real nyc pizza

[bapak]

been reading this forum for over a year and i'm convinced(already) that you need a great pizza joint in buenos aires. so, if somebody does a ny crust 20" pizza and has a selection of 8 different giant slices at any time and it's truly NEW YORK quality it would be a resounding success? how much ($range) could i get for a slice (big!).

 

[mini]

Your biggest problem will be getting the cheese. You can't find the right cheese here.

 

[steveinbsas]

Your biggest problem will be getting the cheese. You can't find the right cheese here.

The "right" cheese could be imported, just as so many other desirable products are here.

When I was living in Sayulita, Mexico two Gringos I knew imported the "right" flour so they could make decent pizza. Eventually, an importer in Puerto Vallarta began to supply it, making it much easier to get.

Ironically, my "favorite" pizza in BA has a (relatively) thin crust and has much less cheese than the average BA pizza. It only comes in one size: 13" and the cost for cheese only (with tomato sauce) is SIX pesos. I usually order it with tomatoes and onions (fugazzeta) con Nepolitana). The cost is 10 pesos for the entire pizza. It is remarkable similar to the ("Margarita") pizza my friends in Mexico make. It's not available by the slice and I don't order pizza anywhere else.

 

[mini]

The "right" cheese could be imported, just as so many other desirable products are here.

Sure anything CAN be imported. Good luck with that though.

 

[steveinbsas]

I buy many imported items on a regular basis, including mustard, baked beans, Mexican condiments, Danish preserves (not condoms), etc. Perhaps the "right" cheese would be more difficult to import, but why bother?

It's only pizza.

 

[mini]

I buy many imported items on a regular basis, including mustard, baked beans, Mexican condiments, Danish preserves (not condoms), etc. Perhaps the "right" cheese would be more difficult to import, but why bother?

It's only pizza.

The import stuff that you buy comes through an already established importer. This/or these importers don't seem to be currently importing the cheese used for making "real NY pizza". So either the OP hooks up with an established importer or he/she must try to do it on his/her own. Either way, it's going to cost a packet.

I agree, why bother? But it is the OP who asked the question. I'm trying to answer him/her.

The ability to make "real NY pizza" has a lot to do with the cheese used & this is not readily available here.

 

[nikad]

I think it is all about creativity really, it is possible that a perishable product such as cheese for pizza is more difficult to import, however in a country full of cows, nothing prevents any entrepreneur from contacting dairy producers directly and getting them to make the cheese per request. Just like there are some other specialties that are produced in a small scale instead of being imported: foie gras, lobster, pastrami, peanut butter, etc

 

[gouchobob]

Another problem for this business is who will the customers be? If it's just expats there probably aren't enough of them to make it a go. If you are counting on Argentines remember they aren't very food adventurous. Other American style food has been tried before and failed. Not to say it couldn't be done but I would say it could be a lot more difficult than people imagine even if all the ingredients could be imported or sourced locally.

 

[arty]

It not just the flour and cheese that makes NYC pizza great, its always the WATER!

 

[ElQueso]

I agree with Goucho about asking who the customers will be.

Every country has its own set of tastes, and Argentina makes meals the way they like them for the most part. I think Argentinos have a narrower palate than, say the US (again, my country of origin, so it's my comparison).

I thought at one time about opening a Cajun restaurant here (within my first year of living here). I make a mean gumbo, etoufee, etc. Even maybe throw in some Texas chili.

I have one or two Argentino friends who like it, but found it too spicy. Many wouldn't even try it, or tried a spoonful of gumbo and started flapping hands in front of mouth to cool down. So I tried to make it less spicy and it just didn't taste very good.

But there might be a market for something like NYC-style Pizza. I don't think it's too far off the main tastes here, although it would be different. They might not like the way it tastes and feels next to what they are used to.