If you love cooking, recipes, and the magic behind New York City's vibrant food scene, this story of Ceres Pizza on the Lower East Side is an inspiring dive into passion and precision. Co-owned by chefs Jacob Serebnick and Julian Geldmacher, who first met at the acclaimed Eleven Madison Park, Ceres Pizza is the result of a dream to craft the best pizza possible, despite starting with no investors and a mountain of credit card debt. Their dedication to quality and consistency has made their pizzas fly out the door every day.
Starting the Day: The Art of Dough Making
At 6:30 AM, the pizza day begins with the all-important dough production. Consistency is king here. They start by weighing out six kilos of sourdough starter, enough for about 150 pizzas. The choice of ingredients is deliberate: organic double zero flour from Utah, organic whole wheat flour, and an organic bolted flour — a sifter whole wheat that adds a savory, malted flavor and strength to the dough.
Jacob explains how their mixer, with a spinning bowl and a gluten-breaking bar, helps mix the dough evenly while minimizing heat buildup. This control over temperature is crucial because small changes can affect the dough's quality.
Every variable is meticulously recorded — from flour weight to ambient temperature and water temperature — so if something goes wrong, they can track back through their dough logs and pinpoint the issue. This kind of precision is a nod to their fine dining background at Eleven Madison Park, where timing and consistency are non-negotiable.
Challenges Behind the Scenes: Old Building, Plumbing, and HVAC
Ceres Pizza operates out of a century-old building in Chinatown, which brings its fair share of maintenance headaches. Early in the day, a plumbing issue with water draining when it shouldn't threatens to disrupt the tight schedule. After some trial and error, Jacob manages a quick fix, showcasing the daily hustle behind running a restaurant.
Similarly, HVAC problems arise, and a technician is called in to ensure the dough room stays cool. Temperature control isn't just about comfort — it's essential for dough fermentation and quality.
Ingredient Excellence: Olive Oil, Cheese, and Tomato Sauce
Jacob and Julian's commitment to quality shines in their ingredient choices. They use two types of olive oil: a high-quality extra virgin from Buenitalia and a finishing oil from Tuscany that adds a clean, distinct flavor to their pizzas.
For cheese, they rely heavily on skamorza, a low-moisture mozzarella produced by Jersey Girl, a small New Jersey farm. Aged for two weeks in a cave, this cheese adds nuanced flavors that commercial products can't match.
The tomato sauce is a carefully crafted element. Instead of using pre-milled passata, they mill Casa Marzano plum tomatoes themselves, preserving the tomato juice for the perfect saucy consistency. This meticulous preparation ensures the sauce has a balanced acidity that complements the mozzarella and scamorza, preventing the pizza from becoming overly salty or heavy.
Five Signature Pies: From Classic Cheese to Unique White Pie
Ceres Pizza offers five distinct pizzas, each thoughtfully composed:
- Cheese Pie: The classic favorite.
- Arrondia Pie: A special offering with its own flavor profile.
- Tomato Pie: Tomato sauce base, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and garlic-infused olive oil, no cheese.
- Mushroom Pie: Creme fraiche base with pancetta, onions, and finished with chives and porcini stock powder for deep mushroom flavor.
- White Pie: Inspired by Alsatian or German tart flambe, featuring creme fraiche, pancetta, onions, and chives.
The use of creme fraiche, an acidic, slightly fermented cream, is a unique touch that adds complexity, especially on the mushroom and white pies.
The Dough Ball Race and Baking Techniques
Rolling out 150 dough balls is a race against time and temperature. The dough must be handled carefully to avoid air bubbles, which can cause inconsistencies in the crust. Jacob uses a bench scraper and his pinkies to tuck the dough perfectly, ensuring each ball is uniform in size and shape.
The pizza is baked on a stone heated to around 570°F, though each pie cools the stone down slightly. This means careful timing is needed to let the stone recover its heat before launching the next pizza, which limits their daily production to about 150 pies. A new oven, bigger and deeper, is in the works to double that capacity.
Authentic Ingredients for Signature Flavor
The nduja pie features a spicy Calabrian pork sausage, made of 75% ground pork and 25% Calabrian chilies. Authenticity matters to Jacob and Julian, who source genuine nduja from Calabria for its deep red color and rich flavor. This pie combines tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cubes, scamorza, aged mozzarella, and nduja for a spicy, complex bite.
Running a Tight Ship: Partnership and Passion
Jacob and Julian’s partnership is built on complementing each other's strengths. They share a passion for using the best ingredients and maintaining an equal, respectful working relationship. Though the business started with a modest $2,000 and significant credit card debt, their dedication has created a pizza that New Yorkers can’t get enough of.
Currently, pies are sold by pre-order only, running until 8 PM each day. The pizza boxes are designed with NYC vents to keep the crust crispy by letting steam escape, a small but thoughtful detail that reflects their attention to quality.
Jacob sums it up best: “When you look for a business partner, you gotta find someone who is better at certain things, and you complement each other really well. It’s very much like an equal partnership here.”
For anyone passionate about cooking, recipes, and the art of pizza making, Ceres Pizza’s story is a testament to how care, dedication, and quality ingredients come together to create something truly exceptional.
This article was created from the video A Day Making NYC’s Most Hyped Pizza | On The Line | Bon Appétit with the help of AI.
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