22 Jul Calling All Pizza Lovers Out There! Make Your Own Rules Pick + Mix Your Favorite Pizza Toppings at Pizza Republic – It’s Opening Soon in Cagayan de Oro
Not to be confused with the famous Pizza Republic, the Mac Daddy of Hoboken, in New Jersey, this Pizza Republic is a pick and mix pizza concept that first started out in Cebu as a spinoff from the pizzerias owned by Giuseppe Genco in Manila.
Likewise, the name Giuseppe Genco should not be confused with a famous mafia boss from Italy in the 1970’s of the same name. Unlike the real Giuseppe Genco who is a renowned chef, the mafia boss was no chef in any way.
The first Pizza Republic Pick + Mix by Giuseppe Genco opened in Cebu only last May 2014. It is a spinoff from the Italian Chef Giuseppe Genco’s Manila projects such as Giuseppe Pizzeria and Sicilian Roast and Project Pie.
The biggest factor that makes Pizza Republic stand out from other pizza places is the use of wood-fired brick ovens that was conceptualized by Genco’s family in Italy. Another branch in Bacolod City recently opened in February 2015.
Giuseppe Genco is an accomplished and world renowned Italian chef who made a name for 30 years in the culinary arts in famous hotels like the Shangri-La, Manila Peninsula, Sheraton, and Hilton.
When Genco decided to strike it on his own in 2002, they decided to put up their own pizza restaurants in Manila and Cebu. Genco learned the art of wood-fired ovens from his grandfather and uncle who have been using this concept to cook for more than 35 years.
In all seriousness, wood-fired industrial ovens have almost zero maintenance, improves the flavor of anything you cook in it, and lasts for more than 200 years. These stoves cost the same as standard conventional ovens but conventional ones need to be replaced in 5-6 years.
Back to Pizza Republic, another crowd gatherer for the pizzeria is that you get to pick from more than 60 toppings to dress up your pizza. That’s the concept of pick + mix because you get to choose your own toppings and mixtures to be cooked on top of your pizza. So while you’re ordering your pizza, it’s like a production line with a little entertainment thrown in which you get to see your pizza made right in front of you while you choose what goes on top of it. After this, the pizza is cooked in the famous wood-fired industrial oven.
All ingredients are imported from Italy, beginning from the dough that’s rolled and rounded in front of you, to the sauces like the olive oil, tomato and white sauce, to the Italian cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan, white, blue, goat, cream, and gorgonzola, to every single meat, vegetables, herbs, and spices.
Though no opening date has been announced yet, Pizza Republic Pick+Mix by Giuseppe Genco is set to open at the former Rosario Arcade Strip inside the Limketkai Center in Lapasan. This is one pizza place that pizza lovers in the city need to watch out for.
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