Art Of Making Pizza: Chef Amol Kumar Transports Delhiites To Italy With His Craft At Leo's Pizzeria

Updated:Mar 25, 2025

Chef Amol Kumar calls himself an artisan who has mastered the art of making pizza. Step into any of the Leo’s outlets across Delhi, and you are immediately seated in an Italian cafe. Scroll down to read what made the pizzeria win a spot in the Asia Pacific's Top 50 pizzerias list three times and how you can also replicate his recipes at home.

Chef Amol Kumar Transports Delhiites To Italy At Leo's Pizzeria

Image Credit: Instagram

Imagine, you enter a restaurant featuring floor-to-ceiling glass doors, an open kitchen where you can witness pizza baking in a wood-fired oven, a cosy, vibrant space with a black piano in one corner, and a cooking lab on the opposite side. Does it seem straight out of an Italian film? It’s the ambience of Leo’s Pizzeria in Ghitorni, New Delhi.

The moment you enter Leo’s at 621, you will be immediately transported to the chic, welcoming, and minimal cafes of Italy, where the air is filled with the scent of freshly baked dough and the fruity notes of tomatoes. Known for its Neapolitan Pizzas, the restaurant has been featured on the list of Asia Pacific's Top 50 pizzerias for the third time. It secured the 41st position.

Image Credit: Krati Purwar

Leo’s is the brainchild of Chef Amol Kumar, who has been in the hospital business for more than 10 years now, yet he has the same zeal to learn about pizza making that he had as a student. “I try to visit Italy every year, and I make sure to attend at least a 2-day workshop on pizza making,” he added.

Chef Amol Kumar Is An Artisan

Before you compare Leo’s menu with any of the commercial chains, remember all those times when you left the crust because it was chewy or the base was all you could taste rather than the sauce, cheese, and toppings. They operate at a large scale and they have big machines and people working around the clock to deliver pizzas to your doorstep.

However, Chef Amol Kumar said, “We are artisans. We try to stay true to the Italian way of making pizza.” Pick any outlet of Leo’s, you will never be disappointed with the tasty flavour that flaky crust, fresh tomato sauce, and high-end mozzarella cheese bring to your mouth.

Most of the work at this pizzeria is done by hand, and they focus on sourcing the best and freshest ingredients. For example, they use Italian tomatoes for their better balance of sweet and sour notes compared to Indian varieties, high-quality buffalo mozzarella from Gujarat, which has a shelf life of only 15 days, and fresh supplies of vegetables and fruits from vendors in the city. When you order their Margherita pizza, which is also Chef Amol’s favourite, you will experience the difference that high-quality ingredients can make in a recipe.

Image Credit: Instagram

Also Read: Emerald Table: Bengali Vegetarian Feast Comes To Jaipur

Electric Oven Or Wood Fire Oven: Which One Is Better For Pizza Making?

One thing you will notice in large commercial chains is that all of them have huge ovens in which they bake the pizza. Most households also have these, and they are good because you can regulate the temperature and work safely around them. However, Chef Amol will always choose a wood-fired oven over an electric one.

“I enjoy cooking with fire; it comes from nature, and it is something you cannot control. While there is an inconsistency in the wood that we get in India, you have to live with it and work around it. You have to see what kind of wood is burning that day and have to work around it. So, I enjoy the entire process.”

While the choice of wood does not make a stark difference, it does add a smokiness to the pizza base. “It comes down to more of the other characteristics in terms of how dense it is, how it burns, and how long or quickly it burns,” Chef Amol explained and added that he prefers mango sticks. But one must agree that the smallest details make a huge difference, and it is probably what makes Leo’s stand out among other pizzerias in India.

Image Credit: Krati Purwar

Chef Amol Kumar's Class On Pizza Making

Pizza enthusiasts can enrol for a workshop at Leo’s whenever the dates are announced. It’s a paid gig, but Slurrp brings you a masterclass in pizza baking by the maestro himself. Although he did not reveal all his secrets, here are a few that might help you prepare flaky, buttery, cheesy, and appetising pizzas at home.

When you are kneading the dough, don’t put too much pressure on it. You might see people going hard at it but the master suggests one does not need to use too much strength during this process.
Let the dough rest for 24 hours. Chef Amol swears by this tip, and he insists that if you follow it through, you will witness a stark difference in an instant pizza base or the once created after resting the dough for an optimum amount of time.
During the fermentation of the dough, you can switch between room temperature and the fridge. It gives a better flavour.
Chef Amol likes to keep sauces simple. He prefers blending tomatoes with some salt and olive. This three-ingredient sauce is only cooked when the pizza is baked. He said that it is also the Italian way of doing it, but you can add fresh basil for the flavour.
When picking the cheese for your pizza, go with buffalo mozzarella. He said that Indian markets are now offering good options, so it’s a good time to make Italian-style pizza at home.
For baking pizza, Chef Amol prefers a wood-fired oven. He added that 400°C is the ideal temperature for baking, but for homes, you should get an oven that can go as high as 300°C-350°C. You can also get a baking stone.