Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
U.S. Pizza Team members competed in the “5° Pizza por Pasión” Spanish Pizza Championship in Granada, Spain, on Oct. 8 and took home numerous awards in several categories of competition.
Team members representing the U.S. in the culinary division included USPT Culinary Coach Gino Rago and Bruno Brunetti of Panino’s Pizza in Chicago; USPT athletic director Dave Sommers of Mad Mushroom in West Lafayette, Ind.; and Sean Dempsey of Dempsey’s Brewery Restaurant & Pub in Watertown, S.D. Competing for the team in the freestyle acrobatics division were Missy Green and Caroline Felker, former USPT members and representatives of PMQ Pizza Magazine.
Panino’s Pizza took home two awards in the Classica division. Brunetti received first place for his Tequila Lemon Cream Prawns pizza featuring flavors from both the U.S. and Spain. Using tequila as a base, Brunetti created a cream sauce that featured both green and yellow lemons. Third place went to Rago for his Polenta Boscaiola pie featuring Galbani mozzarella, Italian sausage, guanciale and polenta. Rago topped it off with five types of oven-roasted mushrooms, fresh chives, smoked burrata and Spanish olive oil.
