“I ate over 100 pizzas in Italy for a month, and the conclusion I reached was simple: the classics are eternal.”
During the opening ceremony of the ‘AVPN Scuola Corea’ held in Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 8th, Maestro Lee Jin-hyung reflected on the moment he chose Neapolitan pizza 15 years ago. Captivated by his first taste of Neapolitan pizza during a backpacker trip in college, he began preparing for a pizza business in Korea around 2012. At the time, Chicago-style pizza was trending domestically, and people around him advised against starting a business with Neapolitan pizza, warning it would fail. After much consideration, he traveled to Italy with four companions, including Heestory Food CEO Yuk Kyung-hee, and spent a month eating over 100 pizzas to study local flavors.
Maestro Lee stated, “Chicago and New York pizzas each have their own charm, but Neapolitan pizza is the root of them all, and I do not regret my choice back then.” Afterward, he opened the Neapolitan pizza specialty restaurant ‘Pizzeria O’ and introduced authentic Neapolitan pizza to Korea.
Now, those who have dedicated themselves to Neapolitan pizza have opened a professional educational institution. It is the AVPN Scuola Corea, an educational facility of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), headquartered in Naples, Italy. Established in Naples in 1984, AVPN is an organization that preserves and promotes traditional Neapolitan pizza-making methods, operating regulations regarding ingredients, dough, fermentation, molding, and baking. The Korean branch teaches the art of making Neapolitan pizza according to these standards, with 22 schools currently operating worldwide.
Antonio Pace, president of AVPN who attended the opening ceremony, introduced the Korean branch as the country’s first professional Neapolitan pizza school. He noted, “Pizza is a simple food; you just need to follow a few rules from dough to baking.” He added that different pizzas are created depending on the person making them, explaining that even when following the same regulations, the results vary based on the maker’s skill and experience.
The Korean branch conducts training to cultivate professional pizzaiuoli (pizza artisans). The flagship course, the ‘Vera Pizza Class,’ consists of a total of 60 hours over 8 days, comprising 14 hours of theoretical education and 46 hours of practical training, concluding with theory and practical exams. Students learn everything from the principles of dough and fermentation to molding, topping, and baking pizza in a wood-fired oven. Recruitment for the 1st cohort last September reached capacity just one day after applications opened.
Special classes for advanced education are also operated. Over 4 days and 32 hours, the curriculum covers natural yeast, the scientific principles of dough, pizza frita, and gluten-free pizza. In the 3-hour ‘Pizza Day’ class open to the general public, participants can directly make classic Neapolitan pizza menu items like Margherita and Marinara.
Domestic and international Neapolitan pizza experts make up the coaching staff. Alongside Maestro Lee Jin-hyung, instructors include Jeong Du-eon, an AVPN ambassador and owner-chef of ‘Volare’ (the first in Korea to receive Vera Pizza certification), and Lee Taek-seop, chef of ‘Verde’ who placed second at the 2026 World Vera Pizza Championship. Fulvio Belfiore, a 21-year veteran maestro dispatched from the Italian headquarters, also participates in the teaching.
Heestory Food CEO Yuk Kyung-hee, who pursued the establishment of the Korean branch alongside Maestro Lee Jin-hyung, shared, “I conceived the idea for an academy 15 years ago, but it took a long time to take this first step today. Just as a person needs the help of many to grow, the same goes for a company. I will continue to grow alongside the people walking with me.”
