Ferdinando’s wants to take the title this year!
Ferdinando’s restaurant is quirky and colourful and it also serves the best pizza in the Mother City. That’s according to diners who voted the establishment into second spot in last year’s inaugural Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge.
Owners Diego Milesi and Kimon (Kiki) Bisogno are determined that this year they will take the top prize.
So how did Ferdinando’s Pizza come about? Kiki, a South African artist, meets Italian Diego Milesi during her international travels. They fall in love, relocate to the Mother City, decide to share their love of pizza with Capetonians, and start a “secret pizzeria” in their own home before moving into formal premises. And who is Ferdinando? He’s their four-legged, furry child, who patrols the premises keeping an eye on things.
Says Bisogno: “This year we celebrate 10 years of making pizza! It has been a journey of love and passion. We started in our apartment on Loader Street and now we have a 70-seater restaurant in Observatory. We are proud! It’s all about love and being true to who we are.”
How did it feel being named one of the Top 10 restaurants in this country (coming in at No 2 behind Johannesburg’s Gino’s Pizza in Robertsham) who make award-winning pizzas that diners can’t get enough of?
“It was an amazing moment. We’ve been consistent through the years and kept it simple. We’ve been told many times we are the best, but to hear it from the mouths of the whole country was inspiring. We are going to keep going and doing what we love and do the best. We had a huge party last year for our team when we took second spot!”
Adds Bisogno “We believe our pizzas are special because they open the door to our Italian heritage which we then get to share with guests. Our best selling pizza at the moment is the Classic Diavola – spicy Italian salami on a margarita base while our signature pizza is the Turbanite, grilled baby marrow, homemade caramelised onion jam and feta.”
Any tips for pizza lovers?
“Pizza must be eaten hot and fuss-free, in good company or alone – it must satisfy on all levels, a good crust – some depth to the tomato flavour… and always a hint of spice.”
Their favourite topping they say is love – “if you cook with passion then you can taste it in the food.”
What wine varietal do they drink when eating a pizza? “Red wine – the Porcupine Ridge Syrah in winter and the Chenin Blanc in summer. Delicious.” The duo also believe firmly in giving back. Their Observatory Pasta Kitchen is five years old and its how they give back to the less fortunate in Observatory.
The Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge runs from July 1 through September 30, 2022, with the Top 10 and Winner being announced in mid-October. The challenge is open to any restaurant offering pizza on their menu and holding a valid liquor license.
Consumers dining at participating restaurants will notice point-of-sale containing a QR code that prompts them to the voting platform. For more information and to vote via the website, please visit: www.votepizza.wine
Each week, a lucky voter will be drawn to win wine from Porcupine Ridge and an EarthFire Pizza Stone & Cutter. A grand prize winner drawn at the end of the challenge will receive wine from Porcupine Ridge, an EarthFire Pizza Oven as well as pizza to the value of R2,000 from their favourite pizzeria.
For more on Porcupine Ridge, please visit: www.boekenhoutskloof.co.za/porcupine-ridge
- Ferdinano’s Pizza, 205 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town, tel 084 771 0485
