Pizza Today pulls together the hottest news coming out of the World’s Largest Pizza Show for pizzeria owners, operators and the pizza industry
To keep everyone up to date on all the news and conversation surrounding Pizza Expo 2024, Pizza Today has compiled this definitive hub for the topic. Pizza Expo 2024 has concluded as the biggest best show yet. We will continue to bring you coverage from the Las Vegas Convention Center during the pizza show with updates, pizza competition results and more.
Bookmark this page to stay connected with all the updates, happenings and competition results from Pizza Expo 2024. Thank you for an amazing show. See you at Pizza Expo 2025 on March 25-27, 2025.
Deborah St. Clair from Carota’s Pizza in Augusta, Ky. won a Hobart® Legacy+® HL662 pizza dough mixer at the International Pizza Expo. Photo Courtesy of Hobart
Deborah St. Clair, Carota’s Pizza in Augusta, Ky. wins a Hobart® Legacy+® HL662 pizza dough mixer at the International Pizza Expo
Hobart, the premium commercial food equipment manufacturer known for designing and building some of the most reliable, must-have equipment, has announced Deborah St. Clair from Carota’s Pizza in Augusta, Ky. as the winner of its annual custom-designed mixer giveaway. The giveaway was held at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in March.
Official International Pizza Challenge 2024 Best Pizza Winners are…
We have the official news pulled together in one post for all of the winners of the world’s best pizza in Pan, Non-Traditional, Traditional, Neapolitan, Cheese Slice and Partner Competitions at the International Pizza Challenge. Explore the pizzerias with this year’s winning pizza makers and links to learn more about them.
Go to the Official International Pizza Challenge 2024 Best Pizza Winners.
Tony Cerimele wins World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at Pizza Expo’s International Pizza Challenge
Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo (March 19-21) in Las Vegas. After capturing the first-place finish in the Pan Division, Tony went on to win the Finals to be named World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year.
Find out more details and read a Q&A with Tony Cerimele.
Pizza Expo/Pizza Today Team host PizzaCon launch event at Pizza Expo
On Wednesday, the Pizza Expo/Pizza Today team donned PizzaCon shirts to showcase our next big event PizzaCon, taking place on November 7, 2024 at The Fillmore in Philadelphia. Attendees posed in The Fillmore PizzaCon set at the Pizza Today booth and scanned a QR code around the venue to sign up to receive updates and be included to win 2 free tickets to Pizza Expo 2025. A ribbon cutting event also took place at the entrance to the exhibit hall.
PizzaCon will allow you to experience hands-on curated experiences and demonstrations with suppliers in the top product categories for pizzerias like dough, sauce, cheese, technology and equipment. This is an exclusive event that we expect to be sold out. Registration will open in June.
Why attend? PizzaCon will be a very different experience to Pizza Expo; it’s hands-on, curated, and experiential and will be in a fun new environment. It’s ideal for pizzeria buyers in the Northeast region.
International Pizza Challenge Finals Scoreboards are now up!
See the scoresheets for the Finals in the Traditional, Non-Traditional, Neapolitan/STG, Pan, World’s Best Cheese Slice, Pizza Maker of the Year and Best of the Best.
Go to our International Pizza Challenge 2024 — Daily Results page.
International Italian Sandwich Competition Results are in!
Congratulations to Fabio Cassela on winning the International Italian Sandwich Competition. Second Place goes to Deserai Satulc. The Third Place winner is Greg Bird.
Here is the full scoresheet:
Learn more about the International Italian Sandwich Competition.
Champions have been crowned in International Pizza Challenge
Stay tuned for all the official International Pizza Challenge final details. Please be patient as we travel back to our homes. For now. let’s highlight the division winners. Congratulations to the following champions in the International Pizza Challenge:
- Traditional
Sergio Balderas, Truly Pizza, Dana Point, California - Non-Traditional
Alex White, Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas, Nevada - Neapolitan
Vincent Santoro, Song e Napule, New York, New York - Pan
Tony Cerimele, New Columbus Pizza Co., Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania - World’s Best Cheese Slice
Tan Tuong (Andy) Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - Best of the Best (Publicly Judged)
Joe Carlucci, Valentino’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, Alabama - Pizza Maker of the Year (Publicly Judged)
Tony Cerimele, New Columbus Pizza Co., Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania
Final scoresheets are up on the International Pizza Challenge 2024 — Daily Results page. .
World Pizza Games 2024 Results are in!
Preliminary results are in for the World Pizza Games. The best pizzaiolo has been crowned in each division of the five divisions – Freestyle Acrobatic Dough Tossing, Fastest Dough, Largest Dough Stretch, Fastest Pizza Box Folding, & Pizza Triathlon! Top 3 Finals winners in each division medal. First-place finishers receive $1,000. See who took home top honors.
Go to the World Pizza Games results.
Ooni Traditional Division Preliminary Results
Congratulations to everyone in the Ooni Traditional Division. Here are the Top 3:
- Ryan Thompson
- Jeff Taylor
- Matt Hickey
Here are the full scoresheets:
Ooni Pan Division Preliminary Results
Congratulations to everyone in the Ooni Pan Division. Here are the Top 3:
- Eidref Laxal
- Ryan Ososky
- Srdian Jelcic
Here are the full scoresheets:
Daiya Vegan Division Preliminary Results
Congratulations to everyone in the Daiya Vegan Division. Here are the Top 3:
- Leonardo Zoppetti
- Ali Afshar
- Soyeon Chewning
Here are the full scoresheets:
Non-Traditional Division Preliminary Results
Congrats to Top 5 Competitors in the Non-Traditional Division who will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:
- Michael Vakneen
- Alex White
- Deserai Satullo
- Andrew Scudera
- Mckenzie Sanvido
Pizza Napoletana Division Preliminary Results
Congratulations to the Top 5 Competitors in the Pizza Napoletana Division who will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:
- Luca De Marinis
- Vincenzo Capuano
- James Terwilliger
- Cesare Di lorio
- Vincenzo Santoro
See full scoresheets for the Pizza Napoletana Division.
Pizza Expo Day 2 Recap
The Energy Continues
Day 2 at Pizza Expo kicked off with a moving Keynote Address “Collaboration and Long-Term Sustainability” with John Farrell Co-Founder and Jacque Farrell, Co-Founder and CEO at Farrelli’s Pizza in Tacoma, Washington. Let’s listen in:
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Optimizing the pizza business for success was paramount today with education sessions like Systems for Strategic Growth, Creating Multiple Revenue Streams, Increasing Your Profit Margins and Retaining Employees in Today’s Market.
The show floor was filled with eager pizzeria operators looking products, equipment, services and tech and building relationship with venders in thee exhibit hall.
Demos and workshops on the show floor brought the education to the Exhibition Hall. Making Dough & Pizza with Tony Gemignani, Chicago Tavern with Tony Gemignani and Tony Troiano, Hands-on Dough Session with Laura Meyer.
We had a first at the Pizza Today booth. Michael Sullivan proposed to Gabby Arevalo in the Pizza Today booth at the show. The couple worked together had their first kiss at a Pizza & Pasta Northeast Expo in Atlantic City over a year ago. The couple work at Spaceship Pizza in Ronkonkoma, New York.
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International Pizza Challenge saw a huge number of competitors, over 260, vying for best pie in the Non-Traditional, Neapolitan, Ooni Traditional & Pan, and Daiya Vegan Divisions. Preliminary Results on the Top 5 competitors who will advance to Thursdays finals coming soon this evening. Check here for those results.
World Pizza Games Finals are happening now! A live stream is available.
Traditional Division Regional Winners are in!
In addition to the Top 5, the Traditional Division also recognizes regional winners. Congrats to the following competitors who placed in their region:
Southwest
- Sergio Balderas
- Matt Hutchinson
- Alastair Hannmann
Northwest
- Bill Crawford
- Josh Hillman
- Drew Balstad
Midwest
- Carmela Cataldo
- Ali Afshar
- Nino Del Greco
Southeast
- Andy Brown
- Dustin Finnegan
- Teo Tomasi
Northeast
- Anthony Berghela
- Michael Testa
- Perry Bogacz
International
- Gianluca Piersanti
- Alessio Cataldo
- Fiodar Huminski
Check out more Preliminary Results.
CMAB Pro Division Preliminary Results
Top 5 Competitors in the CMAB Pro Preliminary Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:
- Chef Apisit Jitprasong
- Chef Shi (Kevin) Zhao
- Paramet Saisutth
- Chef Sakamoto
- Chef Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang
See the full CMAB Pro Preliminary Division scoresheet.
Pan Division Preliminary Results
Congrats to the Top 5 Competitors in the Pan Division who will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:
- Charlie Webb
- Jeff Miner
- Tony Cerimele
- Craig Capano
- Rov Bass
World’s Best Cheese Slice Division Preliminary Results
Top 5 Competitors in the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:
- Rico Lunardi
- Anthony DeSousa
- Vicky Ixcot
- Andy Huynh
- Lorenzo Hernandez
Check out the full World’s Best Cheese Slice Scoresheet.
Traditional Division Preliminary Results are in!
We have preliminary results for the Traditional Division at the International Pizza Challenge. Congratulations to the Top 5 Competitors in the Traditional Divisions who will advance to the Thursday Finals. They are:
- Sergio Balderas
- Anthony Berghela
- Gianluca Piersanti
- Alessio Cataldo
- Matt Hutchinson
Check out the Traditional Scoresheet.
Pizza Expo Day 1 Recap — The Excitement was Electric!
We kicked off our 40th Pizza Expo with inspiration, joy and tears as Keynote Speaker John Arena uplifted and moved a filled hall pizzeria operators and pizza pros. He received a beautiful standing ovation as he took the stage. Let’s listen in on a touch of his address.
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After the keynote address, pizzeria operators and professionals took to the seminar hall for education sessions devoted to making their businesses better. Pizza People packed sessions on Pizza Crust Bootcamp, Building a Great Relationship with Vendors, Negotiating Basics, Pizza By the Slice 101, A Pizzeria’s Guide to Social Media, A Look at Futuristic Pizzeria Tech and more.
The anticipation and crowd gathered as the doors to the 40th Anniversary Pizza Expo opened and attendees filed into a sold out exhibit hall. Some key insights we found at Day 1 on the show floor: innovation, creative and new ingredients and an infusion of high-tech solutions attainable to the small business operator. Crowds of attendees also packed the demonstration area and competition areas with the World Pizza Games and the International Pizza Challenge.
We finished the day with camaraderie and cheers at our annual Beer & Bull Idea Exchange to one huge Day 1 at Pizza Expo.
International Pizza Challenge Preliminary Results on the Top 5 competitors who will advance to Thursdays finals coming soon this evening. Check here for those results. Regional Traditional Winners will be announced first thing in the morning.
Education Jumpstarts Pizza Expo 2024
Sunday and Monday at International Pizza Expo is devoted to education. Sunday afternoon is focused on deep-dive paid workshops with topics such as The Million-dollar Pizzeria, Your Brand and Marketing Strategy, and What to do Before You Raise Prices. Workshops continue Monday morning with Mastering Profitability, Launching and Thriving with a Mobile Pizzeria, Using Processes to Propel Your Pizzeria to New Heights. Find out more about workshops.
Pizzeria Operators will flock to the education halls Monday (starting at 12:30 p.m.) as the early arriving attendees and new operator sessions run all afternoon.
- 12:30 pm State of the Slice: A Look at Slice Shop Trends with Scott Wiener, Founder, Speaker, Scott’s Pizza Tours & Slice Out Hunger
- 1:30 pm Building Your Business Through Partnerships with Mark Lacz, Managing Partner, TyMark Restaurant Group, Tyler Carlson, Managing Partner, TyMark Restaurant Group
- 1:45 pm How to Sell Your Pizzeria for Top Dollar with Scott Sandler, Owner-Operator, Speaker, Pizza Via
- 2:45 pm How I Baked My Way Into the Pizza Industry with Andrew Butler, Speaker
- 3:00 pm Panel Discussion: Growing Pains with Tony Gemignani, Slice House by Tony Gemignani, Jeff Smokevitch, Co-Founder & Co-Owner, Blue Pan Pizza, Lars Smith, Chef/Co-Owner, State of Mind
- 4:00 pm Developing & Living Your Vision with Mike Bausch, Owner, Speaker, Andolini’s Pizzeria
- 4:15 pm Exit Strategies for Retirement with Scott Anthony, Owner-Operator, Speaker, Punxsy Pizza
Monday events end with a New Operator Happy Hour at 5 pm giving operators a chance to meet and mingle with fellow pizza pros.
For a schedule of education, download the Pizza Expo Mobile App or visit PizzaExpo.com.
Last Minute Tips to Prepare You for Pizza Expo
The Pizza Expo and Pizza Today team has put this trusty checklist together to help you make sure that you’re prepared for Pizza Expo and ready to make the most of your time at the show:
- Double check your travel details including Show Registration including Workshop or Competitions; Hotel; Flights and Other Reservations you’ve made in Las Vegas
- Check the Las Vegas weather. Make packing easy by knowing what to expect.
- Download the official #PizzaExpo app to connect with other attendees and suppliers, better plan your time at the show and get access to excusive giveaway opportunities. Get it here.
- Create your must-see list of exhibitors and education sessions you don’t want to miss.
- Have a mission. What do you want to get out of the show? What business needs to transpire? What areas do you need to learn?
- Dress to impress – wear your finest pizza-themed attire and enter the Supremely Dressed competition for a chance to win $500!
- Bring an empty water vessel – Outside food and beverages are not allowed on the show floor, but you can bring and empty water bottle and fill it up at the available water stations to help quench your thirst!
- Wear comfortable shoes – the show floor spans over 120,000 square feet (that’s more than 2 football fields) so make sure you to bring your walking shoes! In fact, wear comfortable clothes and layers if needed. With all the food tasting on the show floor, elastic or comfort waistbands are a good option.
- Plan your travel – There will be no shuttle service to the venue this year, so make a plan to walk, drive, or rideshare.
- Bring your confirmation email with you to the registration desk to print your badge. Insider Tip: Skip the line on day one by picking up your badge early during registration hours.
Find more tips to a successful show.
The Hot Slice Podcast to interview Pizza Pros at Pizza Expo
The Hot Slice Podcast to interview Pizza Pros at Pizza ExpoWe’re bringing The Hot Slice Podcast back to Pizza Expo. Go to the Pizza Today/40th Anniversary Lounge Booth #1007 and let us know you want to be on the podcast. Share your story with us. Interviews will take 5-10 minutes.
Listen to The Hot Slice Podcast.
Don’t Forget to Pack your Best Pizza Outfit
Dressed to impress at Pizza Expo 2024 means donning your best pizza outfit! Enter for a chance to win the title “Most Supremely Dressed” and $500! Plan your most supreme pizza-themed outfit – pizza shoes, suits, hats, backpacks, nails, everything is fair game! At the show, show off your style by taking a photo at one of the Pizza Expo branded installations! Post your selfie to Instagram or Facebook, tag @PizzaExpo, and use hashtag #SupremelyDressed.
Learn more about Supremely Dressed at Pizza Expo.
Networking Tips for Pizza Expo
Networking is a key component of attending International Pizza Expo. Whether you are an industry veteran or a new operator, networking will be highlight of Pizza Expo. Explore ways to network at the world’s largest pizza show. Here are a few networking tips for Pizza Expo:
- Don’t wait until you hit the show floor to start conversations. Pizza Expo attendees and exhibitors will be everywhere — on your plane, at the airport and in your hotels. Engage with people outside of the convention center.
- Monday provides the perfect opportunity to talk one-on-one with other attendees and speakers before the rush of the show floor opening Tuesday. Make the most of that time.
- Go to the New Operator/Early Arriving Attendees Reception on Monday and Beer and Bull Idea Exchange Tuesday. Everyone there is ready to meet and mingle.
- Get to the Keynotes early and sit by someone you have never met before and start a conversation. It may just be the best contact you make at the show.
Get 10 Networking Tips for Pizza Expo.
Listen to a Sneak Peek from Opening Keynote John Arena
This week on The Hot Slice Podcast Jeremy sits down for a one-on-one interview with pizza legend John Arena. The co-founder of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas will deliver the opening day keynote address at the 40th Pizza Expo later this month.
During the discussion, John touches on his feelings about tinkering with dough formulas and pushing the industry forward through trial and error. He teases his keynote (“from Me to We,” he says) and even talks about his favorite style of pizza to eat (hint, he grew up on it), as well as his favorite style of pizza to make.
Listen to Episode 195. Pizza Legend John Arena, the One & Only.
Just Announced: Block Party Live Stream
A highlight of Pizza Expo is The Pizza Games Finals & Block Party. Wednesday, March 20. And if you are not attending the show you can still tune in on our Live Stream, Wednesday, March 20, at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET.
Pizza Expo throws its annual thank-you Block Party for the pizzeria industry. It is our annual celebration for all pizza industry attendees and exhibitors. The party features music, games and contests, food and beverage booths, and the ever-popular finals of the Freestyle Acrobatic Dough-Tossing event from the World Pizza Games.
Go to the Block Party Live Stream.
What goes into Judging the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo?
We are going behind the judges’ curtain at this year’s International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Jeremy and Denise get the inside scoop on IPC judging from longtime judges Hassi Sadri, Scott Wiener and Scott Anthony. Our three esteemed guests outline new initiatives to aid in transparency and training the 50 judges who will evaluate entries to help them be on the same page and make sure that every pizza is judged fairly and consistently. Find out what’s changed this year and get competition tips straight from the judges.
Pizza Expo 2024 Preview — 40 Years of Community
The pizza industry is different than most. There is a strong bond, a sense of community and a helping spirit. It wasn’t always that way. What changed the industry was the first International Pizza Expo in 1984. Today, the pizza industry is a realization of the vision of the inaugural Pizza Expo.
Pizza Expo 2024, commencing at the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 19-21, is expected to be biggest and best Pizza Expo yet. Attendees and exhibitors can expect fanfare and celebration of our four decades.
Read our Pizza Expo 2024 Preview.
Get a Pizza Expo Preview on The Hot Slice Podcast
The 40th Pizza Expo is less than one month away. Jeremy, Josh and Denise dedicate this episode to all things Pizza Expo. From the show floor, competitions and demos to seminars and special events, there’s so much to look forward to this year.
Pizza Expo 2024 Mobile App NOW AVAILABLE
The Official Pizza Expo show mobile app is available for download now. Take time now to browse and use some of Pizza Expo app’s exciting features: Search for Exhibitors, tag your favorites and map booth location; use the Floor Plan to locate your favorite booths on the show floor; get a complete schedule of Pizza Expo events; explore the Education Program, tag your favorites and more.
Check back to this Pizza Expo 2024 Hub often before, during and after Pizza Expo 2024 to get all the news surrounding the World’s Biggest Pizza Show. Don’t forget to bookmark this page.
