For the second time, Giovanni Campisi, chef at Il Fornello Ristorante and Pizzeria in Oakville, Ont., earned the grand prize of a trip to compete at Las Vegas Pizza Expo and a cover story in Canadian Pizza magazine at the Canadian Pizza Summit and Chef of the Year Competitions. The exclusive event for pizzerias hosted about 100 pizzeria owners and their teams, including 18 talented chefs who made wildly creative and delicious pizzas on Oct. 20 at Faema Canada in Toronto.
About 100 members of the pizza industry came out for the annual competition, trade show and day that celebrates independent pizzerias in Canada.
Eighteen pizza chefs from independent pizzerias made wildly creative pizzas to vie for the prestigious title, which has been awarded annually to outstanding pizza chefs by Canadian Pizza magazine for nearly 21 years. The newest Chef of the Year, Campisi wowed the judges with his dessert pizza, “Il Dolce Nido” (“The Sweet Nest”), which featured a millefoglie pastry crust made with strawberry-infused double-zero flour topped with strawberries, mint, basil and caramel sugar nests containing white chocolate cream candy-coated eggs.
Second-place honours went to Adam Ward, co-owner of Hooray For Pizza Day in Toronto for his innovative pan-style take on Hawaiian pizza.
Robert Rubino, owner of Ruby’s Pizza and Catering in Toronto, with his potato pizza featuring pancetta, nduja sausage, provolone among other ingredients.
Upcoming issues of Canadian Pizza magazine will have exclusive highlights of the Pizza Summit and competition, details of the winning recipes, highlights of the summit as well as a cover profile of Chef of the Year and more pizza stories discovered at this niche event.
Our dedicated judges had their hands full evaluating 18 creative signature pizzas:
The competition was judged by three culinary experts: Frank Mazzuca of Mazucca Design and @FamilyStyle, who has published a celebrated lookbook about gourmet pizza; Rocco Agostino, executive chef and partner of Pizza Libretto and partner of Enoteca Sociale of Pizzeria Libretto and Chef of the Year in 2013; and award-winning journalist and food writer Rita DeMontis, who has written for the Toronto Sun and many other prestigious publications. Attendees also enjoyed interactive events such as the Great Pizza Box Fold-Off and a margherita pizza eating contest hosted by Faema Canada.
Deputy Mayor Mike Colle was an enthusiastic attendee, sampling the pizzas, meeting operators and letting pizzerias know there is a Toronto International Pizza Festival in the works.
Chefs baked their pizzas in one of four Moretti Forni ovens supplied by Faema Canada.
Dean Litster was awarded a $100 gift certificate for Annex ‘Canadian Pizza’ Bookstore in the Great Pizza Box Fold-Off.
If attendees didn’t get their fill of great pizza by sampling the competition pizzas, they had a chance to enjoy more goodness as Faema Canada held an exciting margherita pizza eating contest. Delicious margherita pizzas were made by Faema’s master chef Pasquale Ponticello. Bart Nadherny, co-owner of Son of a Peach Pizzeria, who came to cheer on his chef Jie Yan, scarfed the most pizza of five competitors to take home a metal pizza peel from GI Metals courtesy of Faema.
Thank you to Host and Platinum Sponsor Faema Canada, Gold Sponsor Lactalis Canada Foodservice, Bronze Sponsor Handtmann Canada and our enthusiastic exhibitors for supporting this who’s who of pizza innovation in Canada!
Check out our PIZZA SUMMIT EAST 2025 FACEBOOK GALLERY! Tag your friends, family, dedicated suppliers and pizza team to share memories of this epic day of pizza! While you’re at it, tag your BIA and local news media as well!
Congratulations to all of our outstanding competitors!
More highlights are to come in the pages of Canadian Pizza and on our social media channels!