In spite of all this tomato talk, Ayoub says the dough, “the palette that all else goes on top of,” is the most important part of the pie. There’s nothing like the taste of a homegrown tomato in August, there’s just nothing comparatively.” “Once I’ve grown them I’ll be able to save the seeds and I’ll be able to share them with anybody who wants them,” Ayoub, who collects seeds from all over the world, says. The Re Umbertos will be ready around August and this will be Ayoub’s first opportunity to sample the variety. I have found some seeds in Canada and I’m actually growing them out in my garden this year.” The first tomato, which they called the Re Umberto, they’re saying that this tomato was more popular than the San Marzano. “What’s unique this year is that we have more historical findings that the San Marzano tomato is a little bit more recent in being popular for pizzas. Or at least add to the novel offerings in Ayoub’s restaurants. That approach led him to some seeds from up north that might just blow tomatoes as we know them right off the vine by the end of summer. “I can’t grow enough for everything, but I’ll grow specific types of tomatoes, specific types of eggplants, peppers and herbs that I can use as specials in the restaurant.”Īt Fornino, Ayoub is laser-focused on the history of pizza-the development and enjoyment of pies through the ages. “I grow enough produce for specials,” he says.

There’s all kinds of crazy names for these tomatoes and they’re all individual.”Īyoub incorporates some of his harvest into recipes at Fornino’s Greenpoint, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Time Out Market New York locations. Not Purple Strawberry is a cross between a German Red Strawberry and a Purple Tomato, that’s why they call it Not Purple Strawberry. “Girl Girl’s Weird Thing is a red tomato with iridescent green stripes and it's really quite special.

Girl Girl’s Weird Thing and Not Purple Strawberry were two of the varieties he planted this year. We’re in zone seven, which is very good for tomato growing.”Īyoub, who opened his first Fornino pizzeria in Williamsburg in 2004 after a few decades in the business as a chef, restaurant owner and food service lead at NYC institutions like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, says he splits his gardening between his home and a farm on Long Island. “There’s thousands of varieties of tomatoes. “I only grew 62 varieties,” he says more precisely. Chef Michael Ayoub grew hundreds of tomato plants this year.

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