My Pizza Journey: From Corporate Life to Neapolitan Mastery
I traded a suit for an apron to chase the perfect crust. Here is the story behind my 48-hour fermented dough and how I brought true Neapolitan craft to Navi Mumbai.
Here I am at the All India Pizza Championship, presenting my creation to the judges. It was a nerve-wracking but incredible experience to share my passion and techniques on a national stage.
Standing with the Italian pizza masters and organizers after the competition. Learning from them and sharing a passion for pizza was one of the biggest highlights of the championship for me.
Let me walk you through making a classic Margherita, but with my special touch. It all starts with the high-hydration dough, which is very fragile but results in a crust that's like a cloud. I'll show you how to get that massive, airy cornicione that melts in your mouth.
I was so proud to secure second place at the All India Pizza Championship. It was an amazing experience to compete with talented pizzaiolos from all over the country and learn from Italian pizza masters. This recognition fuels my passion to keep pushing the boundaries of my craft.
About My Pizza Journey
You might notice in my photos that I often use scissors to cut my pizzas. This is not a gimmick. My high-hydration dough is fermented for 48 hours, making it incredibly light and airy. Using a traditional pizza cutter would crush the cornicione and deflate that beautiful crust, so scissors are the only way to keep the structure intact.
It was not a sudden decision to leave my corporate job, but I realized that life is too short for mediocre food. I spent two years traveling the world, chasing the perfect bite, and I eventually fell hard for the science of Neapolitan pizza. It requires patience, precision, and an obsession with fermentation.
When I got back to Navi Mumbai, I wanted to recreate that exact experience. My process is heavy on the science. I work with hydration levels up to 82 percent. Yeh kaafi tricky hota hai (it is quite tricky), but once you master the delicate nature of the dough, the result is a crust that is more like a cloud than bread.
Winning 2nd place at the All India Pizza Championship was a surreal moment. Standing there with Italian pizza masters and learning from them validated the hours I spent perfecting my Biga and Poolish preferments. But honestly, the awards are just milestones. The real joy is bringing a live pizza station to your party in Mumbai or Goa and seeing people take that first bite. Whether you are a restaurant owner looking to level up your menu or a home baker curious about the science, I am here to share exactly how it works. No secrets kept, just good pizza.
Akasha Pizza Heaven
I am Akash, the guy who decided that slow-fermented dough was more exciting than a corporate boardroom. I spend my days nerding out over flour hydration percentages and San Marzano tomatoes so you do not have to. Come over and see how I turn simple ingredients into a real Neapolitan experience.
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