Justin Miller, Executive Chef
What is your favorite ingredient to work with? Why?
My favorite ingredient to work with is dough. It is the most challenging thing to deal with. It’s all about watching it, feeling it, and working with it everyday to really understand it. There are many uncontrollable elements that effect the outcome of the pizza dough.
What makes it exciting to come to work at Pizzeria Ortica?
Working with my hands. We do not take short cuts. Making just about everything from scratch is very rewarding.
What’s the most inspiring part of your job?
The people that I work with are very inspiring ( talk about characters). They are very passionate about what they do and each one of them puts a smile on my face daily.
What is one of your earliest food memories?
I don’t really have anything specific, but I do remember my mother putting together dinner on a nightly basis. One night my mother made me eat two bites of coleslaw. I cried for two hours because I refused to eat the mayonnaise filled stuff. Lets just say that from then on I do not touch mayonnaise.
What’s the most important thing you would tell someone who wants to work at Pizzeria Ortica?
I look for people who have passion and drive in their eyes. I love people who come into the kitchen and never ask me what to do next. If you challenge yourself on a daily basis, then I would say that you will be very successful at P.O.
Natally Pepper General Manager
