U.S. Pizza Team to Compete in 2012 World Championship of Pizza

Salsomaggiore, Italy—The U.S. Pizza Team will compete in the 2012 World Championship of Pizza (Campionato Mondiale della Pizza) Monday-Wednesday, April 16-18, in Salsomaggiore, Italy.

The U.S. Pizza Team consists of expert pizza chefs and dough-spinning acrobatic performers from pizza restaurants across the United States. As the reigning 2011 Team Acrobatics World Champions, the American squad will return to Salsomaggiore, with its members competing in three culinary categories—Classic, Gluten-Free and Pan—as well as in the Freestyle Acrobatics and Dough-Stretching categories.

Team members are: David Smith, Pizza Palace Plus, Emporium, Pennsylvania (Classic); Jamie Culliton, Grimaldi’s, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (Classic and Freestyle Acrobatics); Mike Amheiser, Pizza Dock, Fredericktown, Ohio (Gluten-Free and Pan); Tom Carfrae, Tomaso’s, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Pan); Greg Spaulding, Puccini’s Smiling Teeth, Lexington, Kentucky (Classic and Pan); and Wilhelm Rodriguez, Papa’s Pizza, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico (Freestyle Acrobatics and Dough-Stretching)

The event, which begins at 10 a.m. (4 a.m., EST), Monday, April 16, will be aired live via streaming video at the team’s official website, USPizzaTeam.com, and at PizzaTV.com. Recorded footage of the event will also be streamed at USPizzaTeam.com throughout each day of the three-day event.

PMQ Pizza Magazine, the leading national trade publication for the pizza industry, created the U.S. Pizza Team in 2000. “We look forward to another exciting contest in Italy,” said PMQ Pizza Magazine publisher Steve Green. “The World Championship of Pizza spotlights many of the best pizzaioli and pizza athletes in the world, and the competition will be spirited and challenging. PMQ is pleased to participate in this global celebration of pizza, which is delicious in any language.”

Visit worldpizzachampionship.com to learn more about the 2012 World Championship of Pizza. For more about PMQ Pizza Magazine, visit PMQ.com. For information about the U.S. Pizza Team as well as details about the team’s journey to Salsomaggiore upon its return, contact event coordinator Brian Hernandez at brian@pmq.com or 662-234-5481, ext. 129.