The Papa John’s pizza chain and patisserie chef Dudu Outmezgine are joining forces for a first-of-its-kind collaboration and launching The Sweet Edition – a limited edition of three desserts that seek to bridge the precise world of French patisserie with the iconic dough of the American chain.
Behind the series are months of development, centered on an unconventional attempt: To take standards of high-end patisserie – precision, balance, and elegance – and translate them into an accessible format for a broad food chain, without compromising on quality or taste. The base for all three desserts is Papa John’s fresh dough, produced daily in Israel according to a secret recipe and undergoing a 72-hour fermentation. Here it functions as a kind of culinary “canvas,” on which the layers of flavor were built.
Three desserts, three sweet interpretations
The edition includes three dessert pizzas: Ricotta Royal – a ricotta blend and rich vanilla cream in a secret recipe, with crunchy crumble and powdered sugar for a classic finish; Red Forest – almond cream, juicy berries, and crumble, with a clear nod to the European dessert world; and Golden Almond – rich almond cream, melted milk chocolate, and crunchy crumble, aimed at a deeper, more comforting bite.
We tasted all three desserts, and the overall feeling is one of thought given to every last detail. The dough, familiar from the chain’s savory versions, functions here as a balanced base that is not overly sweet – one that does not overpower the flavors above it. Ricotta Royal stood out for its lightness and airy texture, Red Forest delivered a successful balance between sweetness and the tartness of the berries, while Golden Almond is the richest and most dominant of the three – a dessert clearly aimed at lovers of deep flavors. Overall, these are precise desserts, not heavy, suitable as a meal finale and not feeling like a one-off gimmick.
According to Chen Richter, owner of Papa John’s Israel, the connection with Outmezgine was born out of attention to the small details: “Taste comes before everything, innovation based on quality, and adherence to high standards of raw materials and customer experience.”
Dudu Outmezgine himself also refers to the challenge of connecting the two worlds: “The goal was to take a patisserie standard and translate it into the world of a broad food chain – without losing precision, quality, and taste.”
The Sweet Edition is offered at Papa John’s branches and on the chain’s website, at a launch price of NIS 49.90 per unit.