Townies going to Vegas for largest pizza competition

Axia Public Relations

Public Relations Associate

April 3, 2017 2:00 p.m.

Townies Pizzeria’s pizzaiolo Robert Beard is heading to Las Vegas to compete in the "International Pizza Challenge” - the largest pizza making competition in the United States. Beard will compete in the Traditional division on March 28 for the Dirty Dina pizza, made with Sriracha sauce, meatballs, blue cheese crumbles, sausage, onions and mozzarella, one of Townies’ more popular menu items.

Townies exceeds $1 million in annual sales, a feat limited to only 10 percent of U.S. pizzeria’s.

About the International Pizza Challenge

Since 2007, the International Pizza Challenge™ has expanded in stature and

prize money to become the best pizza-making competition in North America.

There are now five divisions in the pizza bake-off attracting approximately

200 pizzaioli. The pizzaiolis bake a pie from their pizza menu on the spot

at Pizza Expo and present it to a panel of judges, with cash prizes and

plaques going to the winners. The five divisions include traditional,

non-traditional, pan, pizza Napoletana and gluten-free.

After winners are named in those divisional finals, the two top finishers

in traditional and non-traditional face off against the highest scorers

from the pan and pizza napoletana divisions in a mystery-ingredient

bake-off for Pizza Maker of the Year. The winning pizzaiolo selected by the

judges receives $5,000 and a trophy to add to earnings of either $4,000 (if

he or she advanced through pan or pizza napoletana) or $7,500 (through

traditional or non-traditional). All top finishers claim bragging rights

for their pizza marketing campaigns.