From 55 nations took part in the most international contest dedicated to the queen of dough.
First place was taken by Andrè Nevoso Guidon of Leggera Pizzeria Napoletana in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The curtain closes on the fifth edition of Best AVPN Pizzeria, the world pizza championship created by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association. The title was won by Andrè Nevoso Guidon at the helm of Leggera Pizzeria Napoletana in San Paolo, Brazil. The famous challenge between the best pizzerias from all over the world, at the end of the Association's 2023 calendar, saw over a thousand true pizza chefs vote for their favorite pizzeria, which is a Brazilian Pizzeria for the first time in the history of the contest. A surprising result confirming how true Neapolitan pizza has neither borders nor nationalities, but is a phenomenon that includes every corner of the globe and which makes the quality of the product and the art of the pizza chef its common denominator. The winner is chosen by pizza chefs from all continents: a truly unique jury in the world which, like every year, constitutes the extra element of the format.
To discover the winning pizzeria of this new edition, you go overseas. Following the primacy of Naples in the previous editions with Casa de Rinaldie and the predecessors Enzo Coccia of "La Notizia" in 2014, Ciro Salvo of "50 Kalò" in 2019 and Attilio Bachetti of "Pizzeria da Attilio" in 2021, for this edition we leave the home of pizza to arrive in Brazil, in the Perdizes neighborhood of Sao Paulo. At Leggera Pizzeria Napoletana the true pizza of the Neapolitan tradition reigns despite the kilometers of distance. Wood-fired oven, light dough, hand-rolled, mix of Italian flours and rigorously Campanian toppings are all the essentials in the cuisine of André Nevoso Guidon who, since 2013, has delighted the palates of São Paulo customers and every year wins international recognition from the most influential sector guides.
“An unexpected and exciting goal – says Andrè Nevoso Guidon – which rewards our tireless work, boundless creativity, a lot of research and immense passion. I am really proud to have joined the roll of honor of pizza chefs, together to the greatest faces of Neapolitan pizza, especially because this recognition is the result of the votes of my fellow pizza chefs, who appreciated and rewarded the passion that we transmit in our work every day. An important title for me as well as for my colleagues here in Brazil with whom I have been carrying forward, for more than ten years, the Brazilian movement of true Neapolitan pizza with the aim of disseminating the value of pizza and bringing more and more people closer to this extraordinary product".
Best AVPN Pizzeria confirms itself as a contest with a strongly international character, which this year reached 55 nations, with the entry of Bottega di Shanghai by the Salvo brothers, the first AVPN pizzeria in China, further expanding the boundaries and welcoming more and more styles, tastes and characters from the heterogeneous and fascinating world of pizza.“We are happy to expand the AVPN team a little more every year – states Antonio Pace, President of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association – which at BestPizzeria, more than ever, proves to be a big family. A successful format thanks to the participation and warmth of our pizza chefs as jurors, increasing the value of this recognition even further. Who more than those who have chosen white art as their life mission can decree the best AVPN pizzeria 2024? Precisely for this reason we carry forward this philosophy, taking into account the traditional evaluation standards: quality of the pizza, choice of ingredients, location, gastronomic pairing and room service. All to get to know the best expressions of pizza, from the classic to the most modern, scattered around the world which represents the mission shared by all the members of the Association."In parallel with the competition, as every year, AVPN revealed the results of the questionnaire submitted to all voting pizzerias. A survey that is a snapshot of the current pizza universe, which confirms some data from previous years and offers new ideas for reflecting on the present and future of the sector. In more detail: the product remains fundamental in the evaluation criteria for 54% of pizza chefs, followed by the service with 43%; on the communication side, the perception of social media as the most effective tool for promoting one's pizzeria increases even more. Looking at the target customers, the main ones are groups of friends and families and Saturday is confirmed, as in the previous edition, as the day with the highest turnout for 56% of pizzerias.
