Pizza was once considered the food for peasants, according to Felice Glorioso, the manager of Glorioso’s Italian Market. However, in this day and age, this tasty food choice does not appeal just to the downtrodden. People all over the world, regardless of economic class, now enjoy the traditional Italian dish. Sharing a pie adds a sense of solidarity to everyday dining and brings people from different walks of life together, like it brought pizza lovers over to Glorioso’s on Brady Street Saturday.

Every so often, Glorioso’s hosts special cooking events where guests learn how to make pizza and other Italian foods in their own kitchens. Last weekend, the Brady Street favorite shared tips and tricks of the trade with a class titled, “Top Secret Pizza.” It gave a brief tutorial on how to make pizza dough and marinara sauce, which included the recipes for five pizzas: the sfincione, pizza margherita, pizza bianca, pizza with taleggio and pizza Napolitana.

With the aroma of Italy in the air, the welcoming and engaging classroom environment provided the perfect cooking conditions. Glorioso explained each step in the pizza making process while also giving his students a crash course in culinary history. He also noted the differences between Italian and American pizza.

For example, according to Glorioso, sausage and pepperoni are not as common pizza toppings in Italy as they are in the United States.

“If you say pepperoni in Naples, you’re going to get shot,” he said.

Participants were encouraged to ask questions and get the scoop on how to improve their cooking. Suggesting the right kind of flour, cheese and cooking utensils for rolling the pizza dough were just some of the many secrets Glorioso shared. He even passed different ingredients like cheese and marinara sauce around the room so each participant could smell their freshness and understand what goes into a delicious pizza.

Most of the attendees seemed to have background knowledge of Italian cooking, but even beginners were made welcome thanks to Glorioso’s simple instruction. He encouraged cooks with a variety of culinary skills to join and take part in the classes the market offers.

Unlike the strict rules that the Italians have toward making pizza, Glorioso told the participants to experiment with ingredients and add whatever they wanted. According to him, recipes are not rules; they are guidelines.

“If you like it,” he said, “do it.”

After the tutorial, the pizza lovers were rewarded for their patience with pizza samples. The transformation from individual ingredients to the final product was magical as well as mouth watering.

Although the class attendees said they enjoyed the taste of each pizza, the applause for the pizza margherita was louder than the rest, making it the favorite pizza of the day.

“(Glorioso’s) is a neat place to get Italian products and making pizza is a fun thing to do on a Saturday,” participant Wayne Surgui said after the class.

Robyn Kempf, who attended a class from Glorioso’s last fall said, “The best part of the class was eating pizza and getting recipes.”

It often surprises Glorioso when customers tell him how their cooking tastes better after taking his class. He believes that the chef, not necessarily the recipe, is what makes a dish.

“I just give you the recipe,” explained Glorioso. “You make it yourself.”