Pittsburgh pizza-makers competing in Pizza World Championship
World Champion Pizza Team. Pittsburgh’s pizza pros are headed to the big dance. Nick Bogacz, owner of Caliente Pizza & Draft House, and the local chain’s regional chef Eric Von Hansen are joining a team of pizza all-stars and taking their talent to Parma, Italy. Read the full story by Maggie Weaver here.
Taste of Hampton Party
Here is a link to the article about the third annual Taste of Hampton Party held on February 2, 2019 at the Hampton Community Center on McCully Road in Allison Park. Read the full press release here. Written by Natalie Beneviat.
Pittsburgh pizza is international: Caliente Pizza & Draft House chefs tapped to join all-star team of pizza
CONTACT: Robin Rectenwald WordWrite Communications
412-246-0340 robin.rectenwald@wordwritepr.com
Pittsburgh pizza is international: Caliente Pizza & Draft House chefs tapped to join all-star team of pizza
Pittsburgh, PA (January 15, 2019) – Caliente Pizza & Draft House’s owner Nick Bogacz and regional chef Eric Von Hansen have been invited to join the “all-star” team of internationally well-known pizza chefs competing in the 28th annual Pizza World Championship, the world’s largest pizza competition taking place in Parma, Italy April 9-11.
Bogacz and Von Hansen have been proudly representing Pittsburgh at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, the largest pizza competition in the U.S., since 2016. After being named World Pizza Champions three times at the Expo’s International Pizza Challenge, Bogacz and Von Hansen were asked by 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani to join his World Pizza Champions team. They said yes.
“Nick and Eric are dedicated to the craft of pizza in every way, from their development of innovative recipes to their commitment to community service,” said Gemignani. “The World Pizza Champions are the best-of-the-best and that’s what these guys are.”
Pittsburgh natives Nick and Angie Bogacz opened Caliente Pizza & Draft House, their first independent pizza shop in Bloomfield in 2012. Although a young shop considering Pittsburgh’s pizza history, Nick Bogacz and Eric Von Hansen are industry veterans. Their expertise in the pizza and gourmet food industry has led to the Caliente team opening four stores in six years and earning recognition at the world’s most well-respected pizza industry events. The World Pizza Champions team is the pepperoni on top of Caliente’s hard work pie.
“I started out in the pizza industry as a delivery driver when I was 17 years old,” said Bogacz. “After working my way up in the industry, it was always a dream to own my own pizza shop. Now it’s unbelievable to have the chance to represent the City of Champions across the globe, in pizza that is.”
What is the World Pizza Champions team?
The World Pizza Champions team, founded in 2005 by the famed Gemignani, is a group of elite pizza pros from around the world who represent the craft through competition, education and community service. Inclusion on the team is by invitation only and members are selected “based on skill, character, compatibility, and selfless effort on behalf of the industry.” This is the all-star team of pizza.
Currently, there are 38 active members with Bogacz and Von Hansen being the only representatives from Pittsburgh. The pair will travel with other members of the team to compete in the Pizza World Championship in April.
What is the Pizza World Championship?
In its 28th year, the Pizza World Championship is the industry’s most well-respected and competitive industry competition with pizzaiolos from over 30 countries and hundreds of chefs vying for a slice of pizza fame. In Parma, several hundred chefs compete in each category.
This will be Bogacz and Von Hansen’s first trip to the Pizza World Championship. Before the competition, they’ll travel with Gemignani and other teammates to learn about cheese production and more from masters in Italy. The pair will compete in the “Pizza for Two” division where they will work together to create different elements of the pizza without speaking. Von Hansen will also participate in the “Pizza Triathlon e Gare per Nazione,” competing to be named the Best Foreign Nation Pizzaiolo.
What is the difference between the Pizza World Championship and International Pizza Expo?
Held annually in Las Vegas, International Pizza Expo is the largest pizza show in the US with hundreds of exhibitors, over 1,300 booths and tens of thousands of attendees. During the Expo, there are two competitive events: the International Pizza Challenge and the World Pizza Games. These events are lauded as the second most competitive pizza events in the world by pizza pros, behind only the Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy.
Caliente took home a World Championship title in the “Pan” division with their “Quack Attack” duck pizza on their first attempt at the International Pizza Challenge in 2016. In 2017, they placed first in the “Non-Traditional” and “Traditional North East divisions” and Won a World Championship in the Largest Pizza Stretch Division. They came back to win another World Championship in the Non-Traditional division last year with Von Hansen’s “Wagyu Beef Truffle Fromage” pie. Bogacz and Von Hansen plan to compete again in this year’s International Pizza Expo taking place March 3-6.
To learn more about the Pizza World Championship in Italy and Tony Gemignani’s all-star team, please visit www.worldpizzachampions.com.
ABOUT CALIENTE PIZZA & DRAFT HOUSE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House, founded in 2012, is an award-winning locally owned and operated pizza restaurant known for their roster of craft beers and gourmet pizzas. With just four locations in the Pittsburgh area, Caliente is known internationally as three-time World Pizza Champions and represents Pittsburgh on the World Pizza Champions Team. For locations and more information, visit www.pizzadrafthouse.com
June Hazy IPA
The summer months are here and the forecast is officially hazy at Caliente Pizza & Draft House! All month long, we’ll be paying tribute to arguably the most polarizing beer style going today: the hazy IPA. These beers have changed the craft beer industry, bringing soft, juicy, hop-forward offerings to the forefront and introducing a new style of beer that many people have fallen in love with. Brewers across the country have worked hard to push the envelope and make their own takes on this style stand out, creating a plethora of options that IPA fans are going crazy for.
All June long, the hazy IPA takes center stage in Bloomfield, Hampton, Mount Lebanon, and Aspinwall. 10 taps at each location will be pouring offerings from a number of well-known, highly-respected breweries from across the country. No matter which location you visit, you’re going to find a juicy brew with your name all over it!
Over the River and Through The Woods…
There’s something special about the way Grandma makes her pizza. And to pay homage to her culinary excellence, we are rolling out six pizzas Grandma, Grandpa, and everyone else in your family are going to drool over. Cross a river. Go through a tunnel. Go through the woods if you have to, but get to one of our stores today and experience a Grandma Pie!
Celebrating 30 Incredible Years
Happy Anniversary, Great Lakes Brewing Company! Our friends from Cleveland, Ohio are turning 30 years old this year and we can’t wait to put on our party hats and help them toast to many more. Great Lakes is responsible for some staples in the craft world, with offerings including Eliot Ness, Edmund Fitzgerald, Dortmunder Gold, and Burning River. In addition, Great Lakes rolls out some exceptional seasonal releases every year, such as Lake Erie Monster, Chill Wave, Blackout Stout, and Nosferatu.
We were with them when they turned 25 and the 2018 celebration will be no different. On Friday, June 15th, all four of our locations will be home to a Great Lakes celebration! Enjoy Great Lakes beers in bottles and on tap, meet representatives of the brewery, get your hands on some swag, and show your support for one of craft beer’s trailblazing entities.
Three Rivers 1 Lake Rye IPA
We’ve done it again. Our crew joined forces with a big-time brewery to continue producing our line of Caliente collaboration beers. This time, we made the trek to beautiful Lakewood, New York and brewed with Southern Tier Brewing Company. Lakewood is approximately 30 minutes from Erie and the Southern Tier brewery is minutes away from gorgeous Lake Chautauqua, a tremendous summer time spot you need to put on your priority list.
The beauty of Lake Chautauqua combined with the stunning pride we feel for our three rivers here in Pittsburgh, it seemed only fitting to name our new collaboration Three Rivers 1 Lake. This offering is a Rye IPA and will be making its debut at all four of our Caliente locations on Friday, June 22nd. We can’t wait to roll out our latest collaboration for you to enjoy this month!
A big congratulations to Katie Henry! Her video submission last month won her the chance to travel to Lakewood with us to help brew Three Rivers 1 Lake. And thank you to the team at Southern Tier for hosting us!
June 2018 Hazy IPAS – Grandma Pizza
