The Art of Pi: Making pizza at Carriage House Cooking School

I’ve always loved making pizza. I remember my first attempt at age 10 to create a pizza without parental assistance. It was no small miracle that my mum managed to consume what I proudly served her without deflating my junior chef’s ego … or throwing up – what’s wrong with kippers, chocolate sprinkles, Velveeta and pepperoni toppings I ask? It was not until I took a “boy’s cooking class” my senior year in high school that I truly appreciated the art of making pizza.
Fast forward 40 odd years or so, and there I was, taking a cooking class at the Carriage House Cooking School on, here we go again, the art of making pizza, specifically, “Art of Pi – Making Artisan Style Pizza At Home.” I was joined in the kitchen by four other travel writers as part of an Adventure Travel Trade Association media tour of the Adirondacks in New York state.
Our guide for this artisan pizza-making journey was none other than Chef Curtiss Hemm, the former dean of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont and former instructor at Paul Smith’s College of Arts and Science in New York. He is now head of his own kitchen and cooking school, built with his own hands (out of timber he milled and shaped himself) at his family home near the town of Peru, New York. Like many of his compatriots, Chef Hemm commands a room with both his size and jovial manner, plus he is unassuming, delightfully humorous, and always encouraging, always teaching.
Over the course of three hours, under Chef Hemm’s expert tutelage, we each learned to make our own delicious pizza from scratch without trashing his oven (you’ll have to watch the video below to understand that part). And then, of course, we ate a lot of pizza and drank locally brewed beer. All-in-all, a perfectly delicious evening in so many ways.
While the recipe I am sharing below is for Pizza Margherita, in the Art of Pi class at Carriage House Cooking School you learn to make all sorts of artisan pizza too. Check out the current school program to find a cooking class or even a unique dinner experience prepared just for you by Chef Hemm (oh you’ll get your hands into the food preparation too). It will make for a perfect and memorable Adirondack night out, I promise.
Before you download and read the delicious recipe, I encourage you to watch the short companion video below, to watch Chef Hemm work his magic with dough, the making of the sauce, and then explaining how to best make pizza margherita in his Art of Pi class.
Download the Pizza Margherita recipe
Members of our Subscriber Club can download the Carriage House Cooking School Pizza Margherita recipe here.
Our award-winning photos make a perfect gift – to yourself, a friend, or a family member. Prints for a wall, on a desk, as greeting cards, cozy fleece blankets, ornaments, fridge magnets, coffee mugs, luggage tags, coasters, mouse pads and puzzles. Subscriber Club members get 25% off any order!
Not a member of our Subscriber Club yet? It is easy and free to join. Just click on the button below. In addition to full access to our free travel book and recipe library, you will receive a monthly newsletter full of travel inspiration from award-winning travel writers and photographers.
You may also like to read
You may also find the following recipes from our cooking experience interesting:
- Charbroiled Oysters Recipe from the Louisiana Oyster Trail
- Best limoncello recipe: limoncello with Everclear for real Italian flavor
- How to cook the best Moroccan couscous, thanks Riad Laaroussa
- How to make Ukrainian-style ginger tea with lemon, mint and cloves
- What is a shrub? Old English shrub recipe to relive travel memories
Our Most Recent Travel Stories
Enter to win a FREE EZQuest UltimatePower 120W GaN USB-C Wall Charger
We are giving away an UltimatePower 120W GaN USB-C PD Wall Charger. Perfect for travel, the charger has 2 USB-C ports, 1 USB-A port, a 2 meter USB-C cable and an EU plug adapter. It is a charger we use, which is why we are so excited to be able to give one to a lucky winner.
Best places to stay in Mendocino: Find the top hotels, inns and B&Bs
Looking for the best place to stay in Mendocino? Take a look at our guide to the Northern California coast. We help you get to know Mendocino County’s 90 miles of coastline and 20 towns that offer a huge variety of climates, personality, and travel experiences so you end up in the best place to stay.
A traveler’s guide to tea culture around the world
In many countries, tea is far more than just another hot drink. It has become a cultural expression of hospitality, spirituality, peace, or harmony. It is often a reason to gather socially. Discover the different tea cultures around the world.
Enter to win a FREE EZQuest UltimatePower 120W GaN USB-C Wall Charger
We are giving away an UltimatePower 120W GaN USB-C PD Wall Charger. Perfect for travel, the charger has 2 USB-C ports, 1 USB-A port, a 2 meter USB-C cable and an EU plug adapter. It is a charger we use, which is why we are so excited to be able to give one to a lucky winner.
Best places to stay in Mendocino: Find the top hotels, inns and B&Bs
Looking for the best place to stay in Mendocino? Take a look at our guide to the Northern California coast. We help you get to know Mendocino County’s 90 miles of coastline and 20 towns that offer a huge variety of climates, personality, and travel experiences so you end up in the best place to stay.
A traveler’s guide to tea culture around the world
In many countries, tea is far more than just another hot drink. It has become a cultural expression of hospitality, spirituality, peace, or harmony. It is often a reason to gather socially. Discover the different tea cultures around the world.

As an affiliate for Get Your Guide, Amazon.com, iVisa, Global Rescue, Think Tank, 5.11, Kuhl, Adorama, and others, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you should you choose to purchase through the links in our posts. It is essential to mention that we only endorse products we believe in and personally use. Your support for HI Travel Tales through these purchases allows us to maintain a sustainable platform for creating valuable and relevant content for you.
0 Comments