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Meet the Indian chef in the US who serves topnotch pizzas
Summary
The 21-year-old, Indian-American chef Viraj Thomas' Neapolitan pizzas have a steady fan following
What is the first thought that comes to mind when one hears the words ‘an Indian chef in the US’? There’s a fair chance they serve biryani, dosa or modern Indian food. But, here’s a young Indian chef in the US who is not following the herd. The 21-year-old, Philadelphia-based Viraj Thomas is a pizzaiolo and his brand new pizzeria, Char, has created a buzz. One of the foremost American food publications, Eater, featured it on its list of Philly’s Most Anticipated Fall 2024 Restaurant Openings.
Thomas is a first generation Indian-American, born to immigrant parents who moved to the US from Kerala in the mid-eighties. His father is an IT professional and his mother is a home-maker. His parents believe in academic merit and encouraged their three children to complete college. Thomas, the youngest in the family, had other plans.
He started cooking at the age of 14, experimenting with dishes like roasts and bakes. “At home, we had desi khaana or Kerala food, and I had no reason to go there; instead, I made things I wanted to eat," he shares. In 2018, when the 15-year-old Thomas came across ‘the beautiful’ Gozney Roccbox propane pizza oven on a YouTube video, he was mesmerised. These stone ovens can heat up to 500 deg celcius and cook a Neapolitan pizza in 60 seconds. But, as a high-schooler, he couldn’t shell out $499 ( ₹41,000 approx) to buy it. He took up odd jobs, like working at an elementary school and the departmental store Target, to pay for it. In 2019, he bought his dream pizza oven, started making as well as selling pizzas to friends and neighbours out of his parent’s garage. In 2021, he worked as a pizzaiolo at a local Italian restaurant named Cicala.
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His pizzas started gaining fans leading to more opportunities. He began organising pizza pop-ups in local breweries, cafés and restaurants. The format was a mobile pizza brand that he called Char. The pop-ups helped polish his skills, and he enjoyed talking to customers which added to his popularity. Sometimes the wait period for his pizzas would go from 45 minutes to up to an hour. He has done about 100 pop-ups so far.
Thomas believes the pop-ups proved to his parents that he could run a profitable food business without joining a college. “My family wasn’t sold on my pizza journey, especially the pop-ups. But, things changed when they realised that I could make a decent living. American colleges are expensive and it is a task to pay the fees. So, I’m not keen on taking that route," says Thomas. He doesn’t wish to attend a culinary school. “If the plan was to cook at a gourmet French restaurant, I would definitely go to culinary school," he adds underscoring his clarity of purpose--being a topnotch pizzaiolio.
His fondest food memory is a trip to New York, a gift from his family when he graduated high school in 2019. The family visited seven different pizza places, two bakeries and a couple of ice cream places. This experience fostered his love for pizza. “I saw how pizza could be made in different ways— thick crust, thin crust, hand tossed, stuffed crust and more. After this, I visited New York atleast 10 times just to eat different pizzas," he shares. His favourite pizza spots are L’industrie in Brooklyn, Razza in New Jersey, Pitruco and Pizza Factory, both in Philadelphia. “I look up to these place in terms of what they make and what they’ve accomplished," says Thomas.
The young pizzaoilo keeps himself updated by watching YouTube videos and reading the food magazine, Bon Appetit. He follows David Chang, the American restaurateur known for the show Ugly Delicious and the food chain Momofoku. And, he likes what the US-based ‘Pizza Czar’ Anthony Falco does in terms of flavour.
His pizzeria Char opened in Philadelphia’s hip neighbourhood Olde Kensington in early September. It specialises in Neapolitan pizzas. The menu is simple with combinations like marinara sauce and basil, white sauce with mushrooms and onions, classic pepperoni, a margherita with chilli and garlic paste, among others. “We have about six pizzas and two starters—meatballs and a salad," he informs.
The margherita is his favourite as the sauce is quite well-rounded, flavour-wise. Char is an upscale, casual place which seats 40. He believes the magic is in the small things—like brushing the crust with oil before serving for smoothness; making sure the toppings aren’t too heavy and don’t slide off; baking for a few extra minutes for a delicate crisp; and being careful to not mess with the resting period as well as baking time of the dough to achieve the perfect bite that doesn’t scrape the roof of the mouth. “Right now, this is a great place to be," Thomas feels. If all goes well, he hopes to open another Char in another city.
Sumitra Nair is a journalist based in Kerala.
