This week’s local chef interview was with Rocky Maselli. Rocky is the owner of Pizzeria DOP, one of the food trucks at the farmers market on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Rocky has been vending at the market since 2020, serving up Neapolitan-style pizzas using a wood-fired oven and fresh market ingredients. After his food truck quickly became a Eugene favorite, Rocky opened Osteria DOP, a restaurant where he expands his menu to include a variety of pastas, salads, and other dishes along with wine and Italian cocktails. The menu is inspired by Southern Italian cuisine while using local, seasonal ingredients you can find at the farmers market.
“Italian cooking is simple. Ingredients are the main concern. It’s all about getting the highest quality of ingredients. Shopping at the farmers market just makes sense for my style of cooking,” Rocky says.
Rocky began shopping at the market in 1998 while working for Marché, a market-driven restaurant. Over the last 25 years, he has continued to shop at the market because the quality of produce has stayed consistent over time as new generations of farmers have entered the market.
“The farmers make my job as a chef super easy. They grow high quality ingredients like tomatoes. I just slice them and put them on a plate,” he says. Rocky modestly forgets to mention how he uses his creativity and years of experience in integrating these high-quality ingredients into his tasty dishes.
Rocky describes himself as a wannabe Italian as he is very passionate about Italian food and culture, although he is a fourth generation Italian American. The name DOP is inspired by the seal Denominazione di Origine Protetta (D.O.P.), which indicates a food product that owes its characteristics to its place of origin. This seal was created by the EU to protect regionally produced foods from lower-quality, cheaper imitation versions such as parmesan cheese, olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. Rocky takes inspiration from these authenticity standards and applies it to his food. Some of the ingredients he uses that are not local include Neopolitan canned tomatoes. These ingredients are imported from Italy and are essential to driving the flavor of his authentic Italian dishes.
His approach when it comes to menu planning is to use ingredients that are in season. Because he’s a vendor he is always at the market very early and gets first dibs on produce.
“I don’t think about what to cook. I go to the farmers market and see what’s there,” he says.
Currently, the seasonal ingredients he is most excited about are asparagus, pea shoots, and spinach. The pizza margherita is his most popular dish, but it’s his seasonal specials that capture his creativity using local ingredients. Right now D.O.P.’s pizza special is served with green garlic, roasted asparagus, and roasted artichokes with oregano, mozzarella, chili, and pecorino cheese.
Come check out Pizzeria DOP at the farmers market on Tuesdays and Saturdays or Osteria DOP at 1122 Oak St from Tuesday to Saturday from 5 – 10 PM.