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The proprietor of a neighborhood Northeastern Pennsylvania pizzeria has introduced residence probably the most prestigious awards within the pizza business. Tony Cerimele of Nesquehoning/Pittston is a World Pizza Champion! Tony is the proprietor of New Columbus Pizza Co in Nequehoning. The native pizzaiolo has been named the 2024 Pizza Maker of the 12 months. Cerimele competed in opposition to 50 different high opponents within the pan pizza division, and a whole lot extra from different divisions. The gifted pizzaioli got here from world wide to compete in 3 grueling rounds at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.
Pizza Expo is in its fortieth 12 months of operation and is heralded because the pizza business’s largest pizza occasion. The occasion is operated by Pizza Right now and attracts hundreds of pizza fanatics from across the globe. It’s really a world occasion that brings within the business’s finest and brightest pizza folks and most interesting services. For those who’re searching for a who’s who of the pizza business, that is the occasion to attend.
The competitors is troublesome, nevertheless it turns into much more difficult contemplating contestants should journey with their instruments and elements. En path to being a World Pizza Champion, folks like Tony Cerimele should overcome many obstacles.
Tony Cerimele’s Pizza Making Journey
Cerimele, who additionally owns native cell wood-fired pizza catering enterprise New Columbus Pizza Co. He has been making pizza for 22 years. He began making pizza in 2002 when he met his spouse, Marianne, who hails from Outdated Forge, PA “the pizza capital of the world” and is aware of a factor or two about nice pizza. Tony all the time loved Outdated Forge pizza and needed to study to make it.
He attended grasp pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani’s Worldwide Faculty of Pizza to study extra in regards to the craft. However the studying didn’t cease there. He continuously put within the work – experimenting with completely different recipes, elements, instruments, and methods.
Cerimele’s World Pizza Champion Bio:
The Cerimele household’s begin within the meals enterprise goes again to the 1950’s within the New Columbus part of Nesquehoning, PA. Presently owned & operated by Tony Cerimele & his household, it was initially began by his grandparents Michael and Mayme… later to be adopted by his Uncle Michael (Schmick), with monumental assist from his mother and father Fred and Marquerite. Though catering flourished and was initially their predominant enterprise, pizza surprisingly grew to become what the Cerimele household can be identified for. Tony’s grandmother Mayme started making pizza for his uncles, and as an alternative of consuming it, they’d take it and promote it at native fireplace halls and golf equipment. And so, it started… Pizza would then be offered each Friday and special day for the following 60 years to the current day.
Right now, the household’s recipes dwell on via Tony. He affords specialty pizza, signature household favorites, and an expanded cell wooden fired pizza catering choice. There isn’t any mistaking his gentle as air crust, secret cheese mix, and 60-year-old sauce recipe. However Tony didn’t cease there. His quest for making the very best pizza he can led him to turning into a licensed Pizzaiolo from The Worldwide Faculty of Pizza in San Francisco by pal and mentor Tony Gemignani. The end result of his onerous work and dedication to the craft garnered him a spot on The World Pizza Champions, a real spotlight of his skilled profession. The WPC staff travels the world competing in competitions, advancing the occupation to new heights, and focuses on giving again to the communities wherein they serve. (Supply: World Pizza Champions)
A Particular Sicilian Pizza
The pizza he created within the first and second rounds of competitors was a upside-down Sicilian type pie. “Upside- down” refers back to the sauce being on high of the cheese. His technique was to maintain the pizza comparatively easy and use high quality elements that he was acquainted and cozy with. Tony made his dough at residence in Pittston on Monday. Then got here the problem of carrying it with him on an airplane flight throughout the nation. He needed to convey all of his instruments and elements alongside as nicely.
Cerimele constructed the pizza along with his signature dough. He added sauce constituted of top quality tomatoes and a few mozzarella cheese that he might depend on. To chef it up a bit, he added pepperoni jam made by Lee Hunzinger. Then he added honey whipped ricotta that he’s additionally identified for. The concept was to create a brilliant gentle and crispy crust with traditional sauce and cheese flavors. Then he added some contrasting notes and textures with the jam and ricotta.
I spoke to Cosmo Salerno, proprietor of Cosmo’s Cheesesteaks in Scranton, who had the possibility to attempt considered one of Tony’s high secret take a look at pizzas. Cosmo, who’s a gifted pizziolo himself, mentioned of Tony’s take a look at pizza he tasted: “I couldn’t cease consuming it. I knew once I ate it that he can be within the working. The dough was the fluffiest and crispiest I’ve ever eaten. I fell in love with it instantly!” He went on to say that “each element was nicely thought out and there wasn’t any ingredient that overpowered the opposite. It was completely balanced.”
Judging at Pizza Expo is No Simple Job
Gregorio Fierro, who’s a Chef, Restaurant and Pizza Guide, and Licensed Grasp Pizza Teacher served as a choose at Pizza Expo this 12 months and in years previous. He takes the position very significantly and took the time to clarify simply how thorough and rigorous the judging course of is. He mentioned, “These pizzaioli put their hearts and souls into making ready these pizzas. We owe them knowledgeable and sincere evaluation.”
Many individuals don’t acknowledge every part that goes into judging a pizza. “Earlier than the judging course of started, Pizza Right now developed a code of conduct and ethics for judges and we met to debate these requirements and had been required to signal and comply with them. A few of it is not uncommon sense, however some issues like avoiding making facial expressions or discussing a pizza as a result of these issues can affect one other choose’s opinion. We work onerous to reduce these potential conflicts.”
Scores vary from 0 to 10 and are scored in hundredths of a degree increments. In addition they do blind judging within the first rounds in order that judges don’t know who made every pizza. Fierro added, “The group actually labored onerous to make it as truthful and moral of a contest as potential. I give Invoice Oakley and his staff at Pizza Right now in addition to the Worldwide Pizza Problem loads of credit score.”
Advancing to the Subsequent Spherical
Within the first spherical of judging, Tony positioned in third. Since judging could be subjective, the method is to take the highest 5 scoring pizzas and have the pizziaoli make them once more to compete in opposition to one another. The project is the make the exact same pizza that was made within the first spherical once more.
Tony executed his plan to perfection, with just a little assist from above and the Polin oven that he credit with doing a incredible job baking the pizza. Jim Henry, proprietor of Jimmyhank Pizza, additionally efficiently competed at Pizza Expo and was in attendance to look at Cerimele make his award profitable pizzas. “As quickly as I noticed Tony’s parbakes in the course of the preliminary rounds, I might inform it was going to be one thing particular. Gentle and fluffy clouds of dough, with a agency construction, the proper vessel for his wonderful pepperoni marmalade that was about to grace it. I’m so blissful for Tony, he’s one of many hardest working pizzailos I do know. Very cool to see him convey residence the {hardware} to Pennsylvania.”
On to the Finals
The winner of conventional, non-traditional, pan, neapolitan, and finest cheese slice all compete for pizza maker of the 12 months within the closing spherical. Contestants are allowed to make use of their very own dough, however have to make use of the elements within the venue’s pantry. The idea is quite a bit just like the present “Chopped” on the Meals Community. Within the pantry Tony reached for sausage and peppers as they had been toppings he was aware of.
Once more, he used his dough to make a light-weight and ethereal Sicilian crust as he did within the first 2 rounds. Tony pinched off some free Italian sausage, positioned it right into a pan and baked it into the Polin pizza oven to get some char. After the sausage was completed baking, he utilized it together with the sauce and cheese atop the pizza and continued baking. When the pizza was completed baking, he added a crumble of the key ingredient – thinly sliced recent mozzarella. He additionally drizzled honey for sweetness and brushed a few of it on the crust. I requested Tony why he brushed honey on the crust. He wasn’t fairly positive why, however he simply felt prefer it was the factor to do in that second!
The Sicilian pizza was dressed fantastically and Cerimele walked it over to the panel of 5 judges to current and describe his pizza. Whereas the judges examined the pizza intently a hush fell over the crowded conference middle. Watching the livestream on-line, the announcer John Gutenkanst may very well be heard commenting on how crunchy the crust was as he overhead a choose biting into it!
Tony Cerimele World Pizza Champion!
A hush came to visit the group and there was a palpable stress hovering over the convention because the judges rated every pizza and handed of their scoring sheets. Despite the fact that it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the winner was introduced it appeared like an eternity. Lastly the the announcement was made. Tony Cerimele was topped a World Pizza Champion and was named the Pizza Maker of the 12 months 2024!
Dedication to Bounce Again From Final to First
I spoke with Tony Gemignani, 13-time World Pizza Champion, and creator of The Pizza Bible. Referred to by many within the business as “The Pizza GOAT,” Tony G. has not solely mentored Tony C., however he is aware of first hand the highs and lows of pizza competitions.
The primary time Gemignani competed in Naples on the World Pizza Cup, he received it again in 2007. Nonetheless, within the Northern Italy division of the World Pizza Championships, it took him 17 years of dropping to lastly win within the Roman type pizza division. Gemignani continued, “I couldn’t win within the North and that’s the largest competitors there may be. I by no means gave up very very like Tony Cerimele did when he was competing. He didn’t surrender both. Tony is an inspiration to many pizza opponents that haven’t received but.”
After final 12 months’s Pizza Expo 2023 when Cerimele completed almost lifeless final in his division, he was clearly disillusioned. Gemignani was there for help. When requested in regards to the steering he supplies teammates, Tony mentioned, “I’m like a dad on the market, I like to see these guys do nicely and so they have had loads of lows. I’m there to console them and preserve them on monitor. You solely get one shot, there’s quite a bit going in opposition to you on this. So that you can step as much as the plate and hit a homerun then hit a grand slam, it’s actually onerous! Don’t be a quitter. Apply, I do know you’ll get there.”
Gemignani Noticed One thing Completely different in Cerimele
“Whenever you don’t win for just a few years and you are taking the journey to Italy or Vegas to compete and fail, you sort of wish to throw within the towel. Guys like tony many occasions find yourself quitting. Tony C caught with it, he stored going.” The 2 talked all year long after the failed run on the championship in 2023. They mentioned what type of pizza Tony C. would compete with in 2024 and a few methods he would possibly deploy. Cerimele additionally consulted with different trusted pizzaioli Anthony Berghela, Derek Sanches, Lee Hunzinger, Cosmo Salerno, John Tabone, Carmine Testa, Tony Troiano, John Gristina, and Jason Valenti for recommendation. He stored working, experimenting, testing, practising, and perfecting his pizza.
Throughout this 12 months’s competitors, Gemignani watched Cerimele and observed one thing completely different. “He was in a reasonably good zone. I observed that Tony was actually dialed in and thought that there needed to be just a little angel over his shoulder. I informed him that I believed it was his dad, and he winked again at me as he was making his pizza. He appeared much more assured and relaxed than regular.”
Try my evaluation of New Columbus Pizza Co!
A Victory With Particular That means
Just some hours after his victory, I requested Tony the way it felt. “It feels fairly good. It’s one thing I got down to do and I did it.” It’s a little bit of a narrative of a redemption and perseverance as Tony recalled his expertise from the prior 12 months’s Pizza Expo competitors. “Final 12 months, I positioned forty fifth out of 48 opponents. It didn’t work out the best way I needed it to. I made an Outdated Forge double crust pizza that didn’t go over nicely with the judges. Now this 12 months I’m again with a distinct pizza. I’ll name it the rise of the Sicilian.”
I requested Tony about what reaching the top of a pizza maker’s profession and realizing a dream means to him. His voice instantly softened, however was immediately in a position to put this all right into a significant context. Tony’s devoted the victory to his father, Zeppy, who handed a few years in the past, and his household who means a lot to him. “I felt like Zeppy was an angel on my shoulder the your complete time I used to be right here. There have been too many coincidental issues that occurred for him to not be there pulling strings and serving to issues fall into place. I’m proud to have my daughters see how onerous I labored practising and coaching for this second. They will see if you put within the work and persevere, it pays off.”
A World Pizza Champion We Can Have a good time
Laborious work, ardour for pizza, respect for the craft, dedication to bettering, and striving to attain targets are all issues that lead Tony to this lifetime achievement. He’s represented his household, his hometown of Pittston, the area of NEPA, and the state of Pennsylvania nicely. We’re actually fortunate to have such a gifted pizzaiolo elevating the bar within the pizza business domestically and on a nationwide stage. Tony Cerimele World Pizza Champion has a reasonably good ring to it!
You will discover Tony’s Outdated Forge double crust white pizza in The Pursuit of Pizza recipe ebook created by he and his fellow World Pizza Champions teammates. WPC is a non-profit basis, and all of the proceeds go to make a want basis.
Extra Information Protection of Tony Cerimele’s Pizza Championship
