This is “Small Bites,” a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene — because we know that sometimes you just don’t have room for a long article. You want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy!
WHAT: Three South Florida pizzerias won big in Las Vegas.
But they didn’t do any betting. They hit the jackpot by baking pizzas … better than a lot of other pizza-makers from around the world.
The International Pizza Expo & Conference, which took place in Las Vegas from March 22-26, crowned the following SoFlo first-place winners:
• Loris Mele, of Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana (multiple locations including in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami) — True Neapolitan Pizza subdivision category (or what they call Verace Pizza Napoletana).
• Loredana Passariello, of La Leggenda Pizzeria (Miami Beach) — Neapolitan (Overall)
• Carmine Candito, of ‘O Munaciello (Miami and soon-to-be West Palm Beach) — “Best of the Best” in the International Pizza Challenge; this is open only to pizzaioli who have previously won Pizza Maker of the Year.
Bill Oakley, group show director for both the expo and the industry magazine Pizza Today, said having a triumphant triumvirate from the same region is rare.
“Yes, it’s a little unusual for a state to have three winners, particularly if you take into consideration that the International Pizza Challenge is the largest international pizza-making competition in the world,” he said. “Not to mention that Alejandro Burgaleta from The Pizza Point Miami was the second-place finisher in the Daiya Dairy-Free Traditional Division.”
WHAT THEY SAID:
Mele — “My margherita pizza combined a perfect airy crust, a balanced La San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh bufala mozzarella and perfect cooking with a light char and bright, balanced flavor. I am happy that the judges saw all of my passion and sacrifice in one single Margherita pizza.”
Passariello — “During the competition, I carefully worked and stretched my dough, topped it according to the official guidelines and baked it in a wood-fired oven. When I took it out, I was truly satisfied. I prepared a marinara pizza, simple, yet full of authentic flavors from my homeland: San Marzano DOP tomatoes, oregano, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Even before tasting it, the aroma spoke for itself.”
Candito — “Each pizzaiolo was given a closed box containing a selection of ingredients. We had a maximum of 25 minutes to prepare the ingredients and 15 minutes to assemble and cook the pizza. All participants competed at the same time in the same space. In my case, in Las Vegas, I received pork pancetta, pears and portobello mushrooms.”
TRY THE PIZZA:
Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana’s Margherita Pizza is $11.50 for a 10-inch pie at all locations; pummarola.us
La Leggenda Pizzeria’s Marinara Neapolitan Pizza is $14 for a 12-inch pie; laleggendapizzeria.com
‘O Munaciello’s “Best of the Best” Pizza will be (they are updating their menu) $30 for a 12-inch pie at the Miami Shores/MiMo District location and soon after will be available at the Coral Way and upcoming West Palm Beach locations; munaciello.com
Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana
From left, Carmine Candito, of ‘O Munaciello Pizzeria, and Loris Mele, of Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana at the International Pizza Expo & Conference in Las Vegas. (Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana/Courtesy)