AVPN: Mimmo Galasso is the winner of the Vera Pizza Contest 2024, the world championship of homemade pizza that involved more than 1500 contestants from no less than 35 countries. Second place to Giovanni Zito and third place Ferdinando Ripoli.
Best AVPN Pizzeria 2024 kicks off: the first and only contest, involving pizza makers from all over the world as jury, reaches 59 countries.
An intense period for AVPN, which concludes in style 2024, which saw the celebration of the Association's 40th anniversary. The final of the Vera Pizza Contest, the world's largest event dedicated to homemade pizza, which this year involved over 1500 pizza makers from all continents, has just finished. As many as 1570 pizzas were submitted, of which only 765 were admitted (the others were excluded because they did not meet the requirements of the regulations) and the Best AVPN Pizzeria, another eagerly awaited event organised by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, took part in the championship.
‘Once again this year, the True Neapolitan Pizza Contest has proved to be an extraordinary initiative capable of bringing the True Neapolitan Pizza into homes all over the world,‘ says Paolo Surace, Secretary General of AVPN, “involving pizza chefs from 35 countries and confirming pizza as the most identifiable and at the same time ”cosmopolitan’ product of the Peninsula. And we, as AVPN, stand as its ambassadors, handing down traditional techniques and enhancing the value of local raw materials, while maintaining an increasingly international approach'.
Over two months of selections to decide the three contestants who faced off during the final in Naples, on 19 and 20 November, in front of the Neapolitan public and the technical jury composed of Francesca Romana Barberini and Emanuela Sorrentino, among the most important names in food and wine criticism, and Stefano Di Filippo, champion of the last two editions of the Vera Pizza Contest.
Taking first place was Mimmo Galasso, with his pizza ‘Irpinia’ with fiordilatte, rustic artichokes from Montoro and Capocollo irpino, who won a nine-day professional course at the AVPN School. On the second step of the podium Giovanni Zito with the pizza ‘My second home’ with Base
white pizza with gorgonzola and fiordilatte cheese, cream of pumpkin with thyme and homemade salami, who won a 3-day course, while the third, Ferdinando Ripoli, with his ‘Lucana’ pizza with Fiordilatte cheese, turnip tops, Salame pezzente della collina materana and Peperone crusco di Senise IGP, won a 4-hour course. All the finalists were also given a series of gifts such as kneading machines, ovens, various equipment and a selection of high quality gastronomic products.
Obligatory thanks go to Molino Caputo, Effeuno, Gimetal, Olitalia and Pagnossin, historical partners of the event.
‘This is a very special victory that rewards my great love for pizza,’ says winner Mimmo Galasso. ’I thank AVPN and all the great masters who are part of it for the dedication with which they uphold the tradition of true Neapolitan pizza and for the opportunity they offer all passionate pizza makers to express their talent.
Once again this year, the Vera Pizza Contest provided an exciting competition that now gives way to Best AVPN Pizzeria, the contest that features the Association's pizza makers from all over the world.
And which reaches, in this edition, a record number of countries involved, a good 59, with the entry of the first pizzerias in Qatar and the Philippines. After the success of the past editions that saw the triumph of Enzo Coccia's La Notizia in 2014, Ciro Salvo's 50 Kalò in 2019, Attilio Bachetti's Pizzeria da Attilio in 2021, Salvatore De Rinaldi's Casa De Rinaldi 2022 and the latest award-winner Andrè Guidon of Leggera Pizzeria Napoletana in Sao Paulo in 2023, Best AVPN Pizzeria will once again celebrate the greatest expressions of the white art in the world.
‘We are really excited to kick off Best AVPN Pizzeria,’ says Massimo Di Porzio, Vice-President of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, ’which reaches more and more countries every year, a success dictated by the unique formula of the contest, which sees pizza chefs judged by their own colleagues. A modality that underlines the international character of the competition and gives even more importance to the prize, since there is no judge more expert than those who make pizza their profession'.
The selection phases open at 11 a.m. on 22 November and will last until 11 a.m. on 5 December. Each Verace pizzaiolo will be able to access through the access link sent by the Association and will be entitled to cast one vote for each pizzeria he owns, without being able to vote for his own business. Quality of the pizza, selection of raw materials, food pairing with wine, beer and cocktails, room service and location design: these are the criteria assessed by all the pizzaioli that will decide the winner of the Best AVPN Pizzeria, awarded on stage at Sigep 2025, at the Rimini trade fair from 18 to 23 January.
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