Latest news with #Marone
San Francisco Chronicle
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Hot pizza popup from Tartine alum finally opening S.F. restaurant
Opening soon: a restaurant from a pizza popup that built buzz for blending Bay Area sourdough and crispy New York-style pies. Jules Pizza will fire up the ovens in the Lower Haight at 237 Fillmore St. on May 20. The traveling pizza operation from owner Max Blachman-Gentile, the former culinary director of famed bakery Tartine, has been a draw at venues like wine bars Buddy and Birba, serving pizzas topped with classic and seasonal ingredients. Blachman-Gentile named the popup in honor of his maternal grandmother, Julia. Jules, as she was known, taught his mother how to cook, and she in turn taught him. Among his most cherished memories, he said, are special family dinners with many relatives, often with his mother making pizza, his favorite food. 'This is a story about grandmas,' he said. Two classic-style pies will be permanent fixtures at Jules. The Marone ($21), which Blachman-Gentile described as a 'fancier version of cheese pizza,' comes topped with two types of mozzarella — low-moisture and fresh, made in-house — caciocavallo and Pecorino Toscano. The Spicy Ronny ($24) comes covered in pepperoni slices, togarashi pepper flakes and Calabrian chiles for a bit of heat. White pie fans can look forward to the Fun Guy ($25), topped with a mushroom cream sauce and roasted mushrooms, red onion and rosemary. To amplify all the ingredients, Blachman-Gentile uses Hornkuhkäse, a rare Swiss cheese he described as 'almost like a fondue on its own.' The menu's rotating seasonal pizzas will feature fresh produce from Bay Area farms. With summer right around the corner, the chef-owner is looking forward to his hit Field Dream pizza, with roasted corn, sungold tomatoes and a drizzle of an aromatic pesto-like sauce made with Thai basil and serranos. Until those crops are in, he'll be making the most of spring garlic to flavor his herby meatballs ($17) and working with asparagus that will go into crudo dishes. Beyond pizza, the menu will include a chicken with blistered snap peas, braised butter bean mash and an oregano-white wine jus. There is also a charred, deeply caramelized arrowhead cabbage ($15) with a sauce using Calabrian chile butter, topped with a pumpkin seed gremolata and shaved bottarga. The beverages list will focus on wines and beers. There will be some soju available as well, in a nod to a series of Jules' popups in Seoul. Diners will have the option of a traditional pour, or a soju bomb for their beer. 'This is meant to be approachable,' he said. 'We want people to feel like they had a nice night out that doesn't just feel like they went to a fast-casual restaurant.' Blachman-Gentile's pizza making process is meticulous, though that's not unusual for a pizza obsessive whose resume includes time at New York pizzerias Emily and Roberta's. His flour is from Cairnspring Mills of Washington State, which uses a proprietary milling method that leaves plenty of the wheat bran inside the flour, but still yields a light and fluffy crust. 'You're able to get more of like almost a whole-grain dough without it tasting or feeling like a whole-grain dough,' he said. Roughly a day's fermentation is the sweet spot, he said, for the crispy, light pies he prefers, a departure from what's become common among his peers. 'When a lot of people talk about pizza dough and fermentation times they think longer is better. I don't think that's the case,' Blachman-Gentile said. His procedure yields a New York-style pie that's crispy and charred but still light enough that it flops when you pick up a slice. In true New York style, the kitchen at Jules Pizza is fitted with a gas-powered deck oven. As much as he likes the propane-powered stone ovens from his popup days, after 'so much schlepping, we're happy to not have to do anymore,' he said. Some of the chef's Tartine experience will also be applied to making breads, which will be used in some dishes and for sandwiches. Remodeling the interior took roughly seven months; it now has a brighter look and feel than its predecessor, Iza Ramen. The dark pine banquettes and tables were sanded to reveal their natural light hue. The navy blue walls are now coated with white paint and artwork made by the chef-owner's friends, who use items found at local antique fairs and flea markets. Hanging above the tables are Tiffany pendant lamps with colored crystal lampshades. The glass features are meant to evoke the nostalgia of a trip to an old-school pizzeria, such as a dine-in Pizza Hut in the 1980s. 'I want some of the space to have a cozy grandma's house type of vibe,' Blachman-Gentile said. But, he clarified, 'a little more interesting than an actual grandma's house.'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Spendesk Appoints Alfonso Marone as Executive Chairman to Strengthen Governance and Accelerate Value Creation
LONDON, February 12, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spendesk, the leading spend management and procurement platform for mid-market companies, announces the appointment of Alfonso Marone as Executive Chairman of the Board. This strategic governance change underscores Spendesk's commitment to driving innovation for customers and profitable growth in 2025. Alfonso Marone brings nearly 30 years of global experience in strategic leadership, business innovation, and corporate development. A former KPMG UK Equity Partner, Marone is the founder of London-based advisory firm Point79 and a graduate of INSEAD, holding both an MBA and Corporate Governance qualifications. Over the course of his executive and advisory career, he has worked with Fortune 50 and FTSE 250 organisations, including Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC (now Delinian), NBCUniversal, and O2, as well as top-tier investment firms, focusing on B2B technology, data, analytics, and the information sector. Marone's appointment comes at a pivotal time, as Spendesk invests heavily in procurement software solutions and prepares to launch a suite of new AI-enhanced capabilities. His appointment strengthens Spendesk's leadership team by splitting the roles of Founder, Chair, and CEO among three complementary leaders. "This new structure enables us to harness the visionary leadership of Founder Rodolphe Ardant, the operational expertise of CEO Axel Demazy, and my strategic oversight to enhance governance and drive attractive value for Spendesk," said Marone. "I have really enjoyed partnering with Rodolphe and Axel over the past few months, and I am honoured to officially join Spendesk's Board as Executive Chairman. The company's work in building the first procure-to-pay platform for mid-market companies in the UK and Europe is truly inspiring." Since beginning his collaboration with Spendesk, Marone has focused on developing and overseeing a comprehensive value creation plan with a clear path to profitability in 2025. In his role, Marone chairs the Board of Directors, acting as a critical link between shareholders – including General Atlantic, Index, Eight Roads, Hexa, and Tiger Global – and the executive team. Additionally, he collaborates closely with the Founder to foster innovation in Office-of-the-CFO solutions, drive strategic partnerships, and steer the company toward a path of expansion, value creation, and eventual liquidity for its shareholders. Axel Demazy, CEO of Spendesk, expressed his enthusiasm: "Alfonso's leadership brings a fresh perspective and a unique ability to align our shareholders and executive team. His guidance marks a significant step in enhancing governance and unlocking value for both customers and stakeholders." About Spendesk Spendesk is the leading spend management and procurement platform that transforms company spending. By simplifying procurement, payment cards, expense management, invoice processing, and accounting automation, Spendesk sets the new standard for spending at work. Its single, intelligent solution makes efficient spending easy for employees and gives finance leaders the full visibility and control they need across all company spend, even in multi-entity structures. Trusted by thousands of companies, Spendesk supports over 200,000 users across brands such as SoundCloud, Gousto, SumUp, and Bloom & Wild. With offices in London, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid, Spendesk also puts community at the heart of its mission. CFO Connect, backed by Spendesk, is the largest European network of finance leaders, with more than 12,000 members. For more information, visit: View source version on Contacts Media Contact:Mary BartheCommunications, Sign in to access your portfolio
