Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/514590
136 to Los Angeles, California, where he trained with Vera Pizza Napoletana Americas, the American delega- tion of the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, earning a certificate in Neapolitan-style pizza making. His certification is one of only a hand- ful of certified Neapolitan pizza restaurants in Massachusetts. The pizza cooks in just over a minute in a wood-burning pizza oven—from Italy, of course—that is heated to 950 degrees Fahrenheit. The mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and exquisitely cooked crust tantalize the tastebuds. It is without a doubt one of the tasti- est slices I've had stateside. Not only is the pizza made from scratch, but also all the soups, ricotta, tortellini, orecchiette, salsiccia, focaccia, sauc- es, and desserts are house-made. On the dolci side of the kitchen, CO N TAC T Papa Razzi Metro 2 Wall St. Burlington 781-229-0100 paparazzimetro.com pastry chef Matt Petersen is in com- mand. Petersen grew up in Dublin, Pennsylvania, and had a penchant for baking. His grandmother baked wedding cakes and his mother was known for her pies. To stay out of trouble in high school, Petersen took a job at Dairy Queen, where he quickly rose through the ranks. Knowing he wanted to continue on the sweets path, he studied at John- son & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island, majoring in pastry. He has baked in some of the top restaurants up and down the eastern seaboard, including the Mandarin Oriental's Cities in Washington, D. C. He also apprenticed under Masaharu Mo- rimoto, which quickly led him to a position at LaCroix, working with Philadelphia's "Godfather" of French cuisine, Jean-Marie LaCroix. It was there that Petersen learned to refine his style and technique. Petersen also had his moment of fame on Top Chef, where he came in second and was voted a fan favorite. When asked what he loves about pastry, he says without hesitation, "I love the science— cooking is different, you can adjust recipes by adding more or less of an ingredient, but with baking it needs to be exact to come out right." And come out right they do— with amaretto mascarpone mousse, genoise sponge cake, passion fruit jam tiramisu, and a lemon olive oil cake fit for Roman gods, Petersen elevates the dessert experience to heavenly heights. This dynamic chef team will definitely have you thinking "Be Italian" by the end of the meal. Above, Rigatoni Bolognese; Opposite, clockwise from top left, pastry chef Matt Petersen, the almond cornmeal cookie called a Sbrisolona, the bar at Papa Razzi Metro