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Pizzeria Testa
Photo by by Renee Hansen
Photo by by Renee Hansen
Photo by by Renee Hansen
Photo by by Renee HansenRestaurant channels Italian authenticity
In 2009, Rod Schaefer toured the streets of Italy, immersing himself in the Neapolitan culture and preparing himself to own a pizzeria.
He brought his experience back with him to Frisco, launching Pizzeria Testa in the heart of Frisco Square in October 2012.
Schaefer said he is not a chef himself but was born into a family of great Italian cooks.
He said he is the first of his relatives to run a pizzeria and named the shop as a tribute to the family, 'Testa' being his mother's maiden name.
Schaefer's pizzeria stays true to its roots by preserving the simplicity of fresh ingredients, many imported from Italy, and combining them with the talents of a master pizzaiolo from Naples, Italy, Michele D'Amelio.
In 2013 D'Amelio was crowned a world champion in the Italian Style Pizza Challenge at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. With the Italian chef's guidance, Schaefer said Pizzeria Testa has also been named an Associazione Pizzaiouli Napoletana-certified pizzeria, a rare title in the United States.
Schaefer credits that success not to one person, but to the whole Pizzeria Testa team.
"I don't want to use a trite term that we're like a family, but we really are and we just like to have a good time," he said.
Three or more chefs work the food preparation line at a time, preparing customer orders as diners watch from the bar a few inches away.
A pizzaiolo then sweeps up the prepared pizzas with a shovel-like tool and puts them into one of two 7,000-pound, wood-fired ovens, keeping watch and turning the pizzas intermittently to keep them from burning.
Meats are cooked in the morning; the dough is made fresh twice daily; and there is no freezer, fryer or stove anywhere in the building, Schaefer said.
"Everything we do is out in front of everybody," Schaefer said.
The intense heat of the oven cooks the pizzas within 60 to 90 seconds, providing a quick turnaround for customers who sit in the dining room or on one of three outdoor patios.
Schaefer is easy to find, even on busy nights, as he makes his rounds from table to table, conversing with customers and his staff.
"He's very passionate, it's important for him to portray what's important to him," said Business Development Manager Tracy Cash.
Schaefer said he is committed to providing food at affordable prices so that "all people of all ages and all classes can enjoy a very special pizza."
"Basically everybody within the Metroplex, and even bordering states, that are native Italians come here to eat, to the point that we're forming an Italian club, " Schaefer said."
