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Hyatt offers Pizza Margherita during IDIC promo
Hyatt Regency Saipan executive chef Gabriele Colombo said Pizza Margherita and Chianti are perfect together. (Mark Rabago)
For this year’s International Day of Italian Cuisine celebration, Hyatt Regency Saipan will be offering authentica Pizza Margherita with a glass of Chianti at Giovanni’s.
Executive chef Gabriele Colombo said the Virtual Group of Italian Chefs, of which he is a member, made the decision for member chefs to whip up their own version of Pizza Margherita for this year’s celebration. Pizza Margherita is by far the most popular kind of pizza around the world.
“The original pizza comes from Naples in the south of Italy. What the global association is trying to do is to reintroduce what the original pizza should be,” he said.
Colombo said the group came up with a guideline on how to cook Pizza Margherita and his version uses the prescribed high-gluten flour san marzano and cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese ingredients. Like the old ways, he will use a wood-fired oven to cook the pizza.
By sticking to the original ingredients and ways of making Pizza Margherita, Colombo hopes residents will appreciate what authentic Pizza Margherita tastes like.
“Pizza has been one of the most popular dishes in Italian cuisine around the world. So what happened was a lot of people misjudged, they used different toppings and different ingredients, and it [ultimately] became different from the original pizza,” he said.
Colombo will cook his Pizza Margherita like the ones he ate while growing up in Italy.
“Margherita is in our culture. When you say pizza it’s always Pizza Margherita—simple and fresh. It also helps that it has the colors of Italy’s flag—red, green, and white. It’s very patriotic.”
Diners who sample Colombo’s Pizza Margherita get to wash it down with a glass of Chianti—the spirit of choice whenever you eat Italian food, especially pizza.
The Garapan landmark’s authentica Pizza Margherita promotion starts on Jan. 17 and ends on Jan. 31. Colombo said the start date is significant because it’s the feast day of St. Peter, who is the patron saint of good food.
The Pizza Margherita will costs $20 and includes a glass of chianti. Dinner is available from 6pm to 9pm and Club at the Hyatt members are welcome. For reservations, call 234-1234 Ext. 26.
