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Tony Gemignani, American Pizza Champions to compete in World Pizza Championships

Pizza Maestro and 11-time world champion Tony Gemignani of Tony's Pizza Napoletana will lead The World Pizza Champions, America's No. 11 Pizza Team, to the World Pizza Championship.

April 5, 2016

Pizza Maestro and 11-time world champion Tony Gemignani of Tony's Pizza Napoletana will lead The World Pizza Champions, America's No. 1 Pizza Team, to the World Pizza Championship April 11-13  in Parma, Italy. Held each year, the World Pizza Championships determines the world's best pizza makers with more than 20 countries competing and 6,500 independent chain and franchise owners in attendance, according to a press release from Tony's Pizza Napoletana.

"We're well prepared for this year's competition and are excited to be bringing some new team members with us," Gemignani said. "They were selected from the tens of thousands of pizza operators in the industry and each one of them brings their own unique set of skills to the team's winning dynamic. We all live and breathe the team's motto: 'Respect the Craft.' "

In preparation for the upcoming competition Gemignani will further educate his team by taking them across the country to visit famed pizzerias and ingredient facilities while on the ground in Italy. Some of the site visits include the Caputo Flour Mill in Naples and 5 Stagioni Flour Mill in Padova, Napalese Mozzarella di Bufala producers, and, in Parma, Prosciutto di Parma farms and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plants, the release stated.

"The sensory experience of Italy and being mentored by masters of pizza making is something every true pizzaiolo needs to encounter," Gemignani said. "It's been a crucial building block of my career and something I'm excited to share with the team."

Gemignani will also be competing in the Championships this year in the Pizza in Pala division, a contest similar to the one he won at the Caputo Cup in Naples in 2012. During the team's travels he is picking up a few authentic ingredients for the contest such as wild boar prosciutto from San Gimignano and Grande Mozzarella cheese. He will combine these native elements with his signature tomato sauce and double-sprouted six-grain dough. Zagat "30 under 30" winner and 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star Chef, Laura Meyer, who is the head Pizzaiolo at Tony's Pizza Napoletana, will also be travelling with the team and competing at the championships in four categories.

The World Pizza Champions, America’s No. 1 Pizza Team, is comprised of founding members Tony Gemegnani, Michael Shepherd, Siler Chapman, Joe Carlucci, Ken Bryant, and Seam Brauser. The team, which includes more than 30 other members from around the globe, is built from a diverse crowd of independent pizza operators who have a passion for pizza and preserving the art of pizza making.

New team members for 2016 include John Arena from Metro Pizza in Nevada, Tony Troiano from JB Alberto’s in Illinois, Mitchell Rotolo from Rotolo’s Pizza in Louisiana, John Davey from Andolini’s Pizzeria in Oklahoma, Michael Testa from Carmines Pizza Factory in New Jersey, Spencer Glenn of Pizza My Heart in California, Scott Anthony from Punxsy Pizza in Pennsylvania, Shin Min-chul from Mr. Pizza in South Korea, Shawn Randazzo from Detroit Style Pizza Company in Michigan, and David Whisker from B.C. Pizza in Michigan.