By Charlie Pogacar
Scott Deley, founder of Scott’s Pizza Project, had been making pizza at his home in Derby, England, for about two years when he was approached by a woman who said she worked for Page Street Publishing. She told him she really liked the way he wrote his social media posts and wondered if he’d be interested in writing a book.
“I thought it was a joke to begin with,” Deley told PMQ Pizza. “I thought it was one of those scam messages. But I figured, well, I’d best do a bit of research.”
The message was legitimate, as he soon discovered (more on that in a bit), and in January 2023, Deley—an Ooni ambassador since 2021—published The Ooni Pizza Project: The Unofficial Guide to Making Next-Level Neapolitan, New York, Detroit and Tonda Romana Style Pizzas at Home.
Related: Why Is an Amateur Pizzaiolo Adding Water To His Pizza Dough ‘Until it Breaks’?
Deley has enjoyed a unique trajectory since March 2020, when his father-in-law bought him a portable pizza oven for his birthday. Deley wasn’t a chef, didn’t have a culinary background and had no aspirations beyond enjoying a few homemade pies in his backyard. He also had no desire to document his pizza making journey on Instagram—that was an idea from his wife, Nikki, who has served as his copilot since day one.
As an engineer, Deley specifically makes detailed lists about how things are built. It turns out his background made him a great candidate to excel in the pizza making world.
“I like structure,” Deley said. “I follow recipes to the letter. I don’t cut corners, and that’s what pizza-making really is—controlled experimentation.”
That engineering mindset helped Deley master the basics quickly, but it was his openness and desire to help others that set him apart on social media. When he first joined Instagram, Deley had no prior experience on the platform. But his posts, which document his learning process in real time, quickly drew attention. He made a habit of answering every comment, hosting regular Q&As and treating followers not as fans, but as fellow learners.
“I always thought, if someone’s taken the time to comment on something I made, the least I can do is reply,” Deley said. “You build a community that way.”
Less than a year after making his first dough ball, Deley was approached by Ooni to become an ambassador. That same generosity—combined with a knack for presentation and attention to detail—had made him stand out. But for Deley, the ambassadorship wasn’t about validation. It was another opportunity to share what he’d learned with others.
“I think Ooni saw that I was willing to help people,” he said. “It’s not just about how good your pizza looks—it’s about what kind of person you are.”
And Deley is the kind of person who’s a little wary of anything that sounds too good to be true. An out-of-the-blue book deal? But, as it turns out, not only is Page Street Publishing legit, it boasts a big-time roster of titles and authors. They include Jerrelle Guy’s Black Girl Baking, a finalist for the James Beard Award in 2019; celebrity chef Jet Tila and his bestseller, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die; and Emilie Raffa’s Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, with more than 300,000 copies in print, to name a few.
Once Deley knew he wasn’t getting scammed, writing the book was his next challenge, and it wasn’t easy. Deley employed his wife, Nikki, to shoot all of the photography. That part of the creative process was especially challenging as they were tasked with shooting during the winter months, when natural light was in short supply in the U.K. Both of them received respective stipends for their work, totaling somewhere around $15,000. And while that’s a nice chunk of change, Deley joked that if you broke it down by the hour, it might look less appealing.
In the end, the book was something the whole family could be proud of. It not only delves into the technical aspects of dough and fermentation, but also tells personal stories through each recipe. One of Deley’s favorite pizzas in the book—a dessert pie topped with stewed plums and custard—was inspired by Sunday afternoons at his grandparents’ house. The smell of plums stewing in the kitchen, the warmth of homemade desserts—those memories became the basis for an entirely new kind of pizza.
“I wanted each recipe to have a story,” Deley said. “This book wasn’t just about how to make pizza. It was about who inspired me along the way.”
As far as what Deley’s future in pizza might look like, he doesn’t see himself opening a pizzeria or quitting his day job anytime soon. What drives him isn’t business-related—it’s curiosity and community. To that end, Deley recently hosted a pizza making class for a group of Americans visiting the U.K., followed by a more intimate class he ran out of his own home.
“It’s something I’m trialing,” he said of teaching pizza making on the side. “If it works out, I’d love to keep doing it. Helping people start their pizza journey is what I enjoy the most.”
He’s even cautious about doing a second book. While his publisher has expressed interest, Deley didn’t connect with their ideas for a follow-up. “They wanted to focus on other foods you can cook in a pizza oven,” he says. “But that’s not my area of expertise. I’d rather write something that’s true to me.”
Still, he hasn’t ruled anything out. “I’m not saying no forever,” he added. “Just not right now.”
In the meantime, Deley still responds to comments on Instagram. He still experiments with hydration levels. He still uses his own book when he forgets a step. And every Sunday, like clockwork, he makes pizza for his family—including his daughter, Lily, who’s had little choice in the matter. “She’s been eating my pizza every week for five years,” he said, as if one would have to twist a kid’s arm to eat that much pizza. “She’s a good sport about it.”
For Deley, that’s what it all comes back to—not fame or followers or book sales, but the simple joy of making something for the people you love. What started as a hobby is now a full-blown project, one that continues to surprise him.
“I scroll back sometimes to the very first pizzas I posted,” he said. “It’s crazy how far things have come. But at the end of the day, it’s still just me, in the garden, trying to make a better pizza.”
