Ephraim takes second place
Ephraim Khoza from Panarotti’s at Mall@Carnival, was one of seven finalists who recently took part in the final of the prestigious Panarotti’s Master Pizza Challenge in Cape Town.
Whilst narrowly missing out to the winner, Donovan Swart, Panarotti’s applauds Ephraim for reaching the finals in this prestigious event.
Swart was named Panarotti’s Master Pizza Maker and will represent South Africa at the World Pizza Games during the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in March 2016.
Tyrone Herdman-Grant, chief operations officer for Panarotti’s, explained that it takes both skill and creativity to be a finalist and to ultimately win the competition.
“This year, the contestants had to hand press their dough. Using rolling pins or machines to roll the dough removes all the air and remixes the dough causing further gluten development, making the dough tough,” explained Herdman-Grant.
Hand pressing removes very little air from the dough, creating a pizza base that is usually crispy on the outside with a light airy texture on the inside.
The finalists made their dough the day before and the judges awarded points for their dough making skills. On the day, each contestant hand-pressed their pizza bases in front of the judges.
The judges this year included Nicola Carlicola, a former Italian footballer who now lives in Cape Town, last year’s winner Tertius Raubenheimer, and renowned Italian chef, Vittorio Bianchi.
