NEW YORK – It’s a brisk spring morning as a group of strangers gathers on the streets of New York. Our backgrounds are as diverse as the city’s population. Among them: retirees from Portugal, a flight attendant from Kansas City, the chief financial officer of a synagogue in San Francisco, a family from Los Angeles, a couple from Sacramento, Calif.
But there’s one thing we all have in common: a love of pizza and a desire to learn more about it and the people who make them in an area of the city where it all began, Little Italy and Soho.
New York City food tours
There are numerous tours to be taken. Here are several favorites.› Best of Brooklyn: This half-day tour takes you by bus through Brooklyn to taste and learn about the evolution of the borough’s culinary culture. Starts at $125. www.foodsny.com.› Culinary Farm Tour and Tasting: Experience rare herbs, edible flowers and more inside an indoor farm in the heart of Manhattan. $50. https://farm.one.>› Flatiron Food, Architecture and History Tour: Spend two and a half hours in two of New York’s most iconic neighborhoods and enjoy six full tastings at local eateries. Starts at $50. www.likealocaltours.com.› Chinatown Food Tour: The half-day tour will take you through this famous neighborhood for shopping and eating along the way. $99. manhattanwalkingtour.com.› Scott’s Pizza Tours: Walk through Soho and Little Italy (daily) or board a bus (Sundays only) and visit four boroughs to learn about the history of pizza from Europe to the streets of New York. Private tours also available. Starts at $40. www.scottspizzatours.com.
New York pizza crust
Scott’s Pizza Tours provides this dough recipe for an authentic New York City pizza crust. Pizza Dough 455 grams water (roughly 1.9 cups) 700 grams flour (roughly 4.9 cups) 3.5 grams dry yeast (1 teaspoon) 14 grams salt (2 1/2 teaspoons) Mix together all ingredients; cover and let rest for 30 minutes in draft-free area. Knead until springy and smooth. Split into four balls of equal size and place in lightly oiled container. Place in refrigerator overnight. When ready, stretch each dough ball onto pizza pan, top with sauce and toppings, place on pizza stone and bake at 450 degrees until crust is golden brown. Note: For a faster rise, use warm water and a pinch of sugar. Do not refrigerate.
Scott’s Pizza Tours is one of several tour businesses started by entrepreneurs wanting to share their love of pizza. Being the oldest, it seemed like the best choice, offering a choice of walking tours or tours by bus to farther reaches of the city. I chose the former, as it seemed a good way to walk off all the pizza I would be consuming in the next couple of hours. Plus, it’s a nice way to see a part of New York I’d never experienced.