Chef of the moment: Anthony Carron of 800 Degrees proudly wields his tongs

Anthony Carron is the chef and co-creator of 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, the Los Angeles-based build-your-own pizza chain. Before slinging pies, Carron started as a prep cook in a cafe in St. Paul, Minn., and eventually purchased and reinvented the 40-year-old Olivette Diner in St. Louis. He landed a sous-chef position at Aqua in San Francisco before becoming chef de cuisine at restaurant Michael Mina at the Westin St. Francis; he was promoted to corporate executive chef and opened 12 restaurants with Mina. Carron co-developed and opened the first 800 Degrees in Westwood in 2012, which was awarded the title of “true Neapolitan pizza” by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. Now 800 Degrees has opened locations in Santa Monica, Las Vegas and at the Tom Bradley Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, and it has a slew of locations planned, including in downtown L.A., Playa Vista and this month in Pasadena.

What’s coming up next on your menu? We are running a true Neapolitan classic, a pizza known as salsiccia e friarielli. Salsiccia means “sausage,” of course, and friarielli is a special kind of broccoli native to the Campania region. It’s similar to broccolini but leafier and more wild. It’s blanched and then packed into jars with olive oil. We import it specially for this pizza. The pie itself starts with a bianca, a white pizza with mozzarella, a little garlic and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Then we top it with the friarielli, a spicy sausage from Calabria and a little caciocavallo cheese, which is like an aged provolone.

Latest ingredient obsession? Anchovies from Agostino Recca. They are harvested in the Mediterranean, hand-filleted and packed in extra-virgin olive oil. These are not your conventional salty, fishy, smelly anchovy. They are plump, light in color, sweet and not too salty. In Italy, the anchovy is a true gourmet treat. You can find these in some better grocery stores. We carry them at 800 Degrees and pay three times the regular wholesale price for them, but they are worth it. Try them on your pizza, and prepare to change your mind about anchovies.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? Tongs. There was this movement against tongs in the professional culinary scene that started with Thomas Keller, and no chef would touch them for years, relying instead on all sorts of contraptions, like medical tweezers, two spoons gripped in one hand, meat forks, etc. It’s silly to me that someone would eschew the use of tongs in favor of a tool that is harder to work and does the exact same thing. I get the point chef Keller was trying to make when he said tongs are “not a tool of refinement.” In the wrong hands, any tool can be a blunt instrument, and you can smash up a lot of delicate product if you use them incorrectly. But, like any tool, they have a time and place, and in the right hands can be used very effectively, and they accomplish so many jobs in the kitchen. I use mine proudly.

What’s your favorite breakfast? A “slinger.” It’s a St. Louis coffee shop staple. Two eggs your way, hamburger patty or bacon, and hash browns all covered with chili, cheese and onions. Mustard and Louisiana hot sauce are served on the side. It also comes with toast, butter and jelly. Sounds disgusting, but there is no better hangover remedy or preventive.

What chef has most influenced you? Of course, Michael Mina. I spent 10 years of my career with him. He’s an amazing chef and an incredible businessman. Of the chefs I haven’t worked for, probably José Andrés. I just love his food. Everything he cooks is delicious. He’s a great guy, and we have a lot of fun. He came into 800 Degrees at the new SLS in Vegas the other day and jumped behind the line and created his own pizza with caviar and burrata. Delicious. We are running it as a special at the SLS in Vegas for the month of September.

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria; for locations, go to www.800degreespizza.com.

I like anchovies on my pizza. Follow me on Twitter @Jenn_Harris.