Red Door Cucina chef Giovanni Campisi was named Pizza Chef of the Year East, taking home top prize at a Canadian Pizza Magazine competition.
Canadian Pizza Summit East returned to the live event stage as a showcase for 20 talented, creative Canadian pizza chefs.
Chef Giovanni Campisi won with his Octopus Pinza (Il profumo del mare) featuring octopus carpaccio, micro rocket, buffalo burrata, cherry tomatoes, grated lemon peel with oil and lemon salt and garlic.
The fluffy, colourful pizza was made using a biga with hydration of 80 per cent leavened for 36 hours.
Second-place honours went to Salar Madadi, owner of Maipai in Hamilton, Ont. Madadi tickled the taste buds of judges with his playful Pumpkin Spice Not a Latte. The Detroit-style pizza featured slow-roasted pumpkin puree seasoned with sage brown butter and maple syrup, crumbled goat cheese and smoked pineapple.
Jeremy Paone, co-owner of The Lock Wood Fired Oven Pizza in Port Colborne, Ont., placed third with Nonna’s Favourite featuring his nonna’s homemade meatballs, sauteed onions, cup and char pepperoni, goat cheese, arugula and hot honey.
Chefs baked their pizzas in one of four Moretti Forni ovens supplied by Faema Canada: the CEKY gas-fired oven, the Moretti Forni gas deck, the S Series electric deck and the Neapolis.
With the top-chef win in Toronto, Campisi will now head to an international competition in Las Vegas in March.
Five dedicated judges had their hands full evaluating 20 creative signature pizzas: Diana Cline, Tom Stankiewicz, Giorgio Taverniti, Frank Mazzuca (morning) and Rocco Agostino (afternoon).
Earlier this year, Luca Colasanti of Mordimi Bite of Italy in Vancouver was crowned the first Canadian Pizza Chef of the Year West. Colasanti’s winning pizza, Fighissima, won over judges at the first Canadian Pizza Summit West, held June 6 at Snow Cap Enterprises in Burnaby.
