I consider myself a pizza snob. My own journey and relationship with pizza put me in a position where I have high demands and expectations for pizza. So when Matthew told me he was going to start selling pizza my initial thought was: yuh better come good.
Saying that Kaiso City Pizza “comes good” is quite the understatement. Admittedly, I did not appreciate the full depth of Kaiso City Pizza until I decided to write this. Let’s start with the name.
“What’s In A Name?”
Pizza is a dish internationally known and loved that originated in Italy. So what does it mean to add Kaiso City as a descriptor before the word Pizza to establish your brand essence? It means that Matthew, while taking influence from something international, saw the importance of having a strong sense of pride in his experience as a Trinbagonian represented in the product that he is putting out.
This is an approach I can identify with because we attempted to do the same thing with Detnator when we produced FutureRapso. We wanted to take international music influences and give them a uniquely Trinbagonian voice.
The decision to put a local spin to an Italian classic isn’t just in the name of the business. Kaiso City Pizza offers local favorites like sautéed pak choi, aloo, plantain, smoke herring, pickled pimento and a guava reduction as some of the ingredients you can use to build your own pizza.
These offerings speak to Matthew’s desire to offer his customers a unique and authentic experience. This quite frankly is what sets Kaiso City Pizza apart from the other pizzas I have tried locally.
Simply put, his unique selling proposition (USP) is his creative approach to pizza.
No Ideas Original
Nas said “no ideas original, there’s nothing new under the sun, it’s not what you do but how it’s done”
When it comes to creativity, truer words have never been spoken. The expectation for originality in creativity is not something that materializes out of nothing. If we were presented with something that came out of nothing we would not be able to comprehend it. Our connection to the world makes us disposed and predisposed to influence. What we do with that influence is what separates “creating” from being “creative”.
In No Ideas Original Nas goes on to say
If n*gg*s could look inside my mind, you’ll find
Where bodies are buried, first look past the hotties who dimes
Go to the center, enter with caution, past the brain cell graveyard
Where weed’s responsible for memory loss
Let’s witness, the horrific, the stench’ll make you nauseous
See what I seen every day I live with this torture
The opening salvo is Nas inviting you to take journey into his brain to understand his creative process. The image he paints of his mental state explains that his greatness as an emcee comes from all the things he experiences, synthesizes and distills.
Similarly, this is what Matthew is doing with his pizza. He takes his love for food, his experiences with food, especially with regards to his family and upbringing, then creates unique flavor combinations for his pizzas.
However, this creativity would not have the impact it does without proper execution. Execution is another area in which Kaiso City Pizza excels.
Respecting The Craft
They say you have to be interested to be interesting. Matthew’s interest (obsession) with crafting the perfect pizza required months of perfecting the core component that makes or breaks a great pizza. The dough.
He would spend days looking at videos and reading blogs on handling high hydration doughs then trying it himself. For me, this is the most impressive thing about his pizza. On a weekly basis, Kaiso City Pizza is churning out the very best pizza crust I have had in Trinidad & Tobago. Even better than mine!
The tomatoes for the sauce are sourced locally. This makes a huge difference because they are fresh and not canned. If you really want to taste the quality of a Kaiso City Pizza I recommend trying one with the crushed tomato base and shaved garlic, no cheese.
As simple as it is, that experience made me appreciate that this is no fly by night operation. It’s obvious that Matthew cares about the product he is putting out and takes great pride in it.
About Matthew
Matthew Vernette is a proud Belmont Boy. He has Grenadian roots and has had a passion for food and cooking for many years. Like so many other Trinbagonians, food played an integral role in strengthening family bonds as they would get together to cook and eat to celebrate special occasions.
Matthew’s mother and grandmother passed on cooking duties to him as soon as he was old enough to handle himself in the kitchen. His experiences are expressed in the ingredients and flavors he makes available as options. He believes in elevating local ingredients by “treating them well” which is a reflection of his dedication to quality craftsmanship.
The Kaiso City Experience
Kaiso City Pizza sets out to reimagine “Trini Style Pizza”. Their eclectic approach to flavor combinations creates a unique experience for their Kaiso City Family. Customers can literally choose their own adventure or allow Matthew to create something amazing. Of course, pizza is only one part of the experience. The other part is the Kaiso.
“The term kaiso is said to derive from an Ibibio/Efik word meaning “get on” used as an exclamation, such as “Bravo!”, “Let us join”. It can also mean “Let us be friends” in Igbo Anambra dialect.” – Wikipedia
“Calypso- Kaiso music has its origins in West Africa (particularly in present-day Nigeria) and in the Kingdom of Kongo and was brought over by the enslaved Africans…” – Sunshine International Arts
Once you arrive at KCP, you’re greeted by sounds of kaiso music along with Matthew’s warm and friendly disposition.
Even though he is usually busy churning out pizzas, that never stops him from engaging his customers in some “ole talk”. For me that warm, welcoming feeling changes the experience from “going to buy pizza” to “going to lime by Matthew” and that is a huge difference.
Kaiso City Pizza is located in St. James Marketplace, Western Main Road, St. James (Opposite the Police Barracks) and is open from 4:30PM to 10PM, Thursday to Saturday. Follow them on Instagram.
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