This week, the second annual United States edition of the Caputo Cup Pizza Competition arrived in New York City, seeking to crown a champion dough slinger in the American city with unquestionably the best pizza. For 14 years, Italy’s most prestigious pizza contest had been held in Naples. This time, master pizza chefs from around the world came together for a two-day pizza extravaganza at Neapolitan Express Studio in Harlem, which began with a giant pizza summit—a smorgasbord of “pizza-centric programming”, according to organizers—on Monday, and ended with the pizza-making competition on Tuesday. Over 100 chefs competed for first place in one or both categories: best Neapolitan and best New York style pizza.
Contestants cooked their pizzas live in front of a small audience and three esteemed food critics. Each competitor came equipped with his/her own pre-made dough to knead, toss, sauce, cheese, and oil up while the entire audience looked on, salivating. After the judges got their tastes, audience members (myself included) politely swarmed the area for morsels of airy, cheesy goodness.
Two massive blank $1,000 checks were propped up above each of the two pizza ovens, where they dangled like carrots, urging on the competitors. The top prize for two cheesy-pizza-champions included entry to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, a pallet of fancy Caputo pizza flour, and as event organizer Carlo Orlando put it, “bragging rights”.
Regardless of the potential dough at hand, every pizza connoisseur I spoke with seemed less concerned with winning and more interested in connecting with other passionate pros in attendance. According to Joe Fugere—a Seattle-based pizzeria owner whose resume includes having once cooked 30 custom pies for President Barack Obama and delivering them directly to Air Force One—“Italian culture brings more collaboration than competition.” He also shared with me Obama’s preferred style of pizza: "extra spicy."
Every single slice looked delicious to the untrained eye, but if listening closely, one could hear the wiser whispers of pizza prophets critiquing the nuances of each pie, mainly the consistency of the dough. Ultimately, Jesus Solis from Forcella in Brooklyn took home top honors in Neapolitan, while, surprisingly, Norma Knepp of Norma's Pizza in Manheim, PA won first place in New York style. Yes, a pizza from Pennsylvania had more New York style than the pizza made by NYC pizzaoilos. We demand a recount.
