By D.R. LENNOX, Cafe Society Magazine
The genesis of pizza as we know and enjoy it today is a long and dynamic one, stemming back to Ancient Greece. That’s where, according to Theo Premetis, spokesman and brother of Arthur of Arthur’s Pizza fame, the first pizza was created. It was, quite simply, various toppings on pita bread. Then the Italians, particularly those in Napoli, took this idea and expanded upon and perfected it over several hundreds of years. When the Americans came to Europe in World War II, they discovered pizza. They took it back to the United States with them and, again, the pizza was modified to suit American tastes. It is when American soldiers were in Sydney, on shore leave during the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, that their way of making pizza found its way into our restaurants, most notably at Arthur’s Pizza.
First established in Charing Cross in 1970, Arthur’s Pizza, founded by Arthur Premetis, aimed to provide a pizza alternative to the primitive version in existence in Sydney at the time: olives, salami and cheese on a base. Arthur’s introduced Sydneysiders to a new style of pizza with alternative ingredients such as seafood, mushroom and pepperoni. Arthur’s Pizza had always subscribed to the motto “the customer is our master”, so when the US GI’s were disappointed not to find the pizza as exactly as it was back home, Arthur asked them to show him how they wanted their pizzas made. And the Americans did. They also suggested that he might want to install a conveyor belt oven, which would allow Arthur to cook more pizzas whilst maintaining consistency. So Arthur became one of the first pizza makers in Sydney to own and use such an oven. Since those early days, Arthur’s Pizza has grown and expanded along with the Australian palate. But while customer demand dictates the menu – and there are 27 pizzas to choose from, including the ‘Make Your Own’ – Arthur’s have never compromised on quality. “We use fresh seafood – prawns, calamari, mussels – not seafood mix. Fresh lamb, fresh chicken,” asserts Theo. He also says that the philosophy of the customer as master continues to serve the business. “Some like chili, some don’t; some like garlic, some don’t. We’re flexible enough to cater for all tastes. Some people don’t even like cheese and so we make pizza without cheese. It’s unheard of but we can still do it!”
That level of commitment is evident in all four Arthur’s Pizza restaurants. Whether in Paddington, Bondi Junction, Maroubra or Randwick, you are guaranteed a great tasting pizza to your specifications, and using only the best of
ingredients. “In other parts of the world, they have the technique but they don’t have the range of ingredients we have – that’s what makes the difference,” Theo says. And after sampling pizza in other countries, including the US and Germany (where his sister also operates a restaurant), Theo isn’t being facetious when he declares the pizza in Australia to be “perfect”. “Some of our Italians customers, they bring their overseas relatives and friends here for the pizza, and that’s the best compliment you can have.”
