting for nothing else and has kept his hands in the dough ever since.

However, in 2003, his father was forced to close the restaurant, and the young man realized it was time to fend for himself.

Despite commitments and learning, necessary to evolve in the working world, Stephan never stopped studying. He enrolled in a course on chemistry and biochemistry, thanks to which he managed to land a job at a well-known Italian mill specialized in the preparation of various flour mixes and innovative blends.

Still not satisfied with the level he had reached, Stephan attended the courses of Cristian Zaghini and Piergiorgio Giorilli, through which he learned about gluten-free and spontaneously risen doughs, but most importantly, he acquired the skills to manage mother yeast procedures.

The turning point in his career, however, came in 2015 when, after a long apprenticeship, the pizza chef from Caserta had the opportunity to move to Belgium. In fact, he caught the train that only passes once in life. The beginnings were not easy: the different language, the distance from loved ones, and above all the impossible schedules. Despite this, Stephan continued on his path: he continued to study and search for new techniques. The commitment did not go unnoticed, and job opportunities were not missed.

Today, Stephan works in Brussels at a well-known pizzeria that has given him the opportunity to unleash his creativity and introduce the new concept of Neapolitan pizza. This product, the result of an extensive experimentation phase, is based on a mix of flours of different cuts combined with a natural mother yeast from type 1 flour with untreated wheat germ. Stephan's goal is to offer a fragrant, crumbly, tasty, and very light pizza.

The innovations introduced by the young pizza chef from Campania have been reported by the local press, which has dedicated many articles and reports to him.

Stephan's goal was to open a pizzeria and dedicate it to his one great teacher: his father, who will accompany him from the sky."