Two Philly-area pizza chefs win big at the International Pizza Challenge

Two Philadelphia-area pizzaioli won awards at the recent International Pizza Challenge, also known as the World Pizza Championship, at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

Davide Lubrano, the Naples-born co-owner of the Pizzata Pizzeria locations in Center City and South Philadelphia, won the category for best Roman-style pizza, which has a thin and crispy but airy crust. He placed second among the field of 60 bakers in the overall pan division, which includes all pizzas made in baking trays, such as Detroit, Sicilian, and Roman-style.

Lubrano and business partner Vinny Gallagher will sell the winning pie, which includes mushrooms, prosciutto, stracciatella, and truffle caviar pearls, for $40 from 4 to 10 p.m. April 17, by dine-in reservation only, at Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria (1700 E. Passyunk Ave.). It feeds three to four people. Reservations can be made at 267-324-3127, or by messaging Pizzata on Instagram; the special must be specified when booking their reservations.

Ben Tobin of Mezzaluna KSQ in Kennett Square was third among 110 competitors in the nontraditional division with his Detroit-style Reuben pizza, which takes after the sandwich. His wife, Samantha, won ninth place in the Northeast division, and 24th overall among 75 competitors for the New York-style cheese pizza category. They’re offering the winning pizzas ($23 as a Detroit, $20 for a 12-inch New York-style, and $30 for a 16-inch New York-style) for the rest of the month.

The Poconos were represented at the Expo, as well. Tony Cerimele of New Columbus Pizza Co. in Nesquehoning, near Jim Thorpe, won the Best of the Best, a culinary competition open to past and present winners of Pizza Maker of the Year (2025’s was Ryan Ososky of DTown Pizzeria in Los Angeles).

Lubrano, 39, said he began thinking about the competition pizza a couple of months ago. “Something in my brain clicked,” he said. “I started with plain mushrooms, prosciutto cotto, burrata, and truffle powder. Then I added different mushrooms, then I added leeks, then I realized I needed something creamier than burrata, so I replaced it with stracciatella, and so on and on until I was happy with what I was going to present: four different organic mushrooms [oyster, shiitake, portobello, cremini], leeks, very little low-moisture mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, stracciatella, pickled chiodini mushrooms in oil, chives, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, and truffle caviar pearls.”

Pizza contests play a role in Pizzata’s backstory. Lubrano met partner Vinny Gallagher at the 2019 Pizza & Pasta Expo in Atlantic City. Gallagher, an amateur, was competing in the Neapolitan division and Lubrano was in the pan division on the same stage. Lubrano’s brother, Ciro, wandered over, poked Gallagher’s dough ball, and presciently said: “You’re going to win.” Gallagher picked up the U.S. Caputo Cup.

The next stop is Naples. Lubrano, Gallagher, and Ciro Lubrano were nominated to be part of the World Pizza Champions group led by Tony Gemignani of Tony’s Pizza in San Francisco. They will compete at the Caputo Cup (also known as the Trofeo Caputo) in June.

Ben Tobin, 36, was selling mobile pizza trailers for Fire Within in Colorado but left to work for Thomas Garnick, the head chef instructor at Fire Within’s pizza school, who owned Brava! Pizza in Denver.

He left in 2019. He and Samantha, now 37, returned to their native Kennett Square to start a mobile pizza business. They incorporated March 13, 2020, coincidentally at the outset of the pandemic.

After the bank withdrew their business loan, they bootstrapped, found a used pizza trailer, and did mobile events and catering until last June, when they opened their 20-seat restaurant in Kennett Square, where they work out of a PizzaMaster deck oven.

The winning Detroit-style Reuben pizza is topped with corned beef, sauerkraut, caraway cream sauce, an Irish Cheddar and mozzarella blend, Gruyère, and Thousand Island dressing, with microparsley on top.