Green Cow City Cafe and Mrs. Shanen's Rocks Brooklyn Style Pizza in Beijing

With the Second Round of voting now under way in our 2015 Pizza Cup (click here to cast your opinion), we continue our Pizza Profile series introducing some of Beijing's best pies. Today we talk to the married couple behind Green Cow City Cafe and Mrs. Shanen's: Manager Shanen and Chef-in-Chief Lejen Chen. Although knocked out in the first round of this year's competition, this small family-style outlet is still worth seeking out for the care and attention they put into making great pies.

How long have you plied the trade?
We started Mrs. Shanen's with bagels and pizza bagels in 1997. In 2002 we added Brooklyn style pizzas at Mrs. Shanen's Cafe and started an organic farm. Then, just last year, we added our second café, Green Cow CIty Cafe.

What's your style/pizza philosophy?
Our pizza philosophy is to stick to the basics. We take our time to make the crust, the sauce, the cheese, and our fresh mozzarella all from scratch. These three components have to balance each other in order to get that umami pizza.

In a market crowded with over 100 different pizza shops, what do you do to stand out?
We incorporate as much of the organic ingredients from our farm as possible. We have a Green Cow Special that uses fresh mozzarella cheese made from our own cows' milk. The tomato sauce is mostly made from tomatoes that we grow on the farm. Then we top it off with our own herbs. And we have managed to grow arugula year-round.

What would you say your style is?
Brooklyn, New York style. Most pizza shops in Brooklyn offer both thin crust slices and thick crust Sicilian squares. This is the style of pizza I (Lejen) grew up eating. So it's a part of my Brooklyn, New York, and American culture that I wanted to share with people in Beijing. In addition, this is the pizza that I truly missed and wanted to eat in Beijing. At the time we started our business Pizza Hut was really he only other alternative.

Thick vs Thin: What's your take?
Well, we cater to both. Brooklyn style thin crust and thick crust pizza bagels. And we love both. It depends on what you're in the mood for. I like to share a whole thin crust pie with someone. But if I'm just by myself, I love a pizza bagel. They are both authentic comfort foods.

What's the secret to your sauce?
Our own, homegrown organic tomatoes.

What kind(s) of cheese do you use and why?
Our own organic mozzarella from the farm, and you can also choose our own ricotta cheese.

Tell us about your standard pizza.
Its name: Margherita.
Thick or thin crust? Thin artisanal pizzas and thick pizza bagels.
Type of sauce? Simple basic tomato.
Type(s) of cheese? Mozzarella and ricotta.
What other things make it special? Our organic herbs, arugula, and basil.
What sizes does it come in? Artisan 14-inch thin crust pizza for RMB 75, margherita 4-inch pizza bagel for RMB 25.

Tell us about your most unique pizza
Its name: Green Cow Artisan Pizza or Green Cow Pizza Bagel.
Thick or thin crust? Thin Green Cow Artisan Pizzas and thick Green Cow Pizza Bagels.
Type of sauce: Basic tomato.
Type(s) of cheese: House organic fresh mozzarella.
Additional toppings: House organic sausage, organic arugula, and Green Cow sun-dried tomatoes.
What sizes does it come in? Green Cow Artisan 14-inch thin crust pizza for RMB 125, Green Cow Pizza 4-inch bagel for RMB 45.

Hungry for more? Check out pizza specials around town and compare and contrast some of Beijing's best pizzas in our ongoing Pizza Profiles series.

Images courtesy of Mrs. Shanens