Pittsburgh's Best Pizza Makers Compete in the Global Pizza Championships
Your favorite local shops are heading to the International Pizza Expo to throw down with the best in the world. A rundown of who's competing in what pizza competition below!
Pizza Expo. Some call it the Super Bowl of the pizza industry. Mecca. It’s the event where pizza warriors from across the globe come to both learn and compete. An educational buffet where you can hear how the greatest pizza makers in the industry have accomplished their goals. And watch a kid fold like a hundred boxes in a minute. They have it all.
Pizza Expo unites the pizza industry in a way no other event can. Vendors spend all day serving up free tasting of tomatoes, hot honey or the latest cheese. Then they host a wild after-show party that fits perfectly into the Vegas nightlife, all in hopes of keeping their customers happy. “Yes, their cheese is mediocre, but I did body shots off a pizza at their party and for that reason I am forever loyal to this cheese company.” That’s the expo business for you!
But the Expo Hall is one part of Pizza Expo. It’s the world’s greatest pizza party. You can’t walk three feet without sampling a gourmet slice of pizza prepared in a state of the art oven with the finest, freshest ingredients. It’s a pizza enthusiast’s paradise. And operating those ovens are pizza legends like Tony Gemignani, author of the Pizza Bible and a multi-time pizza champion. Also, local legends like Kevin Konn.
Since I’ve started covering Pittsburgh Pizza I’ve noticed more and more Pittsburgh pizza shops show up at Pizza Expo. Pittsburgh has incredibly strong representation at Pizza Expo, which is a sign of our prosperous and delicious pizza landscape. We have people like Kevin Konn working the show floor in partnership with Manzo Food. In 2018 I watched him compete at the Pizza Challenge, a highly prestigious competition hosted on the show floor.
Kevin Konn is one of the many Pittsburgh contingent attending Pizza Expo this year. When I asked him about Pittsburgh representation he said, “I think Pittsburgh has an exceptionally strong pizza community and has for some time now. The stigma of good pizza only coming from Italy, New York, Philly, type places is somewhat bygone in my opinion. We’ve been here the whole time. We have probably been just as good as the rest of those guys the whole time. The rise of social media has certainly helped boost recognition.”
Kevin is not competing this year, he’s focusing on a more long-term strategy to the International Pizza Challenge and pizza competitions in general.
But competing this year, and representing Pittsburgh, are a number of your local favorites. In no particular order:
Pete Tolman & Sara Boyer - Iron Born Pizza - Pan Division & Non-Traditional
Ed Stalewski - Independent - Non-Traditional
Patrick Elston - Gus Franco’s - Traditional
Neil Blazin - Driftwood Oven - Traditional and Italian Hoagie
Rico Lunardi - Slice on Broadway - Traditional
Michael Mercurio - Mercurio’s - Neapolitan
Eric Von Hanson - Caliente
This conginent is the future of Pittsburgh pizza. All these people entered the profession within the last thirteen years. These pizza makers have shaped neighborhoods, won awards and have helped showcase that Pittsburgh is way more than fries on salad. It’s full of good pizza with French fries on it.
Let’s learn more about this prestigious pizza party.
Ed Returns to Pizza Expo to Defend His Crown
Last year, Ed Stalweski entered the International Pizza Challenge as an independent and won the award for best pizza in the Non-Traditional Division, North East Division. Competing in the International Pizza Expo is a daunting task. You have to prepare your dough ahead of time, transport it to the venue, ensure nothing catastrophic happens, and produce the best pizza of your life using someone else’s equipment in a foreign location.
As a returning champion, I wondered if Ed felt that pressure to perform. He said:
I think you always feel pressure whether it’s anxiousness or nervousness just because of the competitive nature of the pizza expo competition. You always want to go there and do well. Competition is always tough there so you never know what to expect from others. I think the key is to focus on your pizza and make the best damn pizza you can and don’t put put pressure on yourself to win or worry about what others may be doing.
As far as last year, I learned that even though you might make a mistake you need to press forward and stay positive. If I didn’t do that last year, I would have given up but I didn’t
Last year Ed won with a tavern style pizza, a style of pizza rarely seen at pizza competitions, but has been trending around the country. This year, expect to see a variation of the type of pizza Ed makes on Instagram.
Ed’s victory last year has made him a pizza celebrity. In addition to competing, Ed will be all over the show making pizzas for the best pizza makers in the world. “I’m a brand ambassador for Ooni and Slice Out Hunger is having an event on Sunday 3/26 showcasing the top 25 pizza makers which I was asked to be a part of,” Ed said. “Plus I’m doing a product demo on Thursday at the Ooni booth with the new volt oven. Marra Forni has asked me to do pizza demos at their booth on Tuesday so I’m pretty excited to be a part of all this. I would have never thought in my wildest dreams any of this would have been possible.”
New Pizza On the Block, Gus Franco’s, Looks to Prove Themselves
The International Pizza Challenge is a proving ground for up and coming pizza. Performing well at this competition opens up doorways to greater pizza opportunities. This could be a greater social media following (see Ed’s 111k Instagram Followers), opportunity to participate in World Pizza Champion events, or fame and recognition in your home city. Imagine being able to make a “World Pizza Champion” billboard that welcomes drivers coming into the city via 376. That’s the stuff dreams are made of.
For a newer entrant to the pizza world, this is a daunting endeavor. But also worthwhile. Patrick Elston of Gus Franco’s pizza will be competing for the first time. He’ll be in the traditional division, competing against the likes of Neil Blazin of Driftwood Oven. But why enter? Patrick had this to say:
Even though I'm still unsure I deserve to be there, it's important for me as a father of Gus and Franco, that they see me trying things that might make me uncomfortable. I want them to not only see any success I have, they also need to see me fail. And I absolutely live and breathe pizza, and I love to compete, so this feels like a perfect fit for me.
Some entrants bring an “upgraded” version of their pizza to the competition. The thinking is you only need to make one great pizza. Why not go all out? But Paul has a different perspective - he’s bringing the day-to-day pizza to the competition. He is his harshest critic and if there was a way to make a better pizza he would have already done so. He’s more eager to please his loyal customers than a judge he’s meeting for the first time.
And victory in this competition isn’t just for Paul, oh no, this is for the customers, friends and family that support him on this pizza journey. Paul said, “We are built on word of mouth, zero dollars ever spent on advertising. In some weird way, I'm looking to provide validation for the customers, friends, and family that have spoken kindly of us over the years. If I do good, they can proudly stick out their chest for a day or two.”
When Paul competes next week he will not simply showcase a “traditional pizza.” This will be a pizza over flowing with love from the community. Every conversation, quip, and small talk shared with a patron will be put into this pizza. It will look traditional (as there are strict guidelines that must be followed), but it will taste anything but. It will taste of the with him a whole community of his pizza fans who have helped to mold his pizza into the divine creation it is today.
Iron Born Gambles on Unique Flavor Combinations at the International Pizza Challenge
Pete Tolman, who I first met at Pizza Expo in 2018, is truly a student of the craft. In 2019 Pete won first in the North East region in the pan division so he knows his way around the International Pizza Competition. He has been part of the Pittsburgh contingent pushing the envelope, bringing new and innovative pizza to the city and winning awards.
The Pittsburgh community is flourishing and I asked Pete why he thought that might be:
I think Pittsburgh does have a strong community of pizza makers and we all would like to put our names in the competition ring as well as see the new products, equipment and ingredients that we don’t see daily in PA. On the competition side we’ve all seen the success that Eric with Caliente has had over the years competing and Eddie and I have been lucky enough to steal a North East 1st prize as well. So I think more pizza makers want to join the list and put their stamp on competing too. Gus Franco’s, Driftwood, Slice all competing in traditional. Mercurios in team and Neapolitan.
This year Pete is bringing his General Manager Sara Boyer to compete in the competition. She recently placed third in her first outing at the North East pizza competition held in Atlanta back in 2019. This year will be her first foray into the non-traditional category.
If you’ve been to Iron Born you know the menu is far from basic. It’s fine dining that happens to take place on top of a pizza crust. Pete’s toppings are elevated and thoughtful, so I’m confident we’ll see a good placing from Pete and the Iron Born crew. Last year he brought a “Spicy Pie” that had romanesco sauce. This year Pete will be competing with a pizza he serves out of his Millville location: Commonplace BBQ Pie.
“It’s ‘out of the box’ and unique from your typical pizza fare which may get me in trouble and has definitely burnt me in the past,” Pete said. “But being so unique, also gives me the opportunity to stand out. A love/hate style of gamble.”
Slice On Broadway Shows Off Practiced Perfection
Slice On Broadway is the quintessential traditional pizza. Webster themselves must have been looking at a slice of Slice On Broadway when penning the definition of traditional. It’s routine perfected. The simplicity of their pizza comes from years of honing the craft. A pebble smoothed over centuries of water flow.
This year Rico Lunardi, owner of Slice On Broadway, will be competing in the traditional division. He’ll be up against Gus Franco’s and Neil Blazin of Driftwood Oven.
“I decided to do traditional because it is more of my style and what I am used to making,” Rico said. “I have been tweaking my dough and sauce. That is the nice part about traditional category. They are judging you more on technique rather than creativity.”
When Rico takes the stage he’ll be competing against local colleagues, but to him that’s part of the fun.” When I compete always repping the ‘burgh but of course I want to win! Definitely am a big supporter for anyone in Pittsburgh that does well. Makes us all look good.”
Neil Blazin Spreads the Pizza & Baked Goods Gospel
Neil Blazin, Owner of Driftwood Oven, will be a busy pizza maker at the International Pizza Expo. Not only is he competing in the traditional pizza competition, he’ll be entering the Hoagie Competition and giving a talk about adding baked goods to the ecosystem.
This will be Neil’s first time competing at the International Pizza Challenge and I like his odds of winning. I’ve always enjoyed the rich flavor of their traditional pizza. Neil is a pizza artisan and a big part of this competition comes to executing in foreign territory. The oven is not your own and you’re preparing pizza in what seems like a pizza maker sanctuary. A pristine environment anthropologist created to save the species of pizza makers. Recently, Driftwood Oven underwent a renovation to expose more of their prep station to the public. Maybe this environment will play into Neil’s favor?
The International Italian Sandwich Competition premiered in 2021 and is limited to thirty competitors. The criteria is vague:
Sandwiches can be a hot or cold Italian-inspired sandwich consisting of any combination of Italian ingredients, sauces, toppings and/or décor/garnishes on any type of bread, roll, or bun.
I predict a top three finish for Neil and his Italian Hoagie in this category. It’s one of the best hoagie experiences I’ve had and I’m eager to see how it does in competition.
Mercurio Goes Up Against the Best of Italy
Michael Mercurio will be competing in the Neapolitan competition at this year’s International Pizza Challenge. This is an incredibly difficult category as he is going up against the best Neapolitan pizza makers across the globe. In the year I attended the top five were all Italians. Michael was close to cracking the top of the list, his persistence is unrivaled.
I reached out to ask him if he thought this year was his year. I believe, but Michael said, “I hope so. They added around twenty more spots to the Neapolitan completion, making it super hard.”
More competition only makes victory that much more delicious.
Wow this was a big one. But Pizza Expo is a big event! I wanted to provided a perspective we don’t get much in this city, which is pizza makers going to compete against the world.
I hope you found it interesting. If you made it this far I’d really appreciate you sharing the article to help grow the pizza audience.
Thanks and pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist
Felt like I went to the expo, good writing!