Drawing: Pizza-making class for six people from DeFazio's

DeFazio University Shirt.jpg

From the distinguished DeFazio University of Pizza and Pasta.

Drawing's closed!

The current reigning Tournament of Pizza champion -- DeFazio's -- has started offering classes on how to make their award-winning pizzas and pastas. Rocco DeFazio and his family are teaching the classes on Sunday afternoons in the kitchen of their Troy shop. The classes have, not surprisingly, have already begun to sell out.

You could win a pizza-making class -- for six people -- this week on AOA. Here's how to enter the drawing:

During the class, DeFazio's will share some of the secrets of what makes their pizza so delicious. So, it's secret sharing time. Tell us a secret in the comments of this post.

Or, to put it another way, tell us something we don't know. It could be something you add to your own favorite recipe. It could be a fun and little-know fact. It could be something most people don't know about you. It could even be a secret that's not all that well kept. (We're interpreting "secret" very loosely here.)

We'll choose one winner at random. The winner can schedule a class with up to five of their friends.

DeFazio's pizza and pasta making classes are being offered on Sunday afternoons from 2-5 pm for $60 per person. You can bring your own bottle of wine to enjoy while you're cooking, and everyone who takes a class leaves with a DeFazio's pizza kit so they can get started making their own pies at home.

Important: All comments must be submitted by noon on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by 2 pm on Thursday, January 16 and must respond by noon on Friday, January 17.

Comments

I am secretly building my girlfriend's tolerance for spicy food each time I cook for her.

I would tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

I make pizza weekly. I typically like a thin,crispy pie, so I roll out the dough and put the sauce and spices on it. Once it starts to brown, I put the cheese on for a few minutes, so it can melt. Tried different things, but sadly have not perfected it.

I enjoy eating lunch in my car.

I pre-bake the crust. Still my pizza is such a junk....
Need the class! Please.

My brother paid me $1000 to be nice to his Fiance, throw her shower, and bachelorette party. Mostly because she didn't have any friends and we don't get along.

I love eating cold leftovers from the fridge. But I guess that's not a very well kept secret since I obsess over it out loud to friends. My dream is to make a restaurant called "The Fridge" which would have donations of all the leftover food from various restaurants. I would probably eat it all and just become a Jabba the Hut of the kitchen but you never know, maybe other people have the same obsession.

Every time I cook something, I use basil.

I get all my best secrets and convo starters from http://help-fill-the-silence.tumblr.com/.

My favorite recent one is that only 8% of people keep their New
Year's Resolutions. Hoping this class will help me towards my goal of expanding my culinary skills beyond the microwave.

I sneak ingredients my wife doesn't like into food to see if she notices.

You can get the ° (degree) symbol on your iPhone by pressing the 0 key for a second. Because we don't complain about the cold enough.

Pizza crust is probably the most intimidating food I've ever attempted to make and I've never been able to get the hang of it. It's pitifully embarrassing.

When I am in charge of the kids, I don't always make them eat their vegetables.

Even at the ripe age of 40-something, I don't feel like an adult.

I'm really horrible in the kitchen. Sometimes I'll invite friends over to cook and try to subtly watch what they do but I really do need some lessons!

...and I've gotten friends sick before with my cooking. Oops.

Cornmeal on the bottom perfects any crust! And of course TONS of olive oil

I love to eat cold hot dogs, straight from the package.

The secret to the best tasting steel cut oatmeal? A healthy pinch of salt in the boiling water just before adding the oats!

I've eaten almost an entire jar of peanut butter in one sitting. DON'T LOOK AT ME

Even though I get paid more now, I wish I still worked at a Pizzeria.

I eat pizza starting from the crust and eat backwards. I've always felt that crust is underrated.

I know my husband's secret. And I notice!

when I make chili, I usually add a square or two of dark chocolate. It adds a subtle flavor that makes people say Ole'!

Kitchen "secret": If you have a recipe that calls for only half of an avocado (or if you have ridiculous self control and only want to make a one-person serving of guacamole), you can keep the other delicious half of avocado from getting all brown, oxidized, and mushy by leaving the pit in the unused half of the avocado.

Geez, I've already told you guys everything!! Ok, how about this - I ran away from home for the first time when I was 3. Something to do with being denied a lollipop. Better just give me the prize and not risk my wrath...

Secret ingredient to sweeten the acidity in tomato sauce: a little grated raw carrot that melts into the sauce as it cooks. The carrot is naturally sweet and cannot be detected in the cooked sauce.

Despite being considered a healthy individual (work out regularly, everything in moderation, etc.), I could/would eat pizza every day. Every. Single. Day.

I drink milk straight from the jug!

In grade school I used to make Ellio's Pizza sandwiches, which is nothing more than taking two slices and squishing them together (cheese sides facing of course). And sometimes I would have french fries with hot sauce in the middle.

You can buy pizza dough and sauce at Pereccas in Schenectady.

If left unchecked, I'd eat pizza/wings/chinese food, every day of the year.

I once worked in a frozen pizza factory for 3 days.

I make homemade pizza every Sunday, and then my husband and I drink good beer and watch Animation Domination on Fox. It's the only time we watch TV all week!

I use anchovies, instead of salt, in my white clam sauce.

I am a 34 year old man and have always secretly enjoyed the soothing rhythmic stylings of Boys2Men.

When making cocktail sauce or Russian dressing, I use chili sauce instead of ketchup.

I sneak ingredients my fiance hates into our dinners to see whether he notices. I've seen him happily munching on an olive tapenade despite hating olives - so far, it seems that most things he hates are easily disguised by names, presentation and working into bigger dishes.

Secret to good pie crusts: Swap half of the water with cold vodka. The alcohol bakes off, and you're left with a more flaky crust.

Dominos isn't really pizza.

I think people who refuse to eat onions and garlic have a personality defect.

I secretly want to be a reality tv star

I sometimes get a few cheesburgers from the drive thru...on the way home from work...before getting home...and eating dinner.

Chili powder is my secret ingredient for everything I make, food or non-food items that are to be digested ;)

I found the secret to Carvel Ice Cream cakes. I would always wonder what that top layer of frosted goodness was on top of the vanilla ice cream. Answer: frozen whipped cream. Secret #2, I always have a backup tub of frozen cool whip and a spoon handy for an after dinner snack.

I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.

I could survive on a diet of just cheese.

Fresh basil and garlic are essential for great pizza.

McDonalds vanilla cone - at the competitive price of $0.53 - my greatest weakness. I'm a cheap date.

Secret to good anything: Swap half of the water in the water glasses with cold vodka and they will like whatever you serve them.

Favorite secret - you can get your DeFazio's pizza parbaked and uncut! My husband picks one up on his way home at 3 and when I get home at 5 I crank the oven, heat up the pizza stone and throw the pizza in for 10 minutes - not as good as getting while sitting in the shop but better than anything I can get by my house!

I like Franks Hot Sauce on tuna salad sandwiches!

My secret? I never learned how to swim!

I'm Batman!

I enjoy going to DMV in Troy. I groan and complain about it like the everyone else but secretly find ways to end up there a couple times a month. I like to follow the red feet on the cracked floor that will lead me to someone who will answer most any question I can think of even though the answer is sometimes incorrect or makes no sense at all. I always plan on stealing a pen, but when I get to the exit where the little box is that asks you gently to return it, I do. On the way out I browse the disheveled selection of flyers in the sad lobby hoping there is something new, something, something I haven't thought of doing yet, like buying a foreclosed house in Berlin, or getting my goat vaccinated.

Easy pizza: take a cookie sheet, olive oil, Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough, a little more olive oil, mozzarella, fresh garlic and basil.

Okay, here's the deal. You need a pizza stone.

Make the naan recipe from Joy of Cooking. Roll it out into pizza crusts. Poke lots of holes with a fork and blind bake. In the meantime, add a little water to tomato paste and some seasonings. When the crust begins to brown and bubble slather on the sauce and add whatever toppings. Having the deli counter slice mozzarella for you helps. The rest is up to you.

This is how to make a pizza if you can't get to DeFazio's. If you can get to DeFazio's you never need to make pizza. Yep.

The secret to good gravy is honey.

I have to start making my own pizza and bringing it for lunch. I work in downtown Schenectady and the pizza there SUCKS! I secretly want the city to implode so my office can move to Albany.

DeFazio's is the most expensive pizza I have ordered but never got to eat. . .

I like to eat Cheeto, peanut butter and Franks Red Hot sandwiches.

The secret to cleaning pizza dough (or other bread dough) from off the inside of the bowl in which it rises and not ruining your sponge is to use a throw-away plastic card -- such as an old Michaels membership card (sorry Michaels!) -- to scrape the dried dough out. It works like a charm!

I always use epazote in any bean dish I make. Chili, red beans and rice, arroz con pollo...all of them. It has a nice, sweet flavor but it also reduces the, um, "intestinal distress" that steers a lot of folks away from bean-rich dishes.

I can eat an entire basket of el mariachi's chips.

I hate to admit it but grilled pizza may be better than baked. Could be a great menu addition

My at-home secret for making pizza is opening a frozen package, folding the gray microwave safe flap underneath, placing the frozen pizza directly in the center of the flap, and heating on High in the microwave for 2 mins. Hence why I need real pizza making lessons. I can cook, from scratch, many other things but pizza has always alluded me, especially when it comes to thinning out the dough and getting the sauce right.

I never use garlic in my sauce - always LOTS of fresh basil. It's sweet and delicious and you never know what's 'missing'.

I am not certain I could beat many of these "secrets". Geesh!

I think my biggest secret is that despite a boatload of healthy and nourishing food in the fridge & pantry, I still prefer to eat mayonnaise straight from the jar.

Without Montreal Steak Seasoning, I would be nothing.

My nomination for best kept secret in the Capital Region: The $4 12-inch subs from the Deli Warehouse are delicious.
Bonus! you get to contemplate buying your very own gallon of mayo while they make them for you.

I Still Miss Someone.

I put walmart Cajun seasoning in everything I cook-- even my pizza sauce and dough.

I would rather spend time with my dog than with about 85% of people

I could teach the Pizza Eating class.

I was a vegetarian for four years but once during that time frame I ate a chicken nugget Happy Meal. And it was delicious.

Sometimes I wear my girlfriends underwear to work.

I let the dogs out.

i went on a hike with llamas in california and they were cute!

I am listening less than 50% of the time that people are talking to me.

Cooking on a gas stove is the best and most terrifying thing I've done in the kitchen. I'm prone to tripping and catching things on fire but so far, 6 years and only masterpieces!

I was invited to one of E's dinners and I was sick for days (in comments above)... I was too embarrassed to tell her. Please give her pizza making lessons.

My girlfriend is gluten intolerant so we're careful about cross contamination. However, if I'm eating a plate of leftover gluten free food and she wants to pick at my plate I'll eat gluten 'by accident' so she can't have any.

Selfish? Yea, but at least there's more food in the fridge! Feels good to get that off my chest. Thanks AOA!

When I'm running late for work I do dumb things, like bringing a solo cup of milk and the whole box of cereal to the office, or grabbing a yogurt but bringing an entire bag of granola to sprinkle into each bite.

I put red pepper flakes on almost everything I eat. I carry them around in my purse so I always have them available.

I like to eat strawberries sometimes by dipping them in black pepper. It surprisingly makes them taste sweeter. Don't knock it until you try it.

Sometimes, I don't go into work until lunch time and then spend the rest of the afternoon browsing reddit.

My dad doesn't keep kosher, but the one thing he does is he doesn't eat pork. Not exactly sure why, but it makes him feel like he's doing part of the tradition. When we have something with pork in it and its not obvious, I just dont tell him.

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For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

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