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Peppe Valente is a
living legend in St Andrews. The man that brought delicious
Italian pizzas to Fife - and some say to Scotland - more than
40 years ago has a closely guarded secret. His recipe for
his amazing pizza base.
"I learnt the recipe
for our pizza base from my mother and I will share it with
no-one other than a family member. One day I will pass it
on to the next generation of pizza makers through Giovanni
my son, but not yet." said
Peppe.
All that Peppe is prepared
to say on the subject is that a perfect pizza is about attention
to detail, he said: "So much depends on how you use herbs
and seasonings to bring out the best flavours.
The Master of Pizza
came to St Andrews in 1987 by way of Italy and Australia and
Leven! After the war Peppe left Italy for Australia to start
a new life. It was a hard life - six years of work on a sugar
cane plantation in Queensland. On his return to Italy he received
an invitation from his brother to join him in Scotland and
so with his wife and two daughters they headed North to visit.
The Valente's loved Scotland so much that they decided to
stay and make their home in Fife. Peppe decided to use his
skills in catering and opened a café in Leven where Fife was
introduced to Peppe's delicious pizzas. His next move was
to St Andrews to open the Kinness Fry Bar.
The Master of Pizza
came to St Andrews in 1987 and opened the Kinness Fry Bar.
Since then under the watchful gaze of Peppe's imposing portrait
University students, tourists and St Andrews citizens alike
have enjoyed Peppe and his family's great service and cooking.
The portrait gives Peppe a presence in the shop as in reality
he is a hard man to spot. His belief is that his place is
behind the scenes making the bases, keeping an eye on the
quality and checking those important details.
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