Georgetown Pizzeria Spotlight on WETA TV 26
Pizza in Washington, a new local program from WETA TV 26, explores the flourishing pizza scene in Greater Washington and features Georgetown’s il Canale on 31st Street NW.
Pizza in Washington premieres Tuesday, May 7 at 8 pm on WETA TV 26 and airs through the month. It is a half-hour program that approaches the subject -- pies – as a work of art.
To film the documentary, producers and crew set out on a culinary voyage and visited a dozen eateries in the area which offer pizza from true Neapolitan to New York style.
“As Washington’s local public television station, we are proud to once again feature local flavor, sights and sounds with a new program that provides an inside look into several top area pizzerias and the fascinating story behind them,” said Kevin Harris, vice president and television station manager of WETA.
“Pizza in Washington is a dynamic, fun program that showcases one of the region’s favorite foods.”
No other Georgetown restaurant was mentioned in the segment.
Il Canale, Georgetown, was selected by WETA to be included in the program.
Il Canale’s pizza is baked in a wood-fired brick oven imported from Italy. The restaurant’s pizza-making mastery is authenticated by Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the official Italian organization that certifies mastery Neapolitan style thin-crust pizza. The association defines the preparation, the ingredients and baking methods.
Il Canale is owned by Giuseppe “Joe” Farruggio, a native of Sicily.
Publications and blogs have written about the upswing of pizza establishments in the DC area over the last several years and how locals have taken to the pizza renaissance with the passion worthy of Italians.
In somewhat related news, Nick Squires, writing in Rome for The Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group Limited) has an article reprinted on The Drudge Report today, April 29, quoting the Italian Business Federation (FIPE), on the shortage of pizza makers in Italy. “…with a slice of pizza an increasingly popular lunch time option in times of economic hardship, the pizza sector is booming…and an estimated 6,000 new ‘pizzaioli’ are needed," according to FIPE.