Congratulations to the 2023 Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards Winners
By Pizza Today Staff
In 2023, Emerald Expositions, the parent company of Pizza Today, launched the Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards. The PIE Awards were designed to honor pizzeria operators and help celebrate their business accomplishments. Judging recently wrapped up and winners in 24 different categories are announced here.
2023 PIE Awards Winners
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year — Laura Meyer, Pizzeria Da Laura, Berkley, California
- Pizza Chain of the Year — Pizza My Heart, Santa Cruz, California
- Best Advertising Campaign — Mattenga’s Pizzeria, San Antonio, Texas
- Top Employee Initiatives — Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Most Interesting Menu — Slice Pizza & Brew, Birmingham, Alabama
- Best Seasonal Menu — Crafters Pizza & Draft House, Carmel, Indiana
- Community Involvement Award — Punxsy Pizza, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
- Pizzeria Startup of the Year — Blue Square Pizza, Hopkinton, Massachusetts
- Mobile Pizza Business of the Year — Cut Stone Foods, Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Best Pizzeria Website — Rotolo’s Pizza, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Sustainability Champion — Catch-A-Fire Pizza, Blue Ash, Ohio
- Pizza Chain Executive of the Year — Nick Bogacz, Caliente Pizza & Draft House
- Best Branding — Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Best Pizza Box Design — Varuni Napoli, Atlanta, Georgia
- Top Use of Technology — Blue Square Pizza, Hopkinton, Massachusetts
- Best Video Short — Mattenga’s Pizzeria, San Antonio, Texas
- Best Outdoor Dining Space — Parlour Pizza, Jeffersonville, Indiana
- Pizzeria Owner Mentorship Award — Tony Gemignani, Slice House by Tony Gemignani, San Francisco, California
- Pizza Company of the Year by Region:
Northwest – Farrelli’s Pizza, Tacoma, Washington
Southwest — Mattenga’s Pizzeria, San Antonio, Texas
Southeast — Slice Pizza & Brew, Birmingham, Alabama
Midwest — Catch-A-Fire Pizza, Blue Ash, Ohio
Northeast — Emmett’s on Grove, New York, New York
“Congratulations to the winners!” says Pizza Today’s Editor-in-Chief, Jeremy White. “Judging in many of the categories was particularly difficult due to the breadth of quality entries. Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter, and I hope the winners are able to use the PIE Awards in their local media markets to promote their businesses the way winners of the International Pizza Challenge and other Pizza Expo competitions do. Being nationally recognized for your hard work and dedication to your craft is a feather in your cap.”
Speaking of Pizza Expo competitions, now is the time to enter if you are looking to go head-to-head with your peers in Las Vegas. The 40th Annual Pizza Expo is scheduled for March 19-21, 2024. Register to attend.
Once you are registered to attend the show, visit the Pizza Expo competitions page to view the competition schedule, rules and enter to compete. You can find the competitions page here: https://pizzaexpo.pizzatoday.com/competitions/
Act quickly if you hope to compete because spots are limited and fill up fast. Once they’re gone — they’re gone!
“The competitions at Pizza Expo are the highlight of the show for many,” says White. “Competitors spend many months refining recipes and techniques to impress the judges. Scoring high is no easy task, and once you win you’re in the upper echelon of pizza makers nationwide. Of course, Pizza Expo doesn’t offer only pizza-making competitions. Other opportunities exist in acrobatics, box folding and other categories. Act now if you want to show what you’ve got on the world’s biggest pizza stage!”
