1st in africa!

What the Crust is officially the FIRST and ONLY pizzeria in Africa certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana!

We are also the first female-led affiliate in the Middle East and Africa region with a woman as the Head Pizzaiola!

We are thrilled and very proud to represent the True Neapolitan Pizza in Egypt and beyond.

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Naples, whose goal is to protect and promote the true Neapolitan pizza’s name and traditions. The term vera, or Verace, means true, real, genuine. It is a worldwide association with major delegations in the USA, Japan, Australia and Brasil.

An affiliation with the AVPN means that the organisation certifies that “the pizzeria which displays the AVPN sign realizes an excellent product of Neapolitan tradition, according with the international AVPN disciplinary.”

The disciplinary governs all aspects of the preparation of the pizza, including ingredients used, dough fermentation, shaping techniques, oven used, etc…

This is very exciting for us of course, because it means that there is an independent international body from NAPOLI which endorses our pizza and ensures that we are always delivering a world-class product. The affiliation network includes world-famous pizzerias such as Sorbillo, Da Michele and 50 Kalo - which we are now a part of! It also reinforces our place as the only pizzeria in Egypt creating a True Neapolitan Pizza.

The Vera Pizza Napoletana movement is growing. It is supported by a wide range of establishments which include trade associations, restaurants, equipment manufacturers, schools, and of course food producers. In 2017, this style of pizza was awarded the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. This, along with AVPN and Neapolitan Pizza-makers’ efforts, has helped create more awareness and recognition for what constitutes an authentic and traditional Neapolitan pizza. The focus is turned on quality ingredients and time-tested techniques for both the pizza-makers and customers who seek and enjoy a premium product.

This is wonderful news to kickstart the year with and we are so excited to share this with you all! It’s what we’ve been working towards accomplishing for the last year and was one of our main goals from the very beginning.

Thank you so much to the whole team at AVPN, including Maestro Marco Leone and the President of the Association, Mr Antonio Pace. A special thank you to Gianluca and Rita for making it all come together.

We also wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for your ongoing support. You have demonstrated to us that we, as Egyptians, recognize and appreciate a quality product, and are active participants in the growth and success of a tiny startup! We are so proud! We will continuously strive to offer the best of the best, and look forward to serving you in more ways in the future.

Thank you thank you thank you!

Onwards and upwards!