Typically, when I head out to dinner at a restaurant, it’s often because I don’t feel like going through the work of preparing the meal. But when I found out that Princi Italia offers a unique experience where patrons can learn to toss pizza dough like the pros, I just had to give it a shot.
Although my younger brother works as a manager at a pizza restaurant in Charleston and has several years of experience under his belt, I resisted the urge to ask him for any tips prior to dinner. Okay…I may have asked a question or two, but he did not give me anything! I guess that’s fair. I needed to experience this on my own!
Upon arrival, we were escorted to a special area set up just for those attending the dinner. Though we were separate groups, we quickly bonded over fried calamari, meatballs al forno, house salads, and libations. We were all a bit nervous yet very excited to make our pizzas.
Soon, our chef/instructor led us to the table where aprons, chefs hats (so necessary), and our other necessary items were placed. He walked us through the steps in preparing the dough for pizza perfection.
And of course, we got a lesson in dough tossing! The specific technique for dough tossing is precise, but not difficult to learn.
Then we added the finishing touches to our dough so that we could make our pizzas. Let’s just say, my dough was deemed more appropriate for flatbread instead of pizza. I’m not sure if this means the only pizza chef in the family is my lil brother. Everyone had a chance to place their favorite toppings on their creations. We then went through the process of baking our pies.
And the last step, the most rewarding step, was getting to eat what we made! Everyone placed their various pizzas and flatbreads on the table we originally used for dough and shared amongst our group.
I have to say that my truffle butter flatbread pizza with 4 cheeses, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and pepperoni was the top pick of the night. So maybe my bro’s got the pizza skills, while I’ve got a flair for yummy flatbreads.
My sweet tooth wasn’t neglected, either. We were served an assortment of the chef’s speciality desserts at the end of the evening.
Along with my dinner, I enjoyed the Sommelier’s wine pairings. I sampled an assortment of wines from Tenuta Polvaro and Silvio Grasso.
Whether you make the perfect pie or not, you are guaranteed to have a great evening. Princi Italia will be hosting this experience several times throughout the summer. I highly recommend it!
Experience courtesy of Culinary Local. Words and opinions courtesy of yours truly.
