Domenica – Roosevelt Hotel

Ranked #1 pizza in the state since 2014, executive chef Alon Shaya of Domenica Restaurant in New Orleans made the choice to use the Pavesi Twister. Consistently awarded the highest accolades from publications such as Food & Wine and Bon Appetit, Shaya won the “Best Chef – South” 2015 award from the James Beard Foundation, one of the highest honors an American chef can receive.

I would say that the Pavesi Twister has really been one of the most important pieces of equipment in our kitchen. Not only for pizzas, but also for roasting meats, fish and vegetables. It has made cooking pizzas so much fun because of the precision that it has in cooking them evenly. We have about a dozen or so guests that come into the kitchen each night just to watch the oven in action.

Alon Shaya Executive Chef, James Beard ‘Best Chef – South’ 2015

Alon Shaya spent years as the Chef de Cuisine at Besh Steak in Harrah’s Casino, where he worked closely with Chef John Besh. In 2009, the duo formed Domenica, an authentic Italian restaurant in the historic Roosevelt Hotel. Shaya spent over a year in Italy educating himself to prepare the menu and culinary experience of Domenica, creating what is now regarded to be one of, if not the best, Italian dining experience in the American South.

Domenica Restaurant has become well-known for its excellent Neapolitan style pizza, ushering in a new age of pizza for New Orleans. Domenica operates the Pavesi Twister at temperatures over 800ºF, with house-cured salami and fresh mozzarella. The rotating stone allows Domenica to deliver highly consistent, quality pizza to the exacting standards of Alon Shaya and John Besh.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the pizza available at Domenica Restaurant, “Pizza Domenica” opened this year, delivering the same high quality pizza from a second location fitted with the Pavesi Twister.