New Culture, a pioneering, animal-free dairy company, announced today that it will be launching its first product – mozzarella cheese – in collaboration with James Beard Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton.
New Culture Teams Up with Nancy Silverton for Launch of Animal-Free Dairy Mozzarella
Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, one of America’s most celebrated pizzerias, will be the first restaurant in the country to serve New Culture’s cheese, beginning in 2024. This historic announcement represents a critical milestone for the first-ever animal-free, dairy mozzarella to be available to consumers.
New Culture’s product is the first animal-free cheese to meet Silverton’s exacting standards and the first to be offered on the menu at any of her restaurants, which are known for the quality of their cheeses. Silverton is the co-owner of the acclaimed Mozza Restaurant Group, which includes Pizzeria Mozza, and founded the world-renowned La Brea Bakery. Her pizzas are celebrated for their light, airy, chewy crust that has a thin, crisp outside – making them among the most distinguishable pies in the country. A focus on ingredients and sustainability is the cornerstone of Silverton’s restaurants, with an elevated role for mozzarella at her iconic Mozzarella Bar.
New Culture is leading the global transition to an animal-free dairy future by making melty, stretchy dairy cheese without any animal inputs, starting with mozzarella. They harness the power of fermentation to produce delicious cheese that tastes just like conventional cheese, except radically more sustainable, healthier and better for our fragile, global food system. The company’s work with Silverton marks their debut culinary partnership and a major step on the path to bringing animal-free dairy cheese to pizza lovers everywhere.
For the commercial launch of New Culture’s animal-free mozzarella, Silverton and the New Culture team worked hand-in-hand to create two new pizza recipes for the Pizzeria Mozza menu: a traditional margherita and a caponata pizza with eggplant, tomato confit, pickled onions and caperberries. Both recipes pair Silverton’s celebrated pizza dough with New Culture’s industry-leading mozzarella. Silverton’s recipe experimentation and culinary input have been essential to refining and preparing New Culture’s first product for market.
“We always try to accommodate our guests at Pizzeria Mozza, including those with unique dietary preferences. However, we don’t always have the right solution,” said Silverton. “I’ve always been of the school of thinking that just because it’s a substitute doesn’t mean it needs to be anything less than spectacular. When I tried New Culture cheese, I was surprised and excited by the integrity of the product and really felt it lived up to our standards. I am so excited to offer New Culture cheese at Pizzeria Mozza.”
The partnership also includes a series of New Culture + Pizzeria Mozza launch events to showcase the custom pizzas and serve as the public debut of New Culture’s cheese. The first is slated for early June at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, followed by additional events in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
“New Culture’s mozzarella is a first-of-its-kind product, and we couldn’t be prouder to introduce it with Nancy Silverton, who is an iconic chef, restaurateur, baker and pizzaiola. It’s quite literally the perfect pairing,” said Matt Gibson, CEO and co-founder of New Culture.
“We believe consumers shouldn’t have to compromise on stretch, melt, taste or sustainability when enjoying their favorite cheeses and we can’t wait to see New Culture mozzarella on pizzeria menus nationwide, starting at Pizzeria Mozza,” said Inja Radman, CSO and co-founder of New Culture.
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New Culture’s mozzarella is made without any animal inputs, making it free from cholesterol, lactose and trace hormones and antibiotics while having the versatility to bake, bubble and brown in wood fired, gas and electric ovens up to 850°. New Culture replaces the essential dairy protein in cheese – called casein – with its own animal-free version that the company produces using precision fermentation. Their mozzarella will be the first cheese in the world made with animal-free casein. This revolutionary approach to cheesemaking radically cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions and water, land and energy usage, bringing about a new culture for the multi-billion dollar global dairy industry.
About Nancy Silverton
Nancy Silverton is the co-owner of the Mozza Restaurant Group, which includes Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, Newport Beach and London, as well as Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza, chi SPACCA, The Barish and Mozza2Go in Los Angeles and locations in Singapore and Los Cabos. Silverton also founded the world-renowned La Brea Bakery and Campanile Restaurant, institutions that were both cherished in the Los Angeles community for decades. She was named Food and Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chef,” and received the highest honor given by the James Beard Foundation of “Outstanding Chef.” She has also been listed as one of the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink by both Fortune and Food and Wine magazines. She was featured on Netflix’s documentary series Chef’s Table and has authored eight cookbooks, with her ninth cookbook scheduled to be released in the fall of 2023.
About New Culture
New Culture is leading the global transition to an animal-free dairy future with cheese that stretches and melts like the real deal but is made without any animal inputs. In other words: cow cheese without the cow. New Culture replaces the essential dairy protein in cheese – called casein – with its own animal-free version that the company produces using precision fermentation. By combining traditional cheese-making methods with innovative food science, New Culture cheese is the first in the world produced with animal-free casein, making it kinder on animals, the planet, and human health. The company was selected for Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards, profiled on NPR’s award-winning podcast “How I Built This,” and included on the 2023 ClimateTech 100 and 2023 FoodTech 500 lists. With their groundbreaking science, any cheese is possible and can be made completely animal-free. The future of dairy is here — and it’s delicious. For more information, visit www.newculture.com.
