Pizza Training with Hospitality Consultant Justin North at Spazio Marana, Sydney
Recently, Hospitality Consultant Justin North from Concept Hospitality visited the Spazio Marana showroom in Sydney for a tailored two-day pizza training session. Justin is working with the team at Shaws Bay Hotel Ballina to bring its new menu to life. This pizza training provided a fantastic opportunity for the Shaws team to not only improve their pizza-making skills but also to test out our state-of-the-art pizza equipment.
Pizza chef Antonio was on site to guide the team through techniques for mixing, balling and hand-stretching dough, as well as to share insights on different dough recipes and how to achieve the desired final product. On day two of the training, the Spazio Marana showroom became a test kitchen, with Shaws Head chef Lachlan Smith joining Justin to trial different flavour combinations using the freshest ingredients.
In showroom training also allowed the team to get a hands-on experience with the equipment they have purchased for their kitchen, including the Sunmix Spiral Mixer, Vitella Bun Divider Rounder, Sunmix Moon Baller, and the Marana Forni Rotary Oven (see full list of products below and click through for more information).
Read on for Justin’s experience, in his own words:
Justin, why did you choose to do the two days of pizza training with Marana Australia?
“We have an oven going into Shaw Bay Hotel. I wanted to understand the operation, see the spiral mixers and dough ballers in action, and work with Antonio, who is a pro of everything. I wanted to understand the different doughs and hydrations, and Antonio’s knowledge of the various flours—triple zero, double zero—and how they work together. This is very valuable for us to develop our own dough and to use the dough in situ.”
What was your favourite aspect of the training?
“Hands-on practicality. You can read as much as you want, but to do it, see it, and taste it—there’s nothing better!”
What’s your most valuable takeaway from the two days of training?
“Understanding the ferments, the hydration, the science behind it. We didn’t have much experience with that previously.”
Would you recommend this training?
“Yes, of course. It’s invaluable, even for experienced operators. It helps you understand the product and how the equipment works.”
What are your next steps after the training?
“More development, testing the menu across the different sections of the venue.“
