Hello All! New & need help! Organic ingredients, recipes

[system]

Hello to everyone—we just registered but have been reading for the last 10 months…lots of great info! My husband and I bought an existing pizzeria at the jersey shore last fall. Sales have been ok, we were doing the same as the last guy until the last 3 weeks----now we’re down about 18-20%!!! Our shop is located on a major road on the way to the beach, but not close enough to get the business of the people AT the beach. We have 4 other pizzerias on the same small strip of road—I can see two of them from my front door! But I think we’re all doing OK. 95% of our business is delco. We have changed the pizza—dough, sauce and cheese, for the better (according to customers and the former owner). We’ve also added some new catchy specialty pizzas, cheesesteaks and sandwiches—and the italian hot dogs. Everything was catching on and doing well…till now!! We think that this may be normal for our type of area, right next to the beach resort town—but it sure is scary!!

We know that we have to stand out from the rest—and we do somewhat–as I mentioned the specialty items…we also are the only shop to carry dinners as well. But our new idea was to add organic pizzas and some other items----Problem is, don’t know much about it!!! I have been doing some research, got some answers, but still need lots of advice/help.

Which suppliers carry such ingredients?

Organic dough? toppings? Sauce? Cheese? Recipes?

And the best way to advertise this?

None of the shops in the area, including at the beach are doing this…so we’ll be the first. I just want to do it right…and be the best—since a lot of them may jump on the band wagon to compete!

Sorry for all the rambling----but after just being a reader for so long, I have so many questions!!!

jrocck—have read MANY of your posts----you have great ideas—we’ve used some, thanks!!

Looking forward to hearing from all of you!!!

Mrs Johnny Rocco :roll:

 

[bodegahwy]

Re: Hello All! New & need help! Organic ingredients, rec

I have been recently wondering about going organic too, at least for the vegi toppings. To do so, I think I need to do it with all of them and so far, that has been the problem. I can find organic onions, tomatoes and mushrooms, but not green peppers one week and not mushrooms the next. Salad greens are more consistant.

The problem is that I think I need to be able to buy all the produce consistantly if I want to market my place as having “organic” vegi toppings and salads.

“Mostly organic, some of the time” is not much of a slogan!

 

[Patriot_sPizza]

Re: Hello All! New & need help! Organic ingredients, rec

is there really a demand for an organic pizza? how far do you carry that theme? it will be costlier and will it pull in additional sales? plus the waste?

perhaps focus on a honey wheat crust, or smoothies etc.

I don’t believe your market requires the direction you peek @ - I know mine isn’t…

 

[system]

Re: Hello All! New & need help! Organic ingredients, rec

yes, I think that there might be…some of us already jumped on the “no trans fat” thing and are advertising it. The major grocery stores here all have a huge organic section and growing. Everytime I turn around there’s something organic in my face. Eventually it will catch on. I do remember a post a while back from a lady who has a shop in Pa—I think north east Pa and she said that people were coming from quite a distance for the organic pizza that she has because she was the only one around doing it.

And yes, I know that all the stuff is more expensive, but so are the pies—I don’t remember exactly what she was charging for a large, but I remember it being over 20 bucks! People that are really into eating organic food, health store food, vegetarians etc. already know that the stuff is much more expensive than regular food----and they’re prepared to pay it!

Hey, I figure at the very worst, it just wont work out…but what if it does?! :? Plus, I’d just kick myself if the guy down the road tried it and it became a huge success. I think it’s just better to try and fail ya know

 

[system]

Re: Hello All! New & need help! Organic ingredients, rec

Oh, and that reply is from me----Mrs Johnny Rocco—it just says guest cause I’m at work and didn’t log on…sorry.

 

[system]

Re: Hello All! New & need help! Organic ingredients, rec

I hear ya, that’s part of the reason I’m posting this question. And no, most of the time is not a good thing. Trying to get the same answers myself.

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Re: Hello All! New & need help! Organic ingredients, rec

Well, lets start with this for an organic pizza that’s a little different.
Dough:
Organic Flour (General Mills) 100%
Salt (Sea Salt) Should be lots of it by your shop) 1.75%
Yeast (fresh compressed) 1%
Organic olive oil 3% (or just omit)
Water 58%

Mix and manage the dough as you would any other dough, or if you want, just use your regular dough formula, Nothing too special here.
Sauce:
Thin sliced organic tomatoes.
Form the dough into a pizza skin, brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle on some fresh cut organically grown sweet basil and orgeano (don’t even think about using that dried stuff!), then apply the sliced tomato. Finish with the addition of organic Mozzarella cheese. Bake as you do your regular pizzas. This is one good/great pizza!!
Offer whatever organic toppings you can source out.
Don’t put much hope in your regular suppliers for anything organic except for the flour and maybe the cheese. Check with a local Farmer’s /City Market for some locally grown organic vegetables. You might also Google for a supplier of organic cheese and vegetables to see if you can find something close to you. I have a friend in the Seattle, WA area and he tells me that organic markets are quite common in his area, hopefully you will find the same in your neck of the woods too.
Good luck,
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor