Trupiano earns silver in national pizza competition

OCEANSIDE – The U.S. Pizza Team hosted the 2019 Northeast U.S. Pizza Cup Aug. 26, at the Pizza University and Culinary Arts Center in Beltsville, Maryland.

With the help of Marra Forni and the Pizza University, the U.S. Pizza Team sought out the best pizza-making talent to represent the United States at the European Pizza and Pasta Show in London, England, in November.

Droves of the best pizzaioli from all over the country competed in the Pizza Classica category. Working with high-heat ovens, these pizza chefs built and baked their best pizzas in 12 minutes using ingredients and sauces of their choice. The only stipulations? They had to keep their pie between 12 inches and 14 inches round and baked on the oven stone. The grand prize was a trip to compete in the European Pizza Championship for international bragging rights.

U.S. Pizza Team premiere member Tore Trupiano of Mangia e Bevi in Oceanside, brother of Fallbrook's Faro Trupiano, entered the Northeast U.S. Pizza Cup and took second place for best pizza in the nation.

Trupiano arrived with a plan, all riding on creating five grain dough using Caputo Flour Blue 00, Power flour, whole wheat, rye flour, rice flour and soy flour. Adding mozzarella and nduja sausage, Trupiano colored and flavored the pie with cipollini onions, Calabrian chilis, black lava salt, microgreens and saffron passito reduction.

Trupiano is getting ready to travel to Atlantic City for the Caputo Cup Pizza Competition, then off to Firenze, Italy, where he is in the Top 6 out of 800 hand-selected entrants to compete in the gourmet category.

Not stopping there, in October, Trupiano will travel to Dallas, Texas, for his second appearance at the World Food Championship after making the Top 10 in the world in the bacon category in 2018.

Trupiano said of this year's events, "You would think that it would get easier to compete, but it's actually getting harder. The competition keeps getting tougher and tougher every year. If you don't up your game, you will never be holding those trophies."

Dominic's Italian Restaurant in Oceanside, also part of the Trupiano Restaurant Group, will again be the host of the West Coast U.S. Pizza Cup, Dec. 9. Calling pizzaioli from across the country, they will vie for the title of best in the nation and battle for the grand prize, a trip to compete internationally with the U.S. Pizza Team.

The U.S. Pizza Team competes all year-round in various culinary and acrobatic trials across the country. Winners of each trial in the U.S. win a trip to compete on the international stage in competitions around the world.

PMQ Pizza Magazine, the business trade publication for the pizza restaurant industry, created the U.S. Pizza Team in 2000.

The 2019 Northeast U.S. Pizza Cup was supported by PMQ, Marra Forni and the Pizza University and Culinary Arts Center. The U.S. Pizza Team is sponsored by Galbani, Grain Craft, Real California Milk, Gordon Food Service, LaNova, Paradise Tomato Kitchens, MFG Tray, Burkett Restaurant Equipment and Supplies, Bag Solutions, Lillsun, Univex, Presto Foods and Sofo Foods.

For more information about the U.S. Pizza Team, visit http://uspizzateam.com.

Submitted by Tore Trupiano.