The Canadian Pizza Chef of the Year West competition was held in Vancouver on May 15 as part of the two-day Canadian Pizza Summit held in conjunction with the Baking Association of Canada’s annual trade show and conference. Five finalists took to the stage to create, cook and present their best effort to four judges. Lucky attendees watching the competition could also taste the pizzas and make their own opinions.
The judges included:
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Francisco Migoya, Chef and Co-Author, Modernist Bread and Modernist Pizza
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Peter Jacobs, Certified Master Baker, Bakery Application Consultant at The Baker’s Workshop, Newmarket, Ontario
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Marzia Molatore, Mamma Marzia, Bella Cibo, Langley, BC
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Hassi Sadri, Napoli Culinary Academy and Café Napoli, Sacramento, California
The judging was based on the overall bake as well as on the crust, toppings, creativity, and presentation. All judges agreed that the crust is the definitive factor for a good pizza. They also felt that balance of ingredients is critical.
An electric pizza oven and some basic tools were supplied, but the competitors brought in their own ingredients and specialty equipment. They were required to cook two of the same pizzas and choose their best for the judges. The pizza was presented to the panel uncut to prevent modifying or disturbing the crust and described in detail before tasting. The less-perfect pizza was divvied up for the crowd to sample.
First up was Andy Finlayson, owner of 70 Pizzeria/Rebellious Tomato in North Van. The name of his restaurant comes from the fact he uses a 70-hour fermentation and 70% hydration on his dough. Andy chose a Detroit style pan pizza. Being the first competitor, he received a bit of time leniency as he struggled to get the oven temperature up. He did a precook of his rosemary infused crust before topping it with a ricotta cream sauce, three types of cheese (brick, mozzarella, and Edam), and cherry tomatoes. He finished it with torn basil and Parmigiano Reggiano. The finished product had a fluffy crust resembling focaccia with fantastically chewy baked cheese edges.
Next was Aaron Gehrman, owner of Emilio Finatti, currently located in White Rock, Port Coquitlam, and Langley and opening soon in Port Moody. He was a showman and master of cheese puns. His signature thin crust is made from a proprietary blend of Canadian grains, not 00 flour. He braised a lamb shoulder and blitzed the jus with mirepoix for his sauce. He topped it with a generous amount of lamb and a combination of mozzarella and Edam cheese before baking it and garnishing with cucumber/mint slaw and feta. He finished the crust with a bit of honey for a sweet finish. He told stories and entertained the crowd while moving his pizza around the oven with a paddle to ensure an even bake.
Third to take the stage was newcomer Jamie Lutyk from Avenue Pizzeria in Lumby, BC. With no no formal cooking background and leaving a job at the airport in Calgary, he became a pizzaiola as a matter of circumstance when he moved to Lumby where the pizza shop was for sale. Although it took nudging to compete, he admitted he would do it again. He made a thin-crust pizza topped with homemade BBQ sauce, Cajun marinated steak (the Alberta influence), Gorgonzola, and sautéed peppers and onions.
A strong Italian background came through in both Giuseppe Cortinovis’s accent and techniques. Not only is he the chef at Lovemypizza in Burnaby, but he also offers pizza-making classes at his PizzaLab in Port Coquitlam. He spun his dough in the air before topping it with Parmesan cream, Parmesan cheese, and fresh and confit tomato before letting the crust puff up in the hot oven. Once baked, he used a unique fan-cooled platform to cool the base, explaining moisture is created from the heat, causing the crust to lose its crispiness. Visit his website https://lovemypizza.com for many more technical pizza facts. Rather than a rocker knife or wheel to cut it, he used scissors to prevent squeezing the crust. He finished his Nostalgie with more ricotta, arugula pesto, and a slice of prosciutto on the side, a modern interpretation of a classic Margherita.
Last up was Steven Che, co-owner of Wild Flour Pizza Company, also in Burnaby. He specializes in unique flavour combinations and was the quickest and cleanest chef to take the stage. He chose to make a French Onion Soup pizza for the competition but had prepared a butter chicken pizza the day prior on the demo stage. Wild Flour uses all sourdough crusts and cooks at very high temperatures. In fact, his pizza came out sizzling! He topped his base with a slightly fermented white sauce, a play on crème fraiche, a hefty amount of low and slow caramelized onions, and three types of cheese (mozzarella, Gruyère and Emmenthal). Halfway through the bake, he lined the crust with more Emmenthal to reproduce the cheesy surface of the soup. He showed further creativity by garnishing it with dry-aged beef stock crumbles he prepared to mimic the beefy flavour of the broth and fresh thyme.
All pizzas were delicious and creative, demonstrating each chef’s passion, but unfortunately, there could only be one winner. Steven placed third, while Aaron took home second place. Giuseppe was crowned as Pizza Chef Champion West, receiving the opportunity to be featured on the cover of Canadian Pizza Magazine and a free trip to Las Vegas to compete in the International Pizza Challenge at the Pizza Expo in March 2024.
