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Uditi started making creative pizzas before he was even a teenager who could drive. \u201cI started to make bread when I was 12 with my auntie and I was the black sheep of the family,\u201d he recalled. \u201cThey used to make bread and I would take leftover dough, flatten it out and put toppings on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His current formula for his slow dough is made with organic and stone ground Italian flours and fermented over two days. \u201cI like it because it\u2019s not flashed cooked,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s cooked for two or three minutes at a lower temperature, you can handle your slice, nothing falls off. That\u2019s my family tradition so that\u2019s why I decided to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating such a sturdy yet lovely and light dough meant that his imagination could run wild when it comes to the toppings. His pizza options include clever takes on pasta dishes like carbonara and cacio e pepe as well as a tribute to Spago\u2019s iconic smoked salmon pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pizzana\u2019s menu reflects a hybrid of Californian and Italian culinary sensibilities, which Uditi has found are fairly similar in key ways. \u201cNaples and Los Angeles has almost the same weather, so for me, the commute wasn\u2019t that difficult,\u201d he explained. \u201cI just tried to understand how people eat here. It\u2019s a little bit different. There are a lot of vegetables here and I just used the knowledge that my mom gave to me: just go in the morning, wake up, go to the market, meet the farmers, talk to them.\u201d The restaurant utilizes organic produce from small farmers at the Santa Monica Farmers Market along with tomatoes that Uditi grows himself in Naples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to being a partner, Candace Nelson is also Pizzana\u2019s executive pastry chef.
\u201cThe reason we came together so strongly is because me and Candace, we are both obsessed with perfection of baking,\u201d Uditi said. \u201cShe\u2019s obsessed with perfect desserts, cupcakes, everything that is sweet she is a master. And I\u2019m obsessed with the crust and the dough, with temperature, I\u2019m like a nerd with this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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With the food nailed down, they had to find the perfect location, which turned out to be the West Hollywood Design District. Uditi notes that the space that houses Pizzana was formerly Ed\u2019s Coffee, which was beloved by locals, and the partners wanted to do their best to keep that friendly neighborhood vibe alive. \u201cIt was an institution in the neighborhood. I like to be a neighborhood-friendly pizzeria, so that\u2019s why this location appealed to me and my partners \u2014 because that\u2019s what we do!\u201d he explained. \u201cIn Brentwood, we are a neighborhood pizzeria, and over here we want to do the same. We just want to be the spot where you can drop in, come and get a pie and a glass of wine and relax.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been just over a month since opening day, but Uditi has already seen lots of regulars at Pizzana. \u201cThere are a couple of people that come every day actually. Every day, I\u2019m not kidding!\u201d he said. \u201cThey dine-in or they take a lot of pizza to go to the offices. There are a lot of offices around this area so I\u2019m glad we can cater to them. An office job can be a little bit tiring on the mind and I\u2019m glad that I can give them a slice of happiness sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n