Nancy Silverton's Obsession with Dough and Mozzarella

I was able to watch a wonderful feature about Nancy Silverton from season 3 of Chef’s Table series on Netflix.  The first time I saw her was on a food and travel show called “I’ll have What Phil’s Having” which included a segment where host Phil Rosenthal and Nancy visited an authentic Italian restaurant where fresh handmade pasta is made. 

Nancy Silverton

source: pizzeriamozza.com

She worked with renowned chef Wolfgang Puck as pastry chef for Spago restaurant before. In the 90s Nancy was known for La Brea bakery and her delicious baked creations. She guested on Julia Child’s cooking show on TV and Julia Child cried after she tasted her Crème Fraiche Custard Brioche Tart.

She is a passionate chef, restaurant owner and cookbook author who honed her craft by traveling, eating at different restaurants and creating her own recipes. She loves Italy so much that she ended up buying a home there.

Nancy Silverton with Phil Rosenthal at a restaurant
in Italy that makes fresh and handmade pasta

source: I'll Have What Phil's Having TV show

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Nancy admits that she has an obsession with baking and creating the perfect dough for her handcrafted breads. She believes that you have to be obsessed to be a baker. In the Chef’s Table episode she admits that she has an obsession with baking and creating the perfect dough for breads. She experimented with dough by trying different water temperatures for the baking process and continued tweaking the recipe before she was able to get her customized recipes.

Nancy Silverton perfecting her dough

source: Chef's Table episode from Netflix

Her friend and business partner, Chef Mario Batali, revealed in the Chef’s Table episode that renowned  chefs like Massimo Bottura all like going to her home for lunch or dinner since they love her simple yet exquisite meals.

Nancy has an excellent memory when it comes to food. She recalls that she was able to have the best pizza crust in Forno Campo Di Fiori in Rome before and that led her to have an obsession with making the perfect pizza crust. She also creates dishes that are based on flavors that she craves. This is something that I can relate to as a foodie. I also like cooking dishes that are based on flavors that I crave.

Some of the dishes she is known for is her Tomato Mozzarela di Buffala pizza and Nancy’s Chopped Salad.

A handcrafted pizza by Nancy Silverton

Source: Nancy Silverton's cookbook

Nancy is an inspiring woman. At 62 years old, she still likes getting her hands dirty and continues to create dishes. She also finds time to exercise amidst her busy schedule of running three restaurants and creating new dishes. She loves to brisk walk and sometimes she even holds dumbells when she goes for her brisk walk.

Nancy is very hands on and enjoys preparing dishes for her
customers at Osteria Mozza restaurant

source: Chef's Table Netflix episode

She is also a tough and resilient human being. She was able to bounce back after she got divorced in 2005 and had to leave Campanile, a restaurant that she built with her ex-husband, Chef Mark Peel. She shared in the Chef’s Table episode that more than getting divorced it was difficult for her to leave Campanile  since she got used to working ever since she was 21 years old.  In fact, when she gave birth to her first child before it took her less than a week to go back to work since the restaurant was so busy. She gave birth on a Thursday(which was her day off from work) and went back to work on Tuesday. Wow such dedication for the job!  First time for me to hear of a woman who gave birth and did not even take a one month leave from work.

Below is the official trailer of  season 3 of Chef's Table from Netflix:

She currently co-owns three successful restaurants with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. The restaurants reflect her love for Italian food since she is known for pizza, pasta and salad. Her restaurants are: Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza and Chi Spaca.

PIzzeria Mozza restaurant facade
in Singapore

source: pizzeriamozza.com

I was blessed to have tried Pizzeria Mozza restaurant in Singapore before. It is located in Marina Bay Sands mall and I consider it as one of my go to restaurants in Singapore whenever I am there apart from Cut by Wolfgang Puck which is located across Mozza. It serves one of the best pizzas that I have ever tried.

After being inspired by Nancy Silverton, I am certainly going to get a copy of her cookbook to try out her recipes and let my friends and family try the Nancy inspired dishes. Cheers!