Daisuke Matsumoto and La Sorrentina Recognized by APN For Their Authentic Pizza Making in Vancouver

I recently learned from a Bridgetown Bites reader that Daisuke Matsumoto and his pizzeria La Sorrentina in Vancouver, Washington have been recognized by the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (APN) for their pizza work. For Daisuke, his recognition is as an Official Neapolitan Pizzaiolo. For the pizzeria, it is recognized as “an establishment that faithfully represents the traditions, techniques, and values of authentic Neapolitan pizza.”

I reached out to them to learn more, and had an interesting conversation with La Sorrentina co-owner, Amy Matsumoto. Here is what I learned.

The Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani

In English, it’s the Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli Association, but we’ll continue with the abbreviation of APN. The organization was founded in Naples in 1998 and its headquarters remains there to this day, close to 30 years now.

According to the organization’s website, their mission is “to protect and promote the ancient art of Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo worldwide, along with the entire set of skills, procedures, and ingredients that reflect Neapolitan tradition and culture.”

Along with protecting the way Neapolitan pizza is made, it is important to them to find ways to pass down this tradition to young people who want to learn about and how to make Neapolitan pizza faithfully and authentically. One does not have to be Italian to carry on this craft, either.

UNESCO

The art of the Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. This was done by the twelfth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage with UNESCO.

The pizza itself is not on the list, but art of making it, is. Daisuke spent about 11 years learning how to make pizza this way before being recognized by the APN.

Neapolitan Pizza Requirements

So what exactly is Neapolitan pizza? Amy explains that it’s the end result of a traditional process involving specifics that are recognized by Naples (“Verace Pizza Napoletana” STG specifications). That includes:

• Flour: Soft wheat 00 (or 0); they import Italian Caputo 00 flour.
• Hydration: 55% to 62%.
• Salt: 40 to 60 grams per liter of water.
• Yeast: Fresh brewer’s yeast 0.1 to 3 grams/liter, or natural sourdough.
• Leavening: 8 to 24 hours total (bulk + balls), room temperature; La Sorrentina’s fermentation practice is about 24 hours and involves a biga early in the process.
• Dough ball weight: 200 to 280 grams.
• Final diameter: 22 to 35 cm (max 35 cm).
• Cornicione (raised edge): 1 to 2 cm high, soft and airy.
• Center thickness: 0.25 cm (about 3 mm max).
• Oven: Wood-fired dome oven.
• Baking temperature: 430C to 485C (floor about 430C, dome about 485C).
• Baking time: 60-90 seconds.

You can see that the process and standards are quite specific, with little wiggle room. “We’re not allowed to use rolling pins,” said Amy. “You have to stretch it with your hands and do what is called ‘the slap technique.’ You have to make sure the pizza is cooked within the 90 seconds, it can’t be more.”

Along with all the attention focused the pizza dough and how it’s mixed and cooked, they also import San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella, and extra virgin olive oil—all from the Campania region—to satisfy certain standards.

Consternation in Cooking (By Some)

Amy says that this short amount of cook time can be confusing to people who are not familiar with this type of pizza and pizza-making. Amy says sometimes they get concerned, thinking the pizza can’t hold together.

But obviously, the pizza does hold together! Places like La Sorrentina can help correct misconceptions and therefore open a whole new world of pizza enjoyment to the public.

Local and Domestic Sourcing

They do use some U.S. products—pepperoni (cuppig/cup-and-char style, the best) from Pittsburgh, produce from Flat Tack Farm in Vancouver, and some local mushrooms. Whatever they put on their pizza is going to be high quality. “It just isn’t going to make sense to have cheap meats with expensive cheese,” said Amy.

The Oven at La Sorrentina

I asked Amy what kind of pizza oven they use at La Sorrentina. It’s a wood-fired oven from Acunto, and La Sorrentina uses seasoned maple wood to fuel it.

“I’s a big domed oven, and then on the bottom it has a biscotto,” she explained. “It’s made with ash from Mount Vesuvius.” The maker/company is located between Sorrento and Naples, and their ovens have to be certified to make pizza Napolitano.

“It’s huge and it’s cooks at 900 degrees,” she said. “But you won’t feel the heat on the outside. You only feel the heat right in the front.” The entrance to the oven is small and long, and the interior tiles help keep the heat inside. Its ability to maintain a 900F degree heat in there allows them to fully cook their pizza in 90 seconds.

Takeout Woes at La Sorrentina

Because of the thinness of the crust and the level of freshness of the pie, Amy says it should be eaten within 10 to 15 minutes after coming out of the oven. Therefore, takeout is tricky—they’ll do it, but it is not ideal for the pizza.

This is because the cooldown period changes it into a different pizza experience from what was originally intended. Still tasty, but not the same.

Feeling About This Recognition at La Sorrentina

I asked Amy how Daisuke and the La Sorrentina team is feeling about these recognitions. Essentially, “We’re excited! We’re happy!” No surprise there. They are one of about 30 others in the U.S.

You can watch the presentation on Facebook.

La Sorrentina Origins and Background

Amy and Daisuke started La Sorrentina as a food cart at the end of 2015, with the goal of eventually opening a brick and mortar restaurant. They spent about four years in the cart, without what they would consider to be a proper pizza oven—which are spendy.

“These ovens from Italy are very expensive,” she explained. “We had to work to raise the money for it. And now we’ve been in the restaurant at this place for six years.”

La Sorrentina the restaurant opened in March 2020—right as the COVID lockdowns started—and is located in a strip mall in East Vancouver. A strip mall might cause some to hesitate, but, as they say: IYKYK. Amy says some people are critical of their location; I think that’s unwarranted.

Strip malls are home to some of the best food out there. Some of the most delicious food I’ve eaten in Los Angeles has been in a strip mall (I am reminded of these incredible eclairs I once had at a bakery in a strip mall in Canyon Country). Such a location is certainly not a negative.

Competition Days

Making pizza is Daisuke’s passion, something that grew during his time working in Sorrento, Italy. In 2018, during the time period when they were operating the food cart, Daisuke competed in Las Vegas at the International Pizza Challenge, in the Pizza Napoletana Division. He won sixth place among a number of Italian competitors.

After that, he was invited to participate in the Naples Pizza Championship, but opted not to do so.

Why Vancouver

So why Vancouver? Why not Portland? Why not someplace else in the country? They had been in Japan for a time, then had to leave. The most logical option was to go back to Washington State, where Amy is from. Specifically, Yakima.

After some time had passed in Yakima, they decided to move elsewhere in the state. They had attended a Fourth of July celebration in Vancouver, and loved it. “I just felt it was so community oriented and based,” remarked Amy. That was about 15 years ago.

Changes in the Vancouver Food Scene Over the Years

As for the food in Vancouver, a lot has changed as far as dining options in the city. “I felt that even though the downtown was nothing back then, I felt this place had potential to grow. I felt it could change.”

In those early days, they were often asked questions that seem strange today. They asked “What’s that green stuff on the pizza?” and it was fresh torn basil. “They didn’t understand why Daksuke wasn’t using a rolling pin. What is this prosciutto? What do you mean it’s not cooked?”

They are really glad they stayed the course, growing with the city’s expansion. They’ve now seen a lot of changes—new restaurants, more breweries, tech companies arrived, and of course the updated waterfront is wonderful to see. I, personally, look forward to getting back to Ondus on the Waterfront, where we had some excellent salads in preparation for Salad Week.

They are also grateful to the Italians who come to La Sorrentino—those in both Vancouver and Portland. “There’s a huge Italian community in Portland,” Amy remarked. “And they always end up at our place.”

Authenticity

As I mentioned above, making pizza is Daisuke’s passion—as is authenticity. “He has always wanted to do something authentic,” Amy said. “In the United States, we tend to mix a lot of things together and do a lot of fusion food. And he’s from Japan and they try to keep things clean, natural, and historical.” He found that Italian food, including Neapolitan pizza, scratched that itch regarding authenticity.

She added, “The fact that he gets to have proof that he’s doing it right and know that he’s offering something something that is not available unless you go to Seattle or New York or California. It feels pretty good and he feels very proud.”

Training

One of the necessary things that needs to be in place to be recognized ty the APN is getting the right training. Daisuke looked into a school in California, where they considered doing his training via video, but in the end that did not work out. Fortunately they found another option: working with Johnny Márquez.

Márquez is Mexico’s National Pizza Champion and 2nd Place World Neapolitan Pizza Champion. He is an APN instructor and verifier. He was able to come up to Vancouver and work with Daisuke for a week this summer, both to check everything and make sure Daisuke could meet the requirements, and he was also able to do some training with a young pizzaiolo-in-training, too.

“Having him not only check my husband in our restaurant, but also spend a good number of days training this young kid, that was like worth everything for us,” said Amy.

Aside from the recognition itself, Daisuke found it reassuring to know that he was doing everything right, to satisfy the artisan and craftsperson within.

Best Sellers at La Sorrentina

I asked Amy what pizzas and other menu items do well at La Sorrentino. “It’s a tie between the pepperoni and the Magherita,” she said. “Some people just want this plain, simple Margherita, and other people want the pepperoni. And then a good good runner up is the like prosciutto. People really love the prosciutto.”

They have a couple dozen pizzas on their menu, divided into Pizze Rosse and Pizze Gourmet categoreis. They also have a gluten-free dough option—the recipe for which Daisuke received from his Italian competitors back in 2018—but advise folks to take their level of gluten sensitivity into account.

They also don’t do any kind of “build you own pizza” on the menu. Pizzas are set recipes and there are no substitutions.

“We’re hoping that we can help put Vancouver on the map, because the city has been so good to us, allowing us to have our dream,” said Amy. “There is such a beautiful community here, and we would love to highlight that about Vancouver. “

Big congratulations to Daisuke, Amy, and the La Sorrentina Pizzeria team. This is a great honor and I look forward to experiencing the pizza that got you this recognition, very soon.

La Sorrentina Pizzeria
3000 SE 164th Avenue, Vancouver
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