Рет қаралды 17,456
In Naples, everyone knows Gino Sorbillo. And if they don't love him, they love to hate him.
The success of his restaurant and the number of people it attracts have been great catalysts for the neighborhood's rebirth. Sorbillo has brought thousands of tourists to the neighborhood and employs over seventy people. This renewed interest in the area has also prompted other shops to open along Via dei Tribunali to serve the growing influx. When he's not flipping pies, Sorbillo is traveling around the world making appearances on cooking shows, explaining his ethos on perfecting Neapolitan pizza. In 2013, his restaurant received the award for best pizza restaurant by Gambero Rosso, Italy's most prominent food guide. Sorbillo is considered the foremost pizza maker responsible for changing the perception of the pizzaiolo from a second-rate cook into a deeply-respected position and has managed to elevate pizza into a highly-respected cuisine.
A woman from the neighborhood tells me that the restaurant was burned down by the Camorra a little over three years ago. The reason, she says, is that Gino refused to pay the pizzo, the percentage that organized crime asks businesses operating in "their" area to pay to be "protected." With Sorbillo's refusal, the restaurant burned down. But instead of giving up three days after the accident, Sorbillo turned on the oven, cleaned up the space, placed chairs and tables outside, as served clients as if nothing had happened.