Zia Lucia launches pizza school

London pizzeria Zia Lucia has announced it will open a dedicated pizza school next month.

In order to try and bridge the gap between staff shortages and those seeking work, Zia Lucia has decided to launch its own six-week pizza training school at Boxpark Wembley, opening it up to those of any ability with guaranteed employment after. 

Since the pandemic, founders Gianluca D'Angelo and Claudio Vescovo, like many others within the industry, have been struggling to find staff but more specifically pizza chefs.

"Pizzaiolo has been historically an art as opposed to a job," say D'Angelo and Vescovo. "People tend to learn the art of pizza making very early when they are still young, especially when your parents own a pizzeria.

"It is a very rewarding profession and the learning curve is very steep."

The team has previously trained Daniel, who had never cooked a pizza in his life before. He had a passion for food and was a very fast learner - he was a trained pizza chef within five weeks, and Zia Lucia offered him a full time role as a pizza chef in its Highbury branch.

Over the past five years, Zia Lucia has been creating 48-hour, slow-fermented doughs including traditional white flour, wholemeal, gluten free and vegetable charcoal base.

Since opening its first independent pizzeria on Holloway Road, Zia Lucia has gone on to open neighbourhood eateries in Aldgate East, Hammersmith, Wembley, Islington and most recently Wandsworth.

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