Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Startup of the Week: Saudi chef introduces art of Italian pizza making in the Kingdom

Startup of the Week: Saudi chef introduces art of Italian pizza making in the Kingdom

To many of us, a pizza may just be a round and flattened base of dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and other items of our choice. A true pizza lover will, however, scoff at this simple description of the classic Italian savory dish.
Those truly in love with pizza can easily tell you, without taking a bite, whether strict preparation guidelines were followed or not. Some are particular to the extent that they insist on having a pizza prepared according to the Italian standard.

Today, a variety of pizzas are available at various outlets but Italian pizzas especially are very much in demand and the Neapolitan pizza tops the chart. It appears to be so simple, but has some very strict preparation guidelines starting from the dough to the wood-fired oven.

Abdulaziz Salamah, a Saudi pizza chef who founded Pizzeria Dough, is considered a pioneer. He is one of the few pizza chefs who has learned the art of pizza making from Parma, Italy. Salamah is considered a specialist in Neapolitan pizzas and is also the first Saudi to win the world cup prize in a pizza-making competition in 2018.

In a bid to introduce Jeddah residents to the authentic taste of Italian pizzas, Salamah launched his restaurant in late 2019. The most popular items on the menu of his restaurant include the romana and Neapolitan pizzas.

“The smell of fresh burrata cheese, basil, tomato sauce, and the wood-fired oven has always inspired me as a chef,” he told Arab News. “I wanted to transform the real essence of the Italian experience to people in the Kingdom and guarantee the authentic Italian taste.”

Italian pizzas are very different from their US counterparts. They are lighter and made of Italian flour. Italian pizza dough is fermented for 24 hours and is free of oil and sugar, and its toppings contain tomato sauce and buffalo mozzarella cheese that is made from natural skimmed milk.

“An Italian pizza always has less cheese but people here are mostly in love with pizzas loaded with cheese. However, I decided to balance this thing at Pizzeria Dough. I also offer classic Italian pizza and other creative customized pizza,” Salamah added.

He has also received training from chef Samah, the main chef at Rossopomodoro restaurant in Jeddah.

“I love the wood-fired oven and the taste of the original napoletana pizza starting from the dough and tomato sauce to buffalo mozzarella cheese. Thanks to chef Samah who taught me a lot of pizza-making skills.”

Salamah has over 15 years of experience in the industry, working as a chef for 10 years with two Jeddah-based restaurants.

Salamah said he believed in exploring new avenues, adding he had overcome many challenging situations in his career with “persistence and determination.”

He said it was necessary to study one’s project keenly, assess the market requirements and equip oneself with the skills that gave you an edge over others.

“Learn from the previous mistakes and stand up for your project until you get there.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×