For Immediate Release Media Contact
April 5th, 2013 Brian Hernandez
U.S. Pizza Team Director
662-234-5481 x129
U.S. Pizza Team Headed to Italy for the World Pizza Championships
April 15-17, 2013, Parma, Italy
PARMA, ITALY- The U.S. Pizza Team will be heading to Parma, the aptly dubbed food valley of Italy, to compete in the 22nd World Pizza Championship, organized by the Italian pizza magazine Pizza e Pasta and 5 Stagioni.
The World Pizza Championships will take place in the Palacassa of Parma Exhibition Center this year. The biggest event in the world of pizza, the competition attracts pizzaioli, chefs and pizzathletes from around the world with a presence of more than 600 competitors from over 30 countries. With culinary categories from traditional, pan, Napolitano and even gluten free, as well as acrobatic events including individual freestyle, fastest and largest pizza makers, this truly is the pizza world’s premiere event.
The U.S. Pizza Team consists of expert pizza chefs and dough-spinning acrobatic performers from pizza restaurants across the U.S. The squad won the Team Acrobatics World Championship in Salsomaggiore, Italy, in 2011. With a squad of relatively new faces and some seasoned veterans, they hope to take gold in a variety of categories across the culinary and acrobatic boards. This year our U.S. Pizza Team consists of:
- Bradley Corbin – Sloopy’s Sports Café, Lakeside, OH – Culinary
- Matthew Mangan – Sloopy’s Sports Café, Lakeside, OH – Culinary
- Leonardo Giordano – Mona Lisa’s Ristorante E Pizzeria, Staten Island, NY – Culinary
- Dave Sommers, Mad Mushroom, West Lafayette, IN – Acrobatics
- Patrick Maggi – Pasquale’s Deli and Pizzeria, Damascus, MD – Culinary
- Wilhelm Rodriguez – Papa’s Pizza, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico – Acrobatics/Culinary
- Bradley Johnson – Mellow Mushroom, Chattanooga, TN – Acrobatics
- Greg Spaulding – Puccini’s Smiling Teeth, Lexington, KY – Culinary
- Frank Baird – Franco’s Pizza, Chardon, OH – Culinary
-more-
The competitions will streamed live from Parma daily April 15-17 at USPizzaTeam.com and PMQ.com/live with events beginning around 4 am EST and lasting until around 11 am EST. For more information about competitors or the competition, contact Brian Hernandez at brian@pmq.com or 317-460-8510.
About the World Pizza Championships: In its 22nd season, the 3 day competition begins at 10 am daily (Italy time, +7 hours). Monday April 15th begins with classica, pan, gluten free and the drawing for acrobatics. Tue the 16th will continue with Pizza for Two and drawings for acrobatics. Wed. the 17th will finish the remaining acrobatics and begin the team freestyle events. https://www.worldpizzachampionship.com
