Is there anything better than a perfectly baked cheese pizza? Not according to Kevin McCallister, the leading man in “Home Alone,” or the staff of Pizza Today. In honor of National Cheese Pizza Day on Sept. 5, 2025, we’re running down some of our favorite cheese pizzas from recent years.
Chris Ostapenko Wins World’s Best Cheese Slice
If you’re like Kevin and think outsmarting Joe Pesci is cool, consider what it would be like to win a $5,000 big check for making the World’s Best Cheese Slice at the 2025 International Pizza Expo. In fact, Chris Ostapenko of Slice on Broadway makes a cheese slice so glorious, the city of Pittsburgh declared May 6, 2025, Slice on Broadway Day in his honor.
Ostapenko tells Pizza Today that he makes about 100 cheese pizzas on Friday nights at the shop, and he followed the same method in this year’s International Pizza Challenge. “The rules were simple: Make the best cheese pizza you can,” he says. “I made the pizza as I do every day in the pizza shop, and the results paid off.”
Chris Ostapenko of Slice on Broadway in Pittsburgh celebrates his World’s Best Cheese Slice Championship win with team mates at International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Slice on Broadway.
Those looking to follow in Ostapenko’s footsteps should know he’s worked at Slice on Broadway for 15 years. If that doesn’t intimidate you, you might be ready to follow his steps:
- Cold ferment pizza dough for 48 hours
- Use house-made tomato sauce
- Liberally apply a house blend of cheeses
“I think this pizza stood out because of the balance of the flavors that we try to accomplish between the dough, sauce and cheese,” he says of winning over judges and claiming the division trophy.
Following Ostapenko’s win in Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh community showed up to support him by ordering his award-winning cheese pie. “I made more pizza that weekend than I have in a while,” he says. “People were coming to try the World’s Best Cheese Slice!”
World’s Best Cheese Slice History and Rules
The International Pizza Challenge debuted the World’s Best Cheese Slice division at Pizza Expo 2024. Unlike some other divisions, World’s Best Cheese Slice has strict guidelines for competitors:
- No par-baking.
- Must use red tomato sauce.
- Only grated cheese and dry spices are permitted
- Once the pizza is in the oven, no toppings or drizzles can be added aside from olive oil
Contestants select their best three slices, which are presented to judges blind.
Andy Huynh Wins Inaugural Prize
Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.
The first year the International Pizza Challenge opened its division devoted to World’s Best Cheese Slice, Andy Huynh brought home the trophy to Cowabunga+ in Hamilton, Ontario. As the owner of Cowabunga+, Huynh uses a sourdough starter and tops his cheese pizzas with marinara sauce, a Canadian mozzarella blend, Fior di Latte and oregano. Of course, only grated cheese is permitted during the competition.
Additionally, Huynh had to travel to Las Vegas with his pizza dough, some of which was packed in luggage lost by the airline, along with other ingredients. This left him without sufficient dough to compete for the coveted Pizza Maker of the Year award, which is open to division champions on the final day of Pizza Expo. Rather than rush the dough that needed to be ready the next day, the pizza maker asked a Cowabunga+ staff member to fly the pizzeria’s signature 72-hour fermented dough down from Canada.
“Luckily for us, we had a lot of support from our suppliers on the floor of the Expo. When we explained what happened, they were happy to give us some sauce and cheese,” Huynh tells Canadian broadcast station The News Forum. The baggage “landed about midnight Wednesday night, and by Thursday at 7 a.m., we were back on the floor competing again.”
Cheese Pizza Recipes
For a Truly elevated cheese pizza (pun intended), consider Chris Decker’s four-part pie featuring burrata cream and fried basil.
If you have a hankering for cheese pizza but are feeling fancy, Scott Wiener has the steps to create a four-cheese pizza Margharita soufleé.
Finally, you can’t go wrong with a classic cheese pizza. Yes, all for you.
The Great American Pizza Challenge
If you think you have what it takes to win a pizza competition, The Great American Pizza Challenge is taking place Oct. 26-27 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Information about the categories is available here.
In the meantime, happy National Cheese Pizza Day! May your cheese pulls be long and you always have Gouda luck!
