Born in Fier, in 1991, Endrit Rustemi arrived in Italy at the age of 9 with his mother and two sisters.
He spent the first months in Milan sleeping in the Central Station. Then, thanks to the intervention of social services, he went to live in a juvenile community in Brescia, where he grew up and was educated until adulthood.
Shortly after making his first pizza and being seduced by the dough, he started working as a pizza chef at just 17 years old, until he opened his own restaurant in Brescia, after having worked for various brands in Milan, Bergamo and other Italian cities.
Now 33 years old and a father of two, he tells Tgcom24 his love story with pizza and that "stick" for preparing it, which he has carried with him for 10 years. Although he has had to repair it several times over time, he considers it something very beautiful to do.
Did pizza really change your life?
Yes, it saved me as it often does for many people who approach the world of catering.
But how did you become a pizza chef?
I think it was fate, because since childhood, in Albania, with my grandmother, I liked to prepare the dough as much as we could, in a very difficult situation. And I immediately fell in love with the dough and the aroma, the same ones that I found and find myself in every pizza. Then, the opportunity of my first job in a pizzeria, after 8 years in a community for minors, was a professional experience that left a mark on me forever as a pizzeria chef.
Do you remember your first "encounter" with pizza?
Yes, here in Italy. I recognized in that dish the aromas and flavors that I felt with my grandmother. It was a dive into the past, into the kitchen of my childhood, so I immediately fell in love with it. And I'm still super in love with it.
But what is the secret to a good pizza? And specifically about your pizza, can you tell us?
The pizza dough itself is very simple. Of course, at a professional level there are studies behind doughs, products, flours, but in my opinion, one should always work on simplicity, because simplicity is always the most difficult thing to achieve. The secret to my pizza? I don't like the refrigerator, I only use soft wheat flour plus Nobiligrano in a 70/30 ratio. All flours created especially for me, bring me the final product.
What is your favorite pizza? What is the most requested on your menu?
My favorite is the marinara. A simple pizza in itself, which is my style. Also the margherita. The most requested by my customers? The margherita is always the queen.
If he hadn't been a pizza chef, who would Endriti be today?
I always wonder about that. I haven't done any other work in my life. I might go ahead and try again in the world of catering and pastry. I like to experiment, but I always want to have my hands in the dough.