Vera Pizza and Cucina Downtown

How Much Does Margherita Pizza Really Cost in America? | Eater

"Established in 1984, this small Italian association sets strict standards for what can be called a Neapolitan pizza, specifying exact ingredients (tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Grana Padano/Pecorino Romano, thinly sliced garlic, oregano, and sea salt and nothing more), production methods (hand-worked dough or dough mixed by a low-speed mixer using type “00” flour and fresh yeast with defined characteristics), and equipment (a wood-fired dome oven at about 900°F). It requires U.S.-made ingredients to be submitted for review, acts as both a cultural-marketing organization and a practical resource for pizza makers, and often serves as a middleman connecting certified shops with approved purveyors; while its priority is preserving traditional Neapolitan methods, it says it is open to innovation that improves taste, and its standards have helped create a national benchmark for comparing pies." - Helena Gonzalez