A first-of-its-kind dining event was held at Westfield Century City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, allowing shoppers to take a closer glimpse at some of the chefs and creators behind the mall’s most popular eateries.
This time, the “Meet the Makers” event was hosted by the Obika Mozzarella Bar, with special demonstrations by bread and pizza chef, Daniele Uditi, as he gave the audience an up-close example of how the restaurant makes its pizza and prepares its famous mozzarella from scratch.
Uditi provided the 20-25 attendees with two step-by-step, detailed demonstrations, during which he both verbally explained and visually exemplified what goes into creating the famous Obika mozzarella and pizza dough.
The demonstrations were not only followed by a generous tasting of both the hot pizzas and the freshly made cheese, but also a provided $30 prix fixe menu featuring several antipasto dishes, four main course options, a ricotta dessert, and an option of a $10 high-quality Italian wine.
General manager Alessandra Sabbione explained the nature of the restaurant’s role in the “Meet the Makers” Westfield event, as it caters to a new but prevalent crowd among Westfield mall-goers.
“The mall has family events, fashion events, and activities for fitness gurus,” Sabbione said. “This is something for food lovers.”
Sabbione’s passion for the mozzarella bar was clear as she explained some of the unique qualities that the restaurant offered.
“We’re really proud to introduce our restaurant and focus on the mozzarella, as we are a mozzarella bar,” Sabbione said. “We import buffalo mozzarella from Italy twice a week, and we have our chefs put on a demonstration as it is a good way to let people know about the techniques we use to prepare our food.”
Daniele Uditi, who has been with Obika for two years as bread and pizza chef of all U.S. branches, was born and raised in Naples, which is also known as the City of Pizza. Uditi’s pizza dough recipe is truly a “new invention,” as it involves a distinct combination of doughs and incorporates a unique preparation method.
“The dough is 65 percent white flour ground by stone, and 35 percent wheat flour, imported Petra flour from Italy. It’s all natural and all organic,” Uditi explained. “We let the dough sit for at least 48 hours to rest before we use it. We use no chemicals and all-natural yeast, so it’s really digestable.”
The quality of the pizza dough as well as the mozzarella proved itself as the 20-25 attendees gulped down the tasting samples after intently observing the demonstrations, coming back for second and third helpings as the Obika staff rolled out more pizzas to meet the demand.
The four-year-old Obika Mozzarella Bar in Century City uses some of Italy’s finest ingredients and strives to keep the menu dynamic and exciting.
“Every night of the week you can experience a different plate,” Sabbione said. “We try always to offer something new.”
Obika’s first branch debuted in Rome, Italy, with locations currently in London, Tokyo, New York, and of course, Los Angeles.
Obika Mozzarella Bar is located on the second level of the mall located at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. in Century City. For more information on Obika, call 310.556.2452 or visit obikausa.com.
