DIY Pie
20 FEBRUARY 2 0 1 9
FOOD + DRINK
to see the cooks in action and connects to
Idriss’ journey to opening the restaurant.
He was born in Algeria and worked in
finance for nearly a decade, and acknowledges
that he isn’t who you’d expect as
the owner. Yet he fell in love with making
pizza and its ability to naturally gather the
community.
“I love getting people together,” Idriss
said. “Making pizza — that makes me happy.
Instead of looking at the market, doing
things I’m not interested in.”
When Idriss came to New York for
school, he always worked in restaurants
on the side to fund his education. As manager
of Madison Bistro, he hired, then
befriended the head of food and wine,
Fabio Rebeschini, who is from Italy. Two
years ago, Idriss temporarily left his job
at a bank and went on a trip to visit Rebeschini
there.
Idriss discovered his love of Neapolitan
pizza, which hails from the south of
the country. It is smaller than a standard
pie and features a fluffy crust and simple,
fresh ingredients. He traveled throughout
Italy and worked in restaurants to master
the skill.
“I was a humble student,” Idriss said.
“I worked for free. If you put in the time,
people are willing to teach you.”
He worked in Rebeschini’s bakery in
Camposampiero, called Macola, in addition
to doing research on equipment
and meeting pizzeria owners in preparation
to open his Astoria eatery. Rebeschini
BY DANIELLE BRODY
@DLB1022
On a Saturday morning
in January, I rolled up my
sleeves and took a seat at
the curved marble counter at
Macoletta, a new pizza spot
on 24th Avenue. I was there
to eat pizza, of course, but
first, I would learn to make it. My foodie sister and I joined two
couples, who were also there
for a pizza-making class led by
owner Walid Idriss and his staff.
Although we all came from different
backgrounds and neighborhoods,
we had one thing in
common—a love of the Italian classic.
Idriss, who opened Macoletta in June,
told us his story as he guided us through
the process from the kitchen, which is located
directly behind the counter. It’s an
open-concept space that allows all guests