Daniele Uditi is the chef behind Pizzana, the Neo-Neapolitan pizzeria with seven locations across Southern California and beyond — including West Hollywood.
Raised in Naples, Italy, Uditi built a cult following in LA for his “slow dough” pizza. In 2017, he opened Pizzana, earning praise from the late Jonathan Gold and landing on the LA Times’ “101 Best Restaurants.”
Q: Your culinary journey began in your family’s bakery in Naples at a young age. How did those early experiences shape your approach to pizza-making today?
Chef Uditi: My early experience with my family shaped my job because everything started as a game for me. Now, when I go to work, I think of the beautiful times with my family, so I have a clear mind and a sensation of joy each time I make a pizza. Having a healthy environment growing up in this job is key — it helps me keep going, keep creating, and keep making happy dishes.
Q: Moving from Italy to Los Angeles is a pretty big shift. What motivated the move, and how has the local food scene influenced your culinary style?
Chef Uditi: It wasn’t a choice. In 2010, I lost my mom to cancer when I was 23 years old. After a year, I couldn’t stay in Italy. I couldn’t live in the same house or work in the restaurant we shared — that joy was deteriorating little by little. I took a six-month consulting job when the opportunity arose, without even thinking about it. So it was a decision, not a decision. Then in LA, I met my wife and decided to stay.
When I arrived, there wasn’t much Italian food, so I explored Italian-American dishes. They weren’t 100% authentic, but they were made with the same approach — taking the best ingredients and showcasing them. They inspired me to create something new. Plus, LA’s mix of cultures and ingredient accessibility is a paradise for a chef.
Q: Pizzana opened in 2017. Can you take us on your journey from opening to today?
Chef Uditi: We opened in 2017, and it wasn’t easy. We got great reviews — Jonathan Gold wrote a love letter for our pizza — but we faced a pandemic, shutdowns, strikes, and LA fires. Those challenges bonded us with our customers and community.
With partners Candace and Charles Nelson, we worked hard to create the best experience and the best pizza in town. That’s been the goal — shaped by team effort and achievements.
Q: Your slow dough undergoes a meticulous fermentation process. Can you tell us about the science and art behind the technique?
Chef Uditi: It starts with my family dough recipe. I came to the United States with my mother dough — it’s called cresci dough. Mother dough has no salt — just water, flour, and the air’s bacteria. But I don’t like much sourness, so we add salt to control the pH. It has a slight sweetness that I like a lot.
It goes through a mixing process, then bulk fermentation for 24 hours, another 24 hours of proofing. The whole process takes between 48 to 72 hours.
Q: The Mortadella Pickle Pizza collaboration sounds intriguing. How did that partnership with Kaylin + Kaylin come about?
Chef Uditi: Scott is just an amazing human being. I love what he does with people, how he keeps up with the community. And I like crazy ideas. I like a challenge. People ask: What do you think of pineapple on pizza? As an Italian, I can’t say that pineapple on pizza is good. Because to me, tomatoes and pineapple don’t go together. I made a pizza called Sacrilegio using pineapple in a way that works. The next big challenge is pickles. If you ask an Italian to put pickles on a pizza, they’re probably going to shoot you and bring you to heaven. But I believe every ingredient has a balance. We recreated the flavors of Anthony Bourdain’s fried mortadella and provolone sandwich, using Scott’s amazing honey mustard pickles. It feels like an open-faced sandwich — not just pizza.
Q: What would be the most difficult ingredient for you to put on a pizza?
Chef Uditi: It’s very difficult for me to accept chicken on pizza — even more than pineapple. I haven’t found a way to make it work, but I don’t believe in limits. They’re restrictive. So you never know — I might figure it out someday.
Q: What has been the most unexpected challenge you’ve faced throughout your career?
Chef Uditi: In LA, the cultural difference was huge. I made authentic Neapolitan pizza — soft, high-heat — and people sent it back, saying it was soggy or watery. In Naples, no one complains — that’s just pizza.
The cultural shock was the biggest challenge for me because I had a different way of growing up and understanding food. I had to expand my horizons and learn how people eat over here. But it didn’t take that much. At the end of the day, everybody wants what’s delicious.
Q: Do you have a personal favorite pizza you’ve crafted or a particular ingredient you find yourself drawn to repeatedly?
Chef Uditi: My favorite is the Neo Margherita. I wanted to play with tradition — instead of a layer of tomato sauce, the base becomes mozzarella. The tomato sauce becomes a reduction — with all the water stripped out so the umami flavor pops. And instead of just two or three leaves of basil, I created basil dust from fresh basil that we sprinkle on top. So you have the three flavors of the Margherita pizza but enhanced — like on steroids. You’re going to have the licorice flavor of the basil in every bite. Nobody wanted to touch the Margherita pizza. I dared to — giving life back to those simple ingredients.
Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring chefs?
Chef Uditi: My mom showed me a calendar, pointed to the red dates — holidays — and said, “When everyone’s partying, you’re working. Still want to be a chef?”
I did. If you love cooking and making people happy, this is for you. But it’s hard — if you really love this job, you have to love it and appreciate it in every form. If you want to be a chef, be prepared to work very hard — because it’s not an easy journey.
Now, with a limited-edition 
Pickle Pizza collaboration alongside Kaylin + Kaylin Pickles, Uditi continues to push boundaries — proving that for him, there are no pizza rules, only possibilities. Inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s famous mortadella sandwich, the Pickle Pizza features mortadella, provolone, Calabrian ranch and honey mustard pickle relish.
Pizzana’s Mortadella Pickle Pizza is available through April 29 at all locations.
Craving more on that Mortadella Pickle Pizza? Stay tuned—soon, we’ll dive into the pickle magic with Kaylin + Kaylin’s Scott Kaylin.
