There’s a disco ball in Ines Glaser’s kitchen. A wooden spoon collection with its own passport. A very good dog under the table. And a skillet pizza topped with foraged mushrooms, confit garlic, and something she calls Magic Pizza Dust.
About the disco ball: “It adds a little magic and just makes the space feel alive,” she told us.
Ines is the founder of Lupa Cotta—Italian for “cooked she-wolf,” a nod to How to Cook a Wolf, M.F.K. Fisher’s 1942 manifesto on making do with grace and grit. Lupa Cotta is a nomadic pizza boutique known for dough consulting, off-the-map private dinners, and Pizza Tourist—a cult-favorite newsletter packed with recipes and travel guides. Like the book, Lupa Cotta is about more than survival—it’s about turning limitations into creativity, hunger into joy. That philosophy shows up in everything Ines makes.
Her approach to food is refreshingly simple: cook with what you’ve got, make it beautiful, and don’t chase trends when you can chase chanterelles. We went mushroom foraging with Ines the day before this shoot. She reminded us: the best meals begin with what’s in season.
After a trip to the Farmers Market, we followed her back to her Venice kitchen—arms full of spring greens, citrus, and just enough cheese. The mushrooms came too. They ended up on two pizzas: one baked in a No.12 Field Skillet in the oven, the other in a No.8 in the pizza oven. Both golden. Both crisp. Both proof that great pizza doesn’t require fancy equipment—just good ingredients and cast iron.
The menu: a crisp, cast iron–baked salad pizza layered with foraged chanterelles, local goat cheese, confit heirloom garlic (made in a No.4), caramelized shallots, bergamot zest, shaved parmesan, and a tangle of radish tops and market greens. Finished with her signature Magic Pizza Dust—a mix of chili flake, salt, fennel pollen, and a few secrets she’s not giving up. Get the full recipe.
After lunch, we sat down with Ines to talk about seasonal cooking, creativity over consumption, and why pizza is the universal love language.
Lupa Cotta is rooted in wood-fired cooking and seasonal ingredients. How does cooking with fire and sourcing locally shape your approach to food—not just in technique, but in philosophy?
My company, Lupa Cotta (which means cooked she-wolf), was inspired by M.F.K. Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf. In her book, Fisher champions the art of making great food with what you already have. She embraces creativity over consumption. She reminds us that cooking isn’t about chasing the newest trends but about working with what’s available. Her philosophies have been a big inspiration for Lupa Cotta.
Cooking isn’t about chasing the newest trends but about working with what’s available.
Okay, so why pizza? How did you get into it?
As the daughter of diplomats, I grew up as a third-culture kid —constantly moving from country to country. But, no matter where I was, one thing always connected me to my peers: pizza. So when I first set out to start a business in food, pizza felt like the perfect entry point into the industry. Every chef loves pizza so it became my way of building relationships. I went to pizza school in Italy, worked at a few restaurants around the world, and then started Lupa Cotta.
Who has most influenced your cooking?
My parents. They execute classic comfort food from all the world —while managing to make it healthy and balanced.
How do you balance tradition with making a recipe your own?
For a while, I believed that building an online presence meant creating viral or unique recipes that were eye-catching or wildly unconventional. But lately, I’ve found myself more drawn to traditional recipes with a seasonal or personal twist.
No matter where I was, pizza always connected me to the people around me.
What’s one well-loved kitchen tool that tells a story in your home?
My wooden spoons. I like to collect spoons from all over the world. Some of them are thrifted and have past histories!
Are you a pizza purist, or do you have a topping combo you swear by? Any surprising food pairings that worked?
I truly love a marinara with heaps of garlic, good anchovies, and Calabrian chili. I’m also a sucker for a pepperoni pie with hot honey. So…deep down…maybe I am a purist? But when I try pizza at restaurants, I go for both a classic and then something wildly unique.
If someone doesn't have a pizza oven, what are some of your top tips for making great pizza in a cast iron skillet in the oven?
Preheat the oven with the cast iron skillet in it. Get it piping hot. Then carefully take it out of the oven, drizzle olive oil on the bottom, add your stretched pizza dough and toppings. Bake in the oven. And voila! It’s almost like a pizza Fritti. I honestly love it this way.
While cooking with Ines, we made two pizzas—one in the No.12 Field Skillet in a conventional oven, and one in the No.8 in her outdoor pizza oven. Both came out beautifully: crisp, golden, and proof that with the right pan, great pizza is possible in any setup. Get the recipe.
What’s one ingredient you always have on hand, no matter what?
Olive oil…and my Magic Pizza Dust ;) [her iconic pizza seasoning that’s a mix of chili flake, salt, fennel pollen, and other magic]
What’s your ultimate go-to dish when you’re short on time or craving comfort food?
A Japanese-style hot pot or Dittalini with parmesan and barlotti beans in chicken broth.
If you could cook for anyone, past or present, who would it be, and what would you make?
At this very moment? Maybe Dolly Parton. But only if she likes pizza.
Want more from Ines? Find her on social @lupaCotta or on her substack Pizza Tourist where she writes about all things pizza regularly.
