To illustrate the difficulties in making pizza as a woman in a patriarchal society rooted in digressive gender roles, consider this: According to Top 50 Pizza in 2017, only one woman – Marzia Buzzanca – was considered among the top 50 pizza chefs in the country, and was ranked No. 26. When Franco Pepe – Italy’s pioneer of new-wave pizza and chef at Italy’s best pizzeria, according to Top 50 – was asked why there were no women in his kitchen, his response was cutting: “Making pizza isn’t a job for women. It’s simply too physically demanding.”