Member Profiles

My pizza journey started out at 17 when I took my first job at Punxy Pizza under the ownership of Scott Anthony. In 2012, I opened a food truck in Cleveland called Sauced Wood Fired Pizza. We had such great success that I decided to open our first brick and mortar in June of 2016 in Fairview Park. I also headed to San Francisco in 2016 to attend Tony Gemignani’s International School of Pizza. I opened another location inside Scene 75 Entertainment Center called Food Truck Alley in August of 2017. I took 3rd Place at the Mid America Restaurant Expo in January 2018 in the Pizza Pizzazz Competition.

Brandon Davis is the Owner/Operator of Novella’s Pizza in New Hudson, Michigan. He has been in the restaurant business for 15 years and opened Novella’s Pizza over a year ago. He is very excited about becoming a member of the USPT because in Novella’s first year, they won the 2018 Michigan Pizza Challenge and placed 12th in Las Vegas for the 2019 International Pizza Challenge. For both of these competitions they used a pizza that is on their menu, Fig & Pig. Although Brandon wanted to win, after it sunk in for a few days, he realize 12th is great for his first year and can’t wait to return next year. Brandon learned so much for his first time that next year he will be more equipped to make a serious run at a championship. He has always been an athlete and loves competitions and competing. He is excited for the 2020 competition season and has already competed in 3 events for the 2019 season in anticipation.

My cooking career began when my husband, Bob, transplanted our family from Connecticut to Germantown, Tennessee in the summer of 1994.  When we moved here, one of the first things I did was search for the best pizza in Germantown.  Pizza was a BIG part of our weekly family dinner. Unable to find anything that resembled the awesome New Haven, CT style pizza, I began experimenting with recipes in the hope of developing the best New Haven style pizza possible.  Since the only variable for pizza is water, I began importing my water from CT for my pizza. Voila…..I had success!!

Around this time I joined a neighborhood group called “New Neighbors of Germantown”.  One day, one of my friends from that group told me she was headed to CT to visit family.  I asked her to bring me back some CT water.  She laughed and thought I was crazy, but she did bring me back the water.  As a thank you I created an amazing pizza for her, which I delivered hot out of the oven.  My friend was amazed at how great this pizza was, and asked me if I would teach the ladies in our organization how to make great tasting pizzas.  That started “Cooking Adventures in Galena’s Cucina” cooking classes in my home.  When my kitchen became too small for those interested in taking my cooking classes, I began teaching at a local cooking school, “Gift Horse”.  Unfortunately, years later that school closed.

In August of 2002, I was hired by Viking Cooking School in Memphis as a Cooking Instructor, teaching cooking classes to the home cook. It didn’t take long before I became known as the “Pizza Queen” for my amazing pies.  While teaching at Viking I applied for a cooking competition on Food Network’s show called “Ultimate Recipe Showdown”, hosted by Guy Fieri. My recipe: Crawfish & Andouille Sausage Pizza. I was fortunate enough to be one out of 10,000 home cooks chosen to participate on the show. Never did I think I would actually win! And I won big, $25,000 and $5,000 Food Network Products sold at Kohl’s. That was a life changing event.

Shortly thereafter I was approached by CBS’s affiliate WREG “Live at 9” to appear as a guest chef demonstrating my recipes. I continued to make guest appearances on “Live at 9” for over 9 years. While teaching cooking classes at Viking, I was offered a position with ACH Food Companies as a Research & Development Consulting Chef. While with ACH, I developed new products and recipes for the company showcasing ACH Food products, Spice Island, Mazola, Weber, Fleishmann’s Yeast, and Tones. With the assistance of my boss, we developed a cooking book utilizing ACH Food Products.

My pizza and dinner party donations have raised over $40,000 for local charities.

In 2018, I officially retired from the corporate business world and started my own in home pizza party business.

This past March I traveled to Las Vegas and competed at the International Pizza Expo. International Pizza Expo is the largest pizza show in the world with more than 1,300 booths and 500 exhibitors and is held annually at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The competition draws over 200 competitors from around the world. I placed 26th in my division of 60 competitors.

Since then I have become a member of the U.S. Pizza Team. The U.S. Pizza Team was founded in 2000 with the goal of bringing competition and excitement to the pizza industry.  Since its formation, the U.S. Pizza Team has participated in an international event every year, most frequently at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy.  Ranging from culinary masters to dough tossing phenoms, the Pizza Team renews the passion of those in the industry year after year.

My recipes for my several of my pizza creations will be featured in upcoming issues of PMQ Pizza Magazine, as well as appearances on PMQ Pizza TV. PMQ Pizza Magazine is the world’s authority on pizza and the No. 1 business publication for the pizza restaurant industry. With 10 issues each year, PMQ reaches the mailboxes of 40,000+ pizza pros. PMQ also has a video production department, PizzaTV. PizzaTV brings you the latest pizza news, interviews, product spotlights and more. From business tips and strategies to pizzeria profiles.

Member of U.S. Pizza Team

Recipe developer for “Cooking for a Living”, ACH Cookbook utilizing ACH Food Products
Winner of Food Networks “Ultimate Recipe Showdown”
Winner of Pizza Therapy Worldwide Pizza Recipe Contest
Frequent guest chef on CBS affiliate morning show, WREG Channel 3
Raised over $40,000 for charity by donation of dinner parties
Creator of www.foodsinthefastlane.me cooking blog & www.gailspizzaparties.com

I have been in the pizza biz for about 25 years. My wife and I are owners of Taylors’ Neighborhood Pizza & Sandwich Shoppe in Endwell, NY.

I first competed in 2012. I have competed in fastest pizza maker, largest dough stretch and now compete in culinary.

Alex Koons is the owner of Purgatory Pizza and the new Hot Tongue Pizza opening in the summer of 2021 in the Los Angeles area.

Purgatory Pizza offers an array of different and flavor recipes and styles of pizza, including Sicilian, Detroit and Vegan.

Hot Tongue Pizza sports a solid all-vegan menu with pizza, pasta, and even vegan meatballs!

A 10 year accomplished pizza artist with the ability to train and assist in opening new restaurants. Bringing the latest flair into open kitchens across the United States. Working out of his home base of Hydraulic Hearth in Buffalo New York,  Matt competed in the first Virtual U.S. Pizza Cup against 29 other competitors in 2020 and has plans on competing more with the USPT in the near future.

Combining the deliciousness of Pizzas, Burgers and Cheese Steaks under one Roof, USPT member Gene McWilliams found out the best way to have all the best parts of dining out available under one roof! With Kitchens Unlimited, McWilliams makes a one stop shop for dinner in Effingham, IL. and beyond. Working with such entities as the Food Network, No Kid Hungry and the United States Pizza Team, McWilliams and Kitchens Unlimited are representing Southern Illionois on the world pizza map.

Athanasios Drivas is a restaurant industry veteran with over 30 years of experience. Originally trained as an engineer, Athanasios couldn’t resist the pull of the family pizza business… and became a pizza engineer! He opened Nittany Pizza in 2012, inspired by the food network to offer creative pizzas and sandwiches that you typically don’t find in a small city. In particular he wanted to get on the trend of plant forward, Vegan menu offerings, projecting that it would be an area of growth going forward. At Nittany Pizza we pioneered Vegan Pizza delivery in 2012 and were only the second shop to offer Vegan Pizza in Pennsylvania. Athanasios was correct in predicting the growth of Vegan, seeing it go from 10% of our sales when we opened to 20% of sales today- despite Vegans having more options available in our area. Additionally we offer many unique sandwiches, burritos (including the world’s first Philly Steak Burrito!), wings and burgers.

Pasquale Di Maio was classically trained in his family’s pizzeria in Napoli, aka Naples, Italy. SInce then, he has been honing his craft and bringing joy to the masses with his signature dishes and pizzas.

Vesuvio’s Italian Catering & Mobile Wood-Fired Pizza is a full service caterer specializing in Italian food and mobile wood-fired pizza. Named after Monte Vesuvio, better known to English-speakers as Mount Vesuvius, the volcano whose eruption nearly 2,000 years ago destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Vesuvio’s is a fixture in the Gulf of Naples and looms especially large in the minds of the three million inhabitants in its vicinity. Similarly, Vesuvio’s Catering towers above the competition.

They are based in Hamel, Minnesota, but serve the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area and surrounding communities.

Pizzaiolo Mario Vollera turn out rustic pies, crisp-tender sourdough-style pizzas with a lot of Italian cheeses, local ingredients and seasonal products. He works hard to source the ingredients in ways that our customers could enjoy organic,fresh and delicious pies. Mario picks Vino from all over the world,offering a vibrant wine list with lots of interesting, historical, organic, exotics vinos. Our goal is to share with all of you our love for pizza,wine and people.

http://www.southendla.com/

Our job, as we see it, is to make the best darn pizza, sandwiches and salads money can buy. We make everything we possibly can from scratch, and we go out of our way to use the best stuff out there. We wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if we didn’t. We have an abnormal obsession with pizza. We’re perfectionists. We’re stubborn. We’re uncompromising. We’re probably a little unstable. Bad news for our future therapists; good news for pizza lovers everywhere.

https://www.sliceonbroadway.com/

http://www.flourhouseslo.com/

https://www.instagram.com/flourhouseslo/

I have worked in every type of shop, from mom and pops, to one of the worlds largest pizza companies. I knew my life goal very quickly was to open my own pizzeria and serve the best quality and freshest pizza we possibly can. But we aren’t here just to serve pizza…we are here to serve kindness and a loving atmosphere to any and all that walk through our doors. My partner Preston and I opened Slingin’ Pizza in 2019 and it’s been and adventure…going through Covid and the Texas freeze…then our lake being closed so no tourists, but we have come out of it fighting! That’s who we are!! That is what Slingin’ Pizza is!! We are here for you! Come join the Slingin’ Pizza Family! We look so forward to filling your belly’s for years to come!!

After making pizza for over 15 years and on both coasts of the US, I started my own Consulting firm focusing on pizzerias . I’ve made pizza for corporations and family owned restaurants in both New York and California. I still dabble part time at other pizzerias, but am focused on helping others create the best pizzas they can.

As one of the youngest members of the team, Vittoria has proven herself in competition at the 2022 Las Vegas Pizza Expo, taking top honors as a Galbani Pro Member.