The Art of Dough: How Vecchia Honors Neapolitan Tradition

At Vecchia Pizzeria, we don’t just make pizza dough — we honor it.

For Chef Benard Tamburello, dough isn’t just a mix of ingredients. It’s a craft, a discipline, and—if you ask him—a little bit of magic. But as magical as it may seem when you taste it, the recipe is surprisingly humble.

Salt. Water. Yeast. Flour. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.

From Naples to Birmingham: A Dedication to Authenticity

Chef Benard’s journey to pizza perfection wasn’t a shortcut. After growing up experimenting with pizzas in his Homewood, Alabama kitchen, he took his passion from Naples, Italy—the birthplace of pizza—and trained for two months with the prestigious Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) school.

We follow the strict guidelines of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) to ensure our dough is as authentic as anything you’ll find in Naples. This prestigious certification is essentially a seal of authenticity, showing that Vecchia meets the gold standard for traditional Neapolitan pizza.

The Daily Ritual

Every single day, our team makes dough fresh — never frozen, never mass-produced. And every single day, it’s made the right way:

• 00 flour from Molino Mariani — soft, strong, and imported straight from Italy
• Sea salt, just like the Neapolitans use
• Living yeast, keeping the dough alive and flavorful
• And the one local twist we’re proud of: spring water from Blue Spring Living Water, right here in Blount County, Alabama

It’s old-world tradition with a little Southern soul — because why not support our local friends while paying tribute to Italy?

Fired to Perfection

What truly sets our pizza apart are our authentic Acunto ovens, brought directly from Naples. These aren’t just any ovens—they’re handcrafted masterpieces that required ordering a year in advance, shipping in a container from Italy, and reinforcing our floors to support their three-ton weight.

These magnificent ovens reach temperatures of 900°F, cooking each pizza in just 90 seconds to create that signature charred-yet-chewy crust that defines true Neapolitan pizza.

A Testament to Dedication

In the twelve years we’ve been at it, we’ve made hundreds of thousands of pounds of dough. And in all that time, we’ve only run out of dough once. (In our defense, we had only been open a month — ha!)

That’s because we take this seriously. Chef Benard’s unyielding passion keeps us on track: simple ingredients, the right technique, and respect for the process.

The Taste of Tradition

So, the next time you bite into our pizza crust — pillowy yet crisp, light yet full of flavor — know that it came from flour, salt, yeast, water… and a whole lot of heart.

Let’s make dough, Birmingham. Just like they do in Naples.

Visit Vecchia Pizzeria at 610 Preserve Pkwy, Suite 100, Hoover, Alabama, 35226. Open daily from 11:00am to 9:00pm. Call us at 205.637.3036 or email info@vecchiabirmingham.com.

The Art of Dough!

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