Influencer Interview: Vittoria Trupiano

U.S. Pizza Team Member Vittoria Trupiano has made quite the mark in the pizza industry at a young age. Pizza making and the restaurant business have both been so prolific in her life (her dad, Tore Trupiano, owns Mangia e Bevi in Oceanside, Calif.) that it was inevitable that the pizza making gene would catch up to her eventually. Paving her way with her own life path and a determination to inspire young women is just one of the many aspects we discussed in our LloydPans exclusive interview.

LloydPans: You have quite the resume built up in a short time.
I’m currently a grad student at UCSD studying international affairs, and pizza making and school are parallel paths. They don’t interact with each other per se, but being in this business, being in the kitchen making pizza, is a skill that will stay with me my whole life.

LloydPans: What is your favorite pizza on the Mangia e Bevi menu?
My favorite is definitely the pistachio pizza we currently have with the mortadella combination. I like sauce pizzas, but I think the ones that I tend to make and like are the ones without red sauce.

LloydPans: Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere. Inspiration is everywhere. When I go out to eat and try new foods, I think a lot of the flavor combinations that I’ve personally interacted with and discovered are things that I incorporate. A lot of it is also traditional Sicilian inspired. At the restaurant we have the Quattro Stagioni, which means four seasons, and on that is mushrooms, artichokes, capers and anchovies. And with the pistachio and mortadella is a very classic Sicilian combination because of how pistachios are popularly grown in Sicily and of course mortadella is popular all over Italy.

LloydPans: How do you decide what pizzas you’ll compete with?
I definitely have fun with the pizza expos. My dad and I collaborate a lot on new things to try and we go a little eccentric with those. With the last Pizza Expo we used purple potato mash and pea purée with beet and goat cheese purée — it’s a combination of fun things. Last year I did the lavender and chamomile mascarpone with braised lemons, coriander, smoked Atlantic salmon, ricotta cream, fried capers, microgreens and lemon zest. I like to go for the visual aspect and of course flavor. I have fun with it.

It’s a very warm environment at competitions. Everyone is supporting each other and are fascinated by everyone’s creations. My dad has befriended a lot of people in 25 years, and it’s fun that I can be introduced into it. It’s cool to keep up with everyone and to see all of the creative minds, everyone implementing their own cultures and going crazy out of the box.

LloydPans: Which LloydPans are in your rotation at Mangia e Bevi?
Since we do the Napoletana-style mostly we run Roman-style pizzas as a special, and it’s my time to shine. My dad is currently looking at new locations to open a new restaurant where we will do exclusively Roman-style pizza.

LloydPans: Being a member of the U.S. Pizza Team and a woman in the industry, how do you feel you’ve made an impact thus far in your young career?
Being a part of the U.S. Pizza Team is something that I never foresaw in my past, but I’m really grateful that they invited me on the team and I think it’s such a cool experience that someone like me, so young, is implemented into their business. It’s a lot of fun and I love all of the people that I’ve met on the team.

For women who are in pizza who are getting into it, I would say just have fun and let yourself be creative with pizza. Don’t let yourself get discouraged if your dough doesn’t come out or your combination of flavors doesn't taste how you want them to. A big part of this industry and pizza making in general is to be creative and not to take anything too seriously. In my first competition, I was cool as a cucumber — I realized that I didn’t have anything to prove; I was just there to make a good pizza and to have fun. And I did, and I did well.