New Culture, an animal-free dairy company, has announced that it will be launching its first product – mozzarella cheese – in collaboration with James Beard Award-winning chef and La Brea Bakery founder Nancy Silverton. Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles will be the first restaurant in the country to serve New Culture’s cheese, beginning in 2024.

New Culture’s work with Silverton marks its debut culinary partnership and a major step on the path to bringing animal-free dairy cheese to pizza lovers everywhere. The company’s mozzarella is made without any animal inputs, making it free from cholesterol, lactose and trace hormones and antibiotics while having the versatility to bake, bubble and brown in wood fired, gas and electric ovens up to 850°.

For the commercial launch of New Culture’s animal-free mozzarella, Silverton and the New Culture team worked hand-in-hand to create two new pizza recipes for the Pizzeria Mozza menu: a traditional margherita and a caponata pizza with eggplant, tomato confit, pickled onions and caperberries.

“We always try to accommodate our guests at Pizzeria Mozza, including those with unique dietary preferences. However, we don’t always have the right solution,” says Silverton. “I’ve always been of the school of thinking that just because it’s a substitute doesn’t mean it needs to be anything less than spectacular. When I tried New Culture cheese, I was surprised and excited by the integrity of the product and really felt it lived up to our standards. I am so excited to offer New Culture cheese at Pizzeria Mozza.”

The partnership also includes a series of New Culture + Pizzeria Mozza launch events to showcase the custom pizzas and serve as the public debut of New Culture’s cheese. The first is slated for early June at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, followed by additional events in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco.

“New Culture’s mozzarella is a first-of-its-kind product, and we couldn’t be prouder to introduce it with Nancy Silverton, who is an iconic chef, restaurateur, baker and pizzaiola. It’s quite literally the perfect pairing,” says Matt Gibson, chief executive officer and co-founder of New Culture.

“We believe consumers shouldn’t have to compromise on stretch, melt, taste or sustainability when enjoying their favorite cheeses and we can’t wait to see New Culture mozzarella on pizzeria menus nationwide, starting at Pizzeria Mozza,” says Inja Radman, chief scientific officer and co-founder of New Culture.