Tony Gemignani Makes His Championship Pizza

In this webisode, Tony teaches me (and you) how he makes the Margherita pizza that won him the world championship. You’ll notice a few great tips, things that aren’t commonly known even by professional pizza makers, such as: the traditional Napoletana way to load the pizza onto the peel; shaping the dough on the marble slab as opposed to lifting or spinning it; when to put the basil on; and the importance of bringing the dough to room temperature before putting it into the oven to prevent burning the underside.

Catch the quote on the back of Tony’s tee-shirt, “Respect the craftsman.”  That’s become his mantra as he’s transitioned from being an American pizza whizz-kid, winning innumerable competitions for his acrobatic prowess to, now, mastering and teaching the time-honored, traditional methodology that he learned from his own master teachers when he studied with them in Naples and the surrounding area.

You’ll also briefly see Tony’s own apprentice, Audrey Pagnotta Sherman, working in the background. We’ll visit more with her in a subsequent webisode; she was recently seen in New York City at 900 Degrees, but I have just been informed by Tony that he and his team, including Audrey, have parted ways with that restaurant and will be focusing on a new place in Brooklyn. If anyone has more details than that, especially about how 900 Degrees is doing without Tony and team, please let us know.

As many of you already know, one of the major themes of Pizza Quest is the celebration of artisans and artisanship (or, as Tony says on his shirt, “Respect the craftsman”). I derive particular joy whenever I see a next generation apprentice, such as Audrey, immersed in his or her training. It gives me hope that the ongoing transmission of knowledge is still alive and well, and that future generations, today’s kids and their own kids, will be able to continue enjoying the gifts created by these dedicated artisans. You’ll see this message coming through and reiterated by Tony throughout this segment and in the ones to come. Enjoy!