30-year-old African immigrant to Italy, Ibrahim Songne’s pizza brand has been named one of the top 50 in the world. 50TopPizza.it calls Ibrahim’s dough “perfectly leavened” and the recipes “imaginative.”
Ibrahim, who hails from Burkina Faso, christened his restaurant, IBRIS— an all-caps hybrid of his first and last name.
Reports have it that before he opened the small shop in downtown Trento 3 years ago, he says that locals warned him, “A Black man behind the counter will drive every customer away.”
It was stated that these fears seemed realized when on the first day open, Ibrahim stood behind the counter and a middle-aged couple entered. Silently, the pair surveyed the pizza on display, he remembers. Then, he says, they likely assumed that someone of African descent didn’t speak Italian, remarked, “This pizza looks amazing. Too bad they let Black people work here” and left.
However, the scenario is different in 2022. With only three small benches for seating, lunchtime patrons pack IBRIS’ narrow storefront, shouting orders over the Afrobeats soundtrack.
In a chat with newsmen, Ibrahim, who migrated to Italy from Burkina Faso at age 12, said he reacted in disgust when he tasted pizza for the first time.
“I’d never even heard of pizza before I arrived in Italy. I took a bite and found it gross and completely tasteless,” he said.
It was stated that his success is hardly due to lack of competition. Two other pizza places sit on the same block and another seven are within minutes’ walk.
Harping on his brand, he said his pizza distinguishes itself due to the “intensity, texture and sense of experimentation.”
Giving customer’s feedback, a certain 52-year-old Alessandra Gelva said “This pizza is beautiful. It is the only place we ever come for pizza. The toppings are so original. The pistachio is one of my favorites.”
Another regular, Giuliana Passamani, 60, describes IBRIS’ pizza crust as “superlative.”
Also, 35-year-old Maria gushed that she “comes here three times a week from over an hour away. He is famous.”
The elated Ibrahim said “Big things start little. If given enough care and value, food can change the world. It’s a bridge between people — a way to pleasurably experience something new. That experience then can lead to greater tolerance and understanding.
“Once they taste my pizza, all judgment disappears.”
