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Giovanni Barbieri fell in love with New York three years ago during a visit aimed at improving his English. It didn't take long for him to realize that New York was where he wanted to be, and he soon set his sights on opening a pizzeria in the city.

Before making the move from Italy, Giovanni enrolled in the Università della Pizza, a pizza-making course offered by Petra Molino Quaglia. This training allowed him to refine his vision for the perfect pizza. He began serving his creation at his family's kiosk in Schio, a town in Italy's Veneto region. The overwhelming success of his pizza gave him the confidence to pursue his dream of opening a pizzeria in New York. On November 13, 2018, Giovanni opened BIGA on the Lower East Side, bringing along Petra flours for his new venture.

Giovanni’s vision for his pizzeria is clear—he focuses on delivering pizzas with distinctive textures and flavors, thanks to the use of the biga fermentation technique in his dough preparation. This method sets his pizzas apart from others, resulting in a base that is light, crispy, and aromatic. Giovanni offers three types of pizza: the first is a classic round pizza made with Petra 3 flour, or a blend of Bonsemì, Petra 3, and 9 for a whole grain version. The second style is peel pizza, and the third is its stuffed variant, both of which use Petra Unica or Panettone flour. These flours, rich in fiber and proteins, ensure that each pizza is not only flavorful but also nutritious. The hydration levels of the doughs are notably high—75% for the round pizza and up to 90% for the peel pizza. The biga ferments at room temperature for 20 hours before the dough is left to rise for an additional day in the refrigerator.

Proud of his family tradition, Giovanni emphasizes quality in his service. “The best part of my job is making people happy. I love seeing the joy and relaxation on their faces as they enjoy a pizza at BIGA,” he says.

 

Not exactly. While many dough starters share similarities, they differ in terms of their origins and ingredients. This can make the topic seem confusing at first, but the best pizza in BIGA NYC.

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