According to a recent article from Portland Eater, The Turning Peel will soon take over what was once Malka at 4546 SE Division St.
The Turning Peel’s website teases that their opening date with be sometime in the summer of 2023.
“My husband, Akshay Dua, and I are two of the co-owners of Malka. We discovered Jessie’s food when we were students at PSU. I told my husband that one day when we have money, we should invest in her. Fast forward, we did save up some money after we graduated, then we spent two and a half years building the Malka space: doing plumbing, construction, putting up wallpaper, and driving to an estate sale every weekend to buy plates and glasses,” Candy told What Now Portland.
“Painting the mosaic in the back patio while I was 9 months pregnant. My husband and I are so connected with the space because there is so much love we put into it. Malka was a beautiful restaurant but the food was too labor-intensive to make and the business became unsustainable. Most of our savings were lost and Malka had to close. We left with the space, the beautiful space we built.”
“I was laid off a few months ago and it is like the universe speaking. Life is too short to not do what you love. With my husband’s support, we decided to open The Turning Peel at the Malka beautiful space. But this time, we are focusing on fresh ingredients to produce delicious sourdough Neapolitan pizza but yet accessible. People can come to enjoy a delicious meal with an alcoholic drink for $16-17.”
In the midst of a global pandemic, Candy Yiu found solace and passion in the art of sourdough baking. What started as a personal endeavor to create delicious bread soon transformed into a delightful journey into the world of Neapolitan pizza. Thus, “The Turning Peel” was born – a pizzeria with a unique twist, offering pizzas made from naturally leavened sourdough dough.
The journey of The Turning Peel began with the creator’s sourdough starter, affectionately named “bao bao.” Throughout the pandemic, Candy and “bao bao” experimented relentlessly with varying hydration levels, discard ratios, and leavening techniques, honing the craft of sourdough bread-making. The joy of sharing freshly baked bread with friends and neighbors, and witnessing their smiles of satisfaction, fueled an insatiable passion for baking.
A standout feature of their pizzas is the airy rim and thin crust, a hallmark of Neapolitan pizza. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) has stringent standards for authentic Neapolitan pizzas, with specific guidelines on dough weight, cooking time, and size. However, The Turning Peel takes a slightly different approach, opting for an 11″ pizza made from a 200g sourdough dough ball, cooked at a scorching 800°F for approximately 90 seconds. This adaptation results in a lighter, crunchier crust.
While perfecting their craft, The Turning Peel engages with the community at the Peoples Co-op Farmers Market every Wednesday from 2 pm to 7 pm. This serves as a platform to gather valuable feedback from pizza enthusiasts, and the team continues to welcome patrons to try their recipes, according to their website.
Editor’s Note: Updated quote and information provided per request after initial article publishing.
