Feature
Pizzeria Luca finds flavours in Finland and beyond
Renowned pizza guru Luca Platania brought the tastes of his homeland to Finland a decade ago and now plans to expand his chain of pizzerias to Denmark.
Platania uses a special dough mixture that is allowed to rise for at least 72 hours. The chef has championed Italian pizzas in Finland for the past 10 years since moving here from Rome and opening the first Pizzarium restaurant with his wife, Salla-Maria Platania, in Turku.
Where the former focuses on al taglio-style Roman pizzas, Pizzeria Luca focuses on Napolitan artisan pizzas, an approach that earned it the title of the best pizzeria in Northern Europe in the 50 Top Pizza 2018 competition in Italy.
“The most important thing is the passion and respect for the raw materials from beginning to end,” Platania said. “Our crisp and light pizza bases are prepared from a special dough mixture I have developed, which is allowed to rise for at least 72 hours.”
Hunger grows for authentic flavours
Tampere’s new Pizzeria Luca sits by the Frenckell Square in the centre of the Finnish city and offers pizzas with special ingredients from the region, such as locally produced smoked salmon and salmon roe. Two more Lucas can be found in Finland, one in the suburb of Lauttasaari in Helsinki and the other in Zsar Outlet Village in Kymenlaakso.
“I believe we have fared well in international comparisons because of our authenticity and passion,” Platania said. “High-quality Italian ingredients and the right flavours are sealed with Italian wines and cocktails.”
This same, reliable recipe is thus being transported to Denmark.
“The forthcoming Luca in Copenhagen will be run by local experts, who have a solid vision and experience of the region’s restaurant market and customer preferences,” he added.