Pizza Today - September 2020 - 50

"Toppings are
easy. The base
takes a lifetime."
- Domenico Crolla,
Restaurateur and
Pizza Judge

ompetitive pizza making always
brings out the best in people,
but the non-traditional category
of the International Pizza Challenge at
Pizza Expo is where both heart and soul
meld together to craft a pizza masterwork. There is no room for secondguessing because you are going up against
the best of the best. As world champion
Bruno di Fabio once said, "You've got
to go like a Viking. Show the judges the
confidence and skill that make THIS the
best pizza they'll ever eat in their lives."
I have been Master of Ceremonies
for the past several years (with pizza
champion Theo Kalageracos) and have
competed since 2003. During this time, I
have witnessed the evolution of creative
competition first-hand. And yes, I have
come in last place, fought with oven
judges, tap-danced while presenting and
even dressed as Godzilla.
It was 2004 when I watched my General Manager, Brynne Humphreys, bake
our pizza named Godzilla at the World
Pizza Championships in Salsomaggiore,
Italy. Brynne was dressed in a green
sequined dress and flowing bright green
wig. I danced next to her with my rug-like
costume of claws, paws and a 15-pound
Godzilla head as she prepared to present
the pizza to the judges. The Godzilla was
one of our most popular pizzas with slices
of roasted chicken under several rings of
spinach and goat cheese with a bullseye
of sun-dried tomato in the middle. The
crowd was on their feet yelling "Rocky,
Rocky" because our teammate, dressed as

Rocky Balboa, was presenting his pizza as
the loud soundtrack of the Rocky movie
filled the stadium. As he finished up with
the judges, it was show time.
Pizza legend "Big Dave" Ostrander
pushed me toward the judges table
because I could not see in the claustrophobic Godzilla head. Immediately, the
Blue Oyster Cult song "Go, go, Godzilla"
reverberated across the stadium and
the crowd cheered. As the song ended,
Brynne cut some slices for the judges and
Big Dave abandoned me. I made my way
awkwardly toward the crowd, fell once
as little kids cried and adults grabbed at
me for photo opportunities. From what
I could tell, Brynne nailed it - but we
would not find out for a few days that she
had won Best Pizza in the USA.
In any pizza competition, you must
read the rules...really read the rules!
If you think you have gone over the rule
guard rail, always ask because you do not
want to get disqualified. Here are the
rules for Non-Traditional.
* Taste: Crust, sauce, cheese, toppings,
overall taste and creativity.
* Visual presentation/Appearance:
Bake and Visual presentation, (pleasing
to the eye, true to flavor pairings, creative
culinary look and textures.)
Base Jumping
One of the first things you are likely
to see when your competition pizza hits
the judges table is a judge using a pen to
lift and look at the bottom crust of the
pizza for "leoparding" (dark spots.) Other
judges may check the "Bounceback" of the
cornicione (crust) by pressing their finger
into it. Domenico Crolla, Italian Master Chef and owner of Oro in Glasgow,
Scotland told me, "My favorite part of the
pizza is the taste and texture of a yeasty
crust. I also enjoy seeing pizza makers
flavor this often-neglected part of the
pizza. Some brush it with flavored oils or
sprinkle magic over the crust like toasted
coconut or sesame seeds." Chef Crolla has
also seen the emergence of different toppings once only found on California pizza

but says, "I reckon most of the winners in
recent years have won due to the mastery
of the base rather than the toppings.
Some of these crusts stand out with flavor
and texture not normally associated with
traditional pie." He continues, "Baking
skills and flavors of pretzels, croissants
and bagels are now on the pizza palate...
it's all about flavor."
Here are some newer flavor profiles
that can make anyone say "wow":
Old Italian sauces: Sicilian Passata,
Colortura di Alici, Salmoriglio, Sardinian
Sapa or wine sauce, Piedmontese Honeybee Sauce, Gremolata, Florentine Savore
Sanguino or blood sauce.
House-cured meats: Impressive cuts
like duck pastrami, chicken sausage, lamb
neck sausage, beef or wild boar bacon, and
pork lardo add a distinctive flavor to any
pizza.
House-milled grains: Spelt, Kernza,
Einkorn, Emmer, Kamut, Buckwheat,
Amaranth, Millet, or even Grano Arso,
the burnt wheat from Puglia or charcoal
infused blends are impressive.
Obscure cheeses: Bitto Storico from
Lombardy, Vacca Rosa Parmigiano
Reggiano, Caciocavallo di Cimina from
Calabria, house-made Ligurian-style
Prescinseua, Telleggio from Veneto, and
even local, U.S. cheeses are abundant.
Greens: Baby kale, purslane, New
Zealand spinach, bolted arugula, chive
flowers, bulls blood, and other microgreens all add a zip to your pie as well as
add eye appeal.
Hall of Flame
Here are a few non-traditional competition pizzas that stood out for me in the
past four years:
Audrey Kelly from Audrey Jane's Pizza
in Boulder, Colorado, made The Green
Mountain Vegetarian Pie with piles of
spinach, ricotta, garlic, Castelvetrano
olives, basil and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.
Simon Best from Mooloolaba, Australia, with squid ink-infused dough, ocean
trout sashimi, red onions, avocado-wasabi
mayo and panko for crunch.

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Pizza Today - September 2020

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