Marco Graziani Pizza

Marco Graziani

Born and raised in Turin I grew up in a family that were very sporty.

At the age of five I started learning karate and joined the Italian national team.

By 18 I had already been to military camp and ventured into boxing, where I participated in various fights.

In 2008 I had a serious accident that put me in a coma for what seemed to be the longest month.

Just before the accident I was working solo in sales and after the accident it was very difficult for me to start selling again.

However, my luck changed when I met master pizza chef Walter Picariello, also known as “Gennaro” and his wife Lia, owners of “Pizzeria Gennaro Esposito”.

The pair were pioneers of the Neapolitan Pizza in Turin and members of the Verace Pizza Napoletana AVPN Association.

Here is where my life took a fortunate turn…

My love for leavened dough began as fun curiosity, whilst helping my at the time brother-in-law Guido in the evening clean the kitchen, while he dedicated himself to making dough. I would ask him numerous questions about the process of making the perfect pizza and focaccia base.

A few months after meeting “Gennaro” he offered me a full-time position to work in his restaurant. My skills in Pizza Mastery began from then, working and learning from morning to night in their restaurant.

A wonderful relationship had developed between us and they became my second family. At that time the “Pizzeria Gennaro Esposito” made an average of 500 pizzas per day with only two pizza chefs, the sons of Gennaro – Guido and Fabrizio.

As you can imagine it was not easy for me to contribute in a restaurant that made pizzas in those numbers. In fact I was often in the way because of my basic skills.

However, I consider myself determined and so my perseverance, combined with the kindness of that family allowed me to change the course of my life.

Humble Beginnings

Within one year of full immersion I reached a level where I was able to manage the lunch service alone in quieter times where I significantly improved my skills behind the counter and with the oven.

My apprenticeship duties started from the bottom to learning how to officially make the dough.

In the following years I participated in events such as the “Turin Taste Salon” and “Cheese” in Bra, meeting AVPN president Antonio Pace, as well as all the leading exponents of the association which I joined in 2013.

I was part of the Gennaro Project, creating a franchising network and opening new restaurants. My role for the next six months was to support in the initial organisational, logistical processes for this start up. Duties included: purchasing of raw materials, equipment, doughs and creating menus.

Going forward I was part of Gennaro Esposito di Bra, a beautiful town in the Piedmontese Langhe where the ‘Slow Food Italy’ headquarters are located. These founders of the renowned University of the Taste of Pollenzo have students from all over the world in attendance.

This was a fantastic experience which lead me to follow a dream I had since I was a child and that was to move to Australia.

I bid goodbye to family and friends, packed a suitcase with much fear and a pinch of madness and threw myself into this new adventure.

My first stop was Perth but after a month I moved to Melbourne where I started working with the famous Johnny Di Francesco, ambassador of the AVPN in Australia.

Together we made 1000 pizzas a day with a team of 7 pizza chefs and a single oven.

It was a unique experience that I will never forget. I am proud to have worked alongside Johnny.

My next destination was fantastic Brisbane. Here is where I now currently live.

I secured a position at Gusto da Gianni in Hamilton and after 6 months Gianni asked me to take care of the opening of his new restaurant “Gianni’s Kitchen” together with the head chef Rossano.

From then I started offering my Pizza Napoletana here in Brisbane.

Having now worked in various establishments in and around Brisbane I am proud to be in some way the pioneer of the Neapolitan Pizza True Association with the “Truffle”, famous Chef Tony Percuoco, as the first Restaurant officially registered AVPN in this city.

Brisbane Welcomes Graziani Homemade

I worked and lived for a period on the Sunshine Coast and have now returned to Brisbane to grow Graziani Homemade – my own creation.

In recent years I have dedicated myself to a more in-depth study of pizza, sharing my expertise via social networks – Instagram and Facebook. Here I offer daily – recipes, tips and experiences, interacting with people from all over the world who share my passion for pizza.

I am proud to have branched out offering the Brisbane community private events, which include pizza parties and courses.

Now feeling fully established I am proud to have created relationships within the the industry and various local distributors such as EuroFood and Basile import and these relationships continue to grow stronger.

I am thankful to these people, many of whom have become friends today, who understand the importance of the theory, practicality and magic of creating the perfect pizza.

Fun Fact: Since the art of Neapolitan Pizzaiolo became a UNESCO heritage site in 2017, a large number of people have tried their hand at making homemade pizza.

Graziani Homemade came to life with the aim of helping people who were becoming more curious about traditional homemade pizza.

‘I wish to create a Pizza Connoisseur Culture in Brisbane, connecting the Italian gastronomic culture in a more conscious and effective way. It is my vision to have more organised pizza events, courses and future collaborations with the community, as well as local and International companies’.
– Marco

With our headquaters in Brisbane, the company aspires to share a new reality with the people of this wonderful city and beyond. Introducing the study of processes, raw materials and equipment which are key to raising the quality of the finished product.

Graziani Homemade is a culinary journey for the advocates of the traditional Italian pizza.

Marco Graziani

Here is where my life took a fortunate turn…

Humble Beginnings

Brisbane Welcomes Graziani Homemade

‘I wish to create a Pizza Connoisseur Culture in Brisbane, connecting the Italian gastronomic culture in a more conscious and effective way. It is my vision to have more organised pizza events, courses and future collaborations with the community, as well as local and International companies’.

– Marco

Graziani Homemade came to life with the aim of helping people who were becoming more curious about traditional homemade pizza

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