June 12th, 2007

American Pizza Maker Shocks and Out-Bakes Italians, Takes World Cup in Naples

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif.—Tony Gemignani accomplished what no American—any non-Italian—ever has by taking first place in the Trofeo Citta di Napoli (City of Naples Trophy)/World Pizza Cup, a championship for the globe’s best pizza makers and pizza acrobats held in Naples, Italy, June 12-13. The TCN represents the baking portion of the contest, while the WPC represents the acrobatic half.

The two-year-old event drew nearly 50 contestants from around the world to bake multiple styles of pizza the old-fashioned way—the truly Italian, Neapolitan way.

Steeped in the traditional, highly technical aspects of their country’s pizza making, Italians have historically dominated the TCN and other major contests, making Gemignani’s unprecedented win a complete surprise.

“Winning this just blew me away; it was a bit surreal,” said Gemignani, co-owner of Pyzano’s Pizzeria in Castro Valley. Gemignani, an eight-time world champion pizza acrobat, had never won a baking championship in Italy. “Winning in Naples is something I’ve always wanted to do because I have so much respect for the Neapolitans. They know what pizza is really supposed to taste like and how to make it the way it’s been made there for hundreds of years. This is not the kind of pizza you see every day in the U.S.”

The making of true Neapolitan pizza is a craft tightly governed by the Verace Pizzaioli Napoletani (translated “makers of true Neapolitan pizza), an oversight group which inspects and approves Neapolitan pizzerias claiming to serve the legendary paper-thin-crusted pizza. Strict guidelines include not only the use of specific types of flour and tomatoes, but ensure each pizza is hand-formed to a width of 13 inches and baked in a wood-fired oven at 900 F.

Gemignani travel to Italy two years ago to learn the VPN standard then built a wood-fired oven in his backyard to practice the craft.

“Over the last year I went hardcore making hundreds of pizzas just trying to get it right, just trying to master what they do,” said Gemignani, who has to import every ingredient for the VPN process. The job of tasting many of the pies fell to his wife, Julie, who has traveled throughout Italy with her husband. “Since a lot of people here don’t understand the VPN method, it’s hard to get some true insight into whether what I was baking was right or not.”

TCN/WPC’s co-organizers, Ernesto Cacialli (president of Margherita Regina, an association promoting true Neapolitan pizza) and Claudio Ospite (vice president of Margherita Regina) said they were impressed by Gemignani’s and that the 33-year-old pizza maker’s triumph earned the respect of many Italian masters.

TCN/WPC promoter Nancy Puglisi helped the event become an international contest by drawing pizza makers from around the world, including Fran Carroll of Ireland and Hisanori Yamamoto from Japan.

“In a short period of time, this event has only become not only one that truly represents what Italian pizza is all about, it’s become a showcase for the talents of some of the world’s best pizza makers,” Puglisi said. “The Italians acknowledged that what Tony has done is something remarkable. They didn’t expect him to win, but he really earned their respect because of it.”

Gemignani called his victory “a huge credibility boost for American pizza makers” because it proves to Italians that not every American pie is thick and chewy. It also reflects a growing number of U.S. pizza makers’ interest in practicing this Old World craft.

The win also ensures Pyzano’s move to a new pizzeria that will include a wood-fired oven in which Gemignani will bake his now world’s-best Neapolitan pizza.

“We’ll still do pizzas the way Pyzano’s has always done them,” said Gemignani, who shares ownership with his brother, Frank. “But what we’re planning to do is have the wood-fired oven running three nights a week, and that’s when I’ll come in and do Neapolitan-style pizzas. That’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Quick Facts:

• Verasce Pizzeria Napoletana is a designation given to pizzerias only in Naples and only to those pizza makers following its strict standards.
• All VPN pizzas must be made from Italian ingredients, include “00” flour to form a dough using naturally occurring yeast. It must be topped with San Marzano tomatoes, Italian olive oil and sea salt, and fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella cheeses.
• VPN pizzas must be hand-formed and baked in a wood-fired oven. The average temperature is 900 F, which cooks the pizza in about 90 seconds.
• The World Pizza Cup is a 2-year-old event, held annually in Naples, Italy. Some four dozen contestants from around the world participate annually in the challenge.

 

Michael Shepherd on 6.12.07 @ 10:00 AM EST

return to news main page