Okay, Chef, Anne Kim is here. We are at the pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles, Netflix Bites, of course, Netflix star, chef extraordinaire, pizza guru. I'm honored to be in your space behind this really hot oven with you. It's a long title. You deserve it, though.

Oh, thanks. Uh, since you're in the pizza kitchen, you get a lot of flour, so you're going to have to wear an apron.

I love it. I'm an honorary member now.

That's right. That's right. You ready?

I, oh, better than ready. Okay, let's get our hands dirty. Let's do it.

Okay, Leslie, so we are going to make some pizza, and I think the pizza we'll do today is a signature pie of ours called the Lady Zaza. Yes. And this pizza was featured on Netflix, and it's really near and dear to my heart, because this is the pizza that has my grandmother's kimchi recipe on it. So, this is something that a lot of people when they first came to Pizzeria Lola had never even heard of kimchi or tried kimchi. And, um, I, they were a little hesitant at first, but I said, you know, if you don't like it, we can get you something else. And the majority of people that have it just love it, and what really is great is they want to explore Korean cuisine even more, and so that's been really special.

Chef, I'm going to be honest with you, I've never had kimchi before.

Well, you're not alone, because a lot of people who have had my pizza for the first time often say it's having kimchi for the first time, too. So, I'm going to ask you to help me out here, and I'd love for you to actually sauce the dough. Okay. I see. You just. You want to take the, uh, just the red, uh, Italian tomato sauce and just ladle it on, and then spread it around, use the bottom of it and spread it all the way out kind of to the edge with a little bit of crust. Otherwise, we're getting towards like more of a traditional tavern style pizza.

Okay. And what would you call this?

Uh, I don't know that it has a style. It's not a classic Neapolitan style pie. Um, I would call it sort of Neo-Neapolitan. I like a crust that's a little crispier and crunchier, so I always like to say pizza should be organic. That's right. Is, we add some marinated sakura pork, which is marinated with gochujang and ginger and garlic. And this is really similar to what you would find at Korean barbecue places. It's a spicy sort of a spicy pork. Um, and then this is our housemade kimchi. It's got a little spice, a little funk.

That's the famous stuff.

Yes. It's fermented, so it's definitely one of those things where when you cook pizza, you actually want to use kimchi that's almost overly ripe. Okay. And a little bit more fermented, um, because it really changes once you start cooking it. So, this is the kind of kimchi we would use if we're making soups and stews.

Now, break down kimchi because I know that's a meal in itself. You you got to make the kimchi before you put it on a pizza.

Yes. Kimchi like pizza is all about time and temperature. Okay. So, basically kimchi, think of it like, um, spicy kraut. So, it's basically, um, uh, chili, yeah, go ahead, top it with some scallion. It's basically chilies and garlic and fish sauce and brined shrimp and all of that goodness is, uh, uh, put into a jar with the Napa cabbage and allowed to rest over sometime, and it just starts to, the flavors start to change and develop. All right, so now it's topped and we're going to place it in the oven. Okay. And basically this is the key step is getting the pizza off without making a mess. It takes a little practice, but once you get it, it's like riding a bike.

Now, what type of oven is this exactly, and would you use any type of oven or you're this is wood-burning, yes?

Yes. It's a wood-burning oven, solely. Um, and that's what I use back home. My ovens back home actually, um, are quite a bit larger and it's actually a French oven that I use at home.

What's the difference?

Um, I don't know if there's like a ton of difference except when I was researching I just wanted one that had a lot of great thermal insulation. And the oven I chose at home was basically, um, a French bread baking oven. Okay. Because to me, really great pizza is essentially just really great bread.

So, if someone wanted to try this at home. Make a pizza. Doesn't really have any experience. What's like pizza 101? Basic. How do you do it? Uh, do you make the crust yourself or just get a readymade one and do the sauce.

Yeah, I would say, you know, start practicing with some dough. You know, each part of the process takes some skill and practice, and I always say, how do you get better at it? You just make a lot of mistakes, you know.

And how did you get so good at the dough because dough on pizza is is part of the part of the charm.

Yeah, I did a lot of research. I actually, when I was starting out, um, you know, there weren't a lot of books on pizza. So, I read a lot of artisan bread baking books and to me great pizza is really great bread. And so just really learned how to make great crust as the foundation. And from there, it was just being creative. I mean, you can really top that off with anything, really. So.

Now, how long does your pizza take to cook inside this oven?

Uh, you know, it depends like a traditional Neapolitan pizza takes about 90 seconds, but this is a different kind of style. Like I said before, I like a little crispier, um, um, lighter crust. And so, anywhere from about four minutes, depends on the temperature of the oven. Like this is our first pizza of the day. So, it's it you know, it isn't quite up to temp yet, so maybe a little longer, but a lot of it is just, you know, I give pointers, but honestly, pizza is about just doing it, feeling it, touching it, and there's no real rules to it. It's just really kind of understanding and seeing what you want to eat. You know, create, make the pizza you want to eat. So, I say if anybody wants to get started on making wood-fired pizzas is burn a lot of pizzas. Because you're not going to want to eat it. So, you're going to be so hungry, you're going to want to get it right. So, yeah. That's about done now. So, I just domed it. All right, Leslie, would you like to do the honors and take the pizza out yourself?

Oh. Yeah. Come on, let's switch. I've never done this before.

So, all you have to do is balance the pie, it's right on there. Up, but don't get too close because that's hot. Yeah. And then you just want to turn around. There you go. And place it right here. Want to drop it.

Wow. There you go. Beautiful. Wow. Fantastic. Now.

Yeah. It's happening. Yes. So, We're going to slice it.

That crust sounds good.

Yeah. I like it on the crispier side. And then we finish it with our Zaza sauce, which is a little bit sweet, a little heat, little tangy. And then some sesame seeds.

Oh, sesame seeds. There we go. That's not normal on a pizza.

No. But, you know what? Why do normal when you can do something original and unique, right?

I love that. Yes. So, would you like to try a piece? I would be honored. And I have to now, because I said I would, right?

Yes. Yes, you do. Okay.

Oh, wow. That is exquisite. Oh, good. Not too spicy. It's got a kick. But you don't mind the kick. Good. It's like dancing out, you know, around your mom. Oh, but it's so good. Good. It's unique. It's definitely, yes. Please do. Mm. Get a little bit of that kimchi. Get a little piece of that pork. Mm. Mm. Wow. It's almost not a pizza, but it's a pizza.

Yeah. It's like a vehicle for, you know, a little bit of, uh, my Korean culinary heritage. Yeah. Really special.

Way to go, Leslie.