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.

Cerimele was among the Top 5 competitors of 50 in the Pan Division to advance from the preliminaries on Tuesday, March 19. He continued to take the Pan Division Title in the Pan Finals on Thursday, March 21. Styles that fall into this category include, but are not limited to Roman, Chicago, Detroit, Grandma, Ohio Valley, Old Forge and Sicilian.

Winners of each division’s final — Cheese Slice, Traditional, Non-Traditional, Pan and Neapolitan — advanced to the Pizza Maker of the Year competition on Thursday.

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 A Quick Q&A with Pizza Maker of the Year Tony Cerimele

We reached out Tony Cerimele to get first impressions after winning the World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at International Pizza Challenge at last week’s Pizza Expo. Find out about the his competition experience and his winning pizzas. Read this quick Q&A with Tony Cerimele:

What does it mean for you to receive recognition as the Pizza Maker of the Year?

I think the biggest thing for me is that fact that I accomplished something I set out to do a long time ago.  I first started competing in 2017.  Since the beginning it has been a rollercoaster.  Looking at it now I am most happy to bring these awards back to my hometown of Nesquehoning, PA, and all of Northeastern Pennsylvania.  We have some incredible pizza in our area and I am just happy to be a part of the community.  I think the most import thing for me after winning is the fact that my daughters witnessed firsthand that hard work and determination really do pay off in the end.  They saw all the reps, all the trials and tribulations with this pizza, and to get this outcome was the greatest example I could give them to keep pushing forward to achieve what you dream off.

Tell us about your winning pizzas. What made your pizzas stand out?

Photo courtesy of Tony Cerimele

Both of my pizzas were made on the same Sicilian crust.  I formulated the dough to be light and airy through the 3-day process it takes.  The pizza that won the pan division was an upside-down Sicilian pie with whole milk mozzarella and sauce on top.  The sauce was simply crushed tomatoes with salt, pepper, and basil.  Post bake I finished it with a whipped ricotta, basil and Grana Padano.  What put this pizza over the top in my opinion was the pepperoni jam made by Lee Hunzinger. It is amazing.

The second pizza was stressful to say the least.  Using the same dough and only the ingredients provided, I paused in my mind for a minute and prayed to my father to put an idea in my head.  I literally focused on the red onions and bell peppers, once I saw the sausage in the fridge it hit me, make a crumbled sausage and pepper pizza.  So, I prepared the toppings like I would if I was going to be eating a sausage and pepper sub, then constructed the pizza in layers.  Finishing it with EVOO, basil, ricotta, and torn fresh mozzarella.

What was the competition like this year?

The competition was awesome.  So many people from around the world, it was incredible.  There was so much energy in that area it was palpable the entire Expo.  I also thought it was great having the finals round for each division.  Mike LaMarca, Jeremy Galvin, and their entire team do such an amazing job organizing