Big finishes. Big pride. Big week in Parma. The U.S. Pizza Team went to Parma, Italy, and did what good teams are supposed to do on the world stage: compete hard, represent well and make sure that United States pizza gets the international attention it deserves. At the 2026 Campionato
USPT members fire up their ovens to feed communities nationwide. When Pizza Across America returned this February, members of PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team once again demonstrated that the spirit of the pizza industry extends far beyond competitions and conference stages. Across the country, USPT members joined hundreds of independent pizzerias
From dough prep to podium moments, this gallery captures PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team competing on the world stage in Rimini, Italy, alongside hundreds of international competitors. Scroll for highlights from the full crew, including Sean Dempsey’s Dessert gold, Giovanni Labbate’s Pizza & Beer pairing podium finish, and the behind-the-scenes moments
Sean Dempsey wins Dessert Gold as Giovanni Labbate Pizza & Beer Pairing lands Him on the podium Some trips are vacations. This one was more like the training montage from Rocky, except the soundtrack is oven fans, the stakes are international (like Rocky IV!), and the funky gym odors are replaced
Three Days of Dough, Destiny, and Galbani Greatness in Orlando By Brian Hernandez, USPT Dir., PMQ Assoc. Editor There is a particular magic to Italian food culture. The kind that makes grown adults tear up over a wheel of Parmigiano cracked open like buried treasure. The kind that turns mozzarella
