Jose Flores Wins Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup

• Pizzaioli from throughout the nation competed to make the very best non-traditional pizza on this yr’s Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup, held on November 9 in Orlando.
• McKenna Carney of The Nona Slice Home put a brand new spin on dough to develop into the U.S. Pizza Crew’s freestyle acrobatics champion on November 10.

Associated: Pizza Tomorrow Summit defies hurricane to develop into large success

Excessive winds and sideways rain couldn’t maintain pizza makers and spinners from throughout the continental U.S. and past from attending the 2022 Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup & U.S. Pizza Crew Acrobatic Trials (GPPC), held Nov. 9-10 on the Orange County Conference Middle in Orlando. The inaugural Pizza Tomorrow Summit, a brand new commerce present for the pizza restaurant business, hosted this exhilarating occasion, produced by Galbani Professionale US and the U.S. Pizza Crew, searching for the US’ subsequent pizza ambassador to the world—and the search was fruitful.

Overlaying classes from Non-Conventional Pizza, a culinary competitors that spotlighted Galbani cheeses, to Largest Dough Stretch, Quickest Pie Maker and the ever-mesmerizing Freestyle Acrobatics, the sphere of over 30 opponents was whittled right down to a handful of winners, with a ultimate champion from each Non-Conventional and Freestyle classes incomes a visit to compete on the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy, April 18-20, 2023.

Day one showcased the biggest discipline of opponents with a concentrate on Non-Conventional Pizza. Entries ranged from New York to Detroit and even Neapolitan pizza kinds. Two teams of opponents competed within the first spherical for the chance to proceed to the finals, culminating in a one-on-one pizza cook-off between Craig Allenbaugh of Sauced Pizza & Catering in Fairview Park, Ohio, and Jose Flores of Crust Lovers Pizza in Sanford, Florida.

High honors within the ultimate spherical cook-off went to Flores together with his Kebab Pizza. That includes a four-day fermented dough began with a poolish of All Trumps, the Kebab showcased a base of do-it-yourself sauce with Italian parsley and cilantro and a Galbani Premium Complete Milk Mozzarella/Provolone 50/50 Mix plus 20% of smoked gouda. Flores wowed the judges’ style buds with completely seasoned floor lamb, tomatoes, onions, a do-it-yourself tzatziki sauce and contemporary parsley leaves.

“I went to the competitors with no expectations of profitable,” Flores stated. “My plan from day one was to current one thing totally different and to benefit from the expertise because it was my first competitors. However, to have the ability to current the flavors I used to be in search of, it took me greater than three months of perfecting the sauce and the seasoning on the meat. In any case this, I spotted that if you don’t take the danger, you lose the possibility, and let all the pieces fall into place.”

Day two introduced concerning the Acrobatics classes, that includes Largest Dough Stretch, Quickest Pie Maker and the visually compelling Freestyle Acrobatics. McKenna Carney of The Nona Slice Home in Security Harbor, Florida, emerged because the winner of the Freestyle Acrobatics Finals. Carney additionally gained the Chicago U.S. Acrobatic Trials in August and, along with her victory in Orlando, claimed the title of 2022 USPT Acrobatics Champion and the possibility to compete within the World Pizza Championship subsequent yr in Parma, Italy.

Within the Orlando semi-finals, Carney was intently adopted by Wilhelm Rodriguez of Papa’s Pizza in Puerto Rico and Kevin Knott and Travis Siebens, additionally of Nona’s, respectively. The title of Quickest Pie Maker went to aggressive veteran David Whisker of B.C. Pizza in Boyne Metropolis, Michigan, with Largest Dough Stretcher honors going to Rodriguez.

Congratulations to ALL opponents of the 2022 Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup & Acrobatic Trials:

Non-Conventional Pizza Semi-Finals:
Oven #1 Winners:
1. Jose Flores, Crust Lovers Pizza, Sanford, Fla.
2. Kevin Knott, The Nona Slice Home, Security Harbor, Fla.
3. Wilhelm Rodriguez, Papa’s Pizza, Puerto Rico

Oven #2 Winners:
1. Craig Allenbaugh, Sauced Pizza & Catering, Fairview Park, Ohio
2. Joey Streeter, The Nona Slice Home, Security Harbor, Fla.
3. Michael Athanasopoulos, The Lamb & The Wolf, Yuba Metropolis, Calif.

Semi-Finals:
1. Wilhelm Rodriguez, Papa’s Pizza, Puerto Rico
2. Kevin Knott, The Nona Slice Home, Fla.
3. Travis Siebens, The Nona Slice Home, Fla.

U.S. Pizza Crew Acrobatic Finals

Largest Dough Stretch:
1. Wilhelm Rodriguez—25.45″
2. McKenna Carney, The Nona Slice Home—24.875″
3. Jerry Zampella, PJ’s Brick Oven Pizza, Spring Hill, Fla.—24.525”

Quickest Pie Maker:
1. David Whisker, B.C. Pizza, Boyne Metropolis, Mich.—46.37 seconds
2. Joey Streeter, The Nona Slice Home—63.09 seconds
3. Kevin Knott—63.32 seconds

Different opponents included Alex Fotiadis, Corleone’s Well-known New York Pizza & Gyros, Daytona Seaside, Fla.; Anthony Brown, The Pie Manufacturing facility, Largo, Fla.; Bradley Beam, Palm Coast, Fla.; Bryan Child Collazzo, Episodio 1: Pizzeria Libre, Cabo Rojo, P.R.; Cesare Di Iorio, Napule Italian Restaurant, Sarasota, Fla.; Daniel Saccone and Stephany Nagy, Saccone’s Pizza & Subs, Austin, Tex.; Darren Molnar, Pizza Parlor (609), Orlando, Fla.; Deserai Satullo, Sauced Pizza & Catering; Frank Piscitelli, Franks Pizza, Ft. Myers, Fla.; George Taylor, Taylors’ Pizza Home, Endwell, N.Y.; Giovanni Labbate, Tievoli Pizza Bar, Palatine, Ailing.; Ivan Venesia, Wilmington Seaside, Calif.; Kenny Kingswell, Strega Nona’s Oven, Gainesville, Fla.; Rico Lunardi, Slice on Broadway, Pittsburgh, Penn.; Robert Bair, SoDough Sq. Pizza, Orlando, Fla.; and Vitangelo Recchia, Bella Napoli Pizzeria & Restaurant, Port Charlotte, Fla.

The USPT competes all year-round in numerous culinary and acrobatic trials throughout the nation and in worldwide competitions. The GPPC was sponsored by Galbani Professionale US, PizzaMaster and Pizza Options. The USPT is sponsored by Galbani Professionale US, Margherita Meats, La Nova, Actual California Milk, Grain Craft, Burkett Restaurant Tools and Provides, Univex, MFG Tray, Excellent Crust Pizza Liners, Lillsun Peels, and Throw Dough.

For extra data on the U.S. Pizza Crew, go to www.uspizzateam.com or [email protected]