Hem & Co brings world-class pizza to The Jetty

I love a top 100 list. Who doesn’t? I search top 100 lists to narrow down my itinerary when I travel. Top 100 prettiest villages in Japan, in England, in France. Top 100 best coffee spots in Australia, top 100 sandwiches in the world!

So it is a thrill to know that Canberra has a chef ranked in the top 100 pizza chefs worldwide. Worldwide!

I have to meet him.

Hem (Hemnath thapa magar) arrived in Sydney from Nepal in 2018. He found it tough to find work, so for six weeks, he volunteered at a friend’s Italian restaurant with an open kitchen, observing everything and learning each process. This ignited a curiosity and love for working with food.

Later, when the business changed hands, the head chef offered him a job.

“I had never used the restaurant’s wood-fired oven or any wood-fired oven, but I didn’t back away,” Hem recalls.

“I said, ‘I’ll do it!’ It was scary, but with that open kitchen, I had to succeed! Every morning those first few days, I started with a prayer!”

By the time that restaurant closed in 2020, Hem had mastered wood-fire cooking. He began working at Via Napoli, one of the busiest pizzerias in Sydney. It was in that role that Sylvio from Pizza Artigiana in Jamison convinced Hem to join the team here in the Capital.

Being ranked in the top 100 pizza chefs around the world by The Best Chef Awards has been a tremendous boost for this humble chef who is obsessed with pizza dough.

“I’m a really passionate guy when it comes to pizza. I love every part of the process, spending a lot of time making it right and choosing the right flour. It is about trying to further perfect my dough. The dough process takes two days, and it melts in your mouth – it’s like a cloud.”

While he still works at Pizza Artigiana in Jamison and Verity Lane, Hem has launched his mobile pizzeria, Hem & Co, bringing world-class pizza to any event across Canberra.

“I charge $30 per head for two hours of unlimited pizza,” Hem says.

“You can eat anything for two hours. There are eight types of pizza plus one dessert pizza. I think it is a great deal!’

Hem is brimming with excitement on the day I meet him. He has some breaking news to share.

From 27 September, Hem & Co is launching its brand-new pizza trailer at The Jetty! The pizza truck will be pumping out its signature pizzas right next to Fricken Chicken, so you can get your fill of world-class pizza with a world-class view.

The menu Hem has devised for The Jetty is fun and diverse. The Vegan Wonderland is full of rich, vibrant vegetables along with vegan cheese. Jurassic Pork pairs salami and basil with parmesan and mozzarella. I love the sound of the truffle and mushroom pizza and the pairing of cheeses with honey in the Four Cheese Fantasy.

We settle on his favourite, the Hem-mazing, with Nduja salami (from Calabria), mozzarella, parmesan, gorgonzola, ricotta and honey.

“People love it,” Hem enthuses. “The combination is perfect!”

He preps the pizza right in front of us, spinning the dough and then adding the toppings. He keeps the toppings to a minimum, as the pizza dough is also here to be enjoyed and celebrated. He expertly slides it onto a paddle and then into the dome-style wood oven for just a couple of minutes. We watch the dough rise slightly, bubble and blister, and then it is out. Hem adds some ricotta dollops and finishes with a flourish of honey before slicing it up.

We eat it immediately, biting into that absolutely impeccable dough. I could eat the dough just by itself. It has some give when you bite into its blistered crust; it is just dense enough. And you cannot taste any yeast, which is a telltale sign of a dough master.

The sweet drizzle of honey pairs perfectly with the gorgonzola, the salami and the fior de latte embedded deliciously into the baked dough. I love, love, love this pizza.

World Class? Top 100? Most definitely!

To book Hem & Co, go to their website and see their catering menu there. Follow Hem & Co on Instagram to see what they are up to. And follow Chef Hem on his own Instagram account.