Calling All Pizza Aficiona-Doughs!
CIA Pizza Cook-Off
Author Annie B. Milostan ’25 is a Baking and Pastry Arts major.
Each semester we try to have a cooking competition. This semester we were lucky enough to have two! The Cookie Bake-Off and the Pizza Cook-Off. Students in teams of four produce a concept for their pizza, choosing ingredients from our sponsors: McCormick for Chefs, Angela Mia, LESAFFRE, and Belgioioso Cheese. That’s not all that will be judged, they must have a booth theme and a creative and engaging presentation, adding an element of fun!
First Place Winners: Supreme ZA!
Winning them $1,250, their pizza had a 75% hydrated focaccia with tomato sauce, low moisture mozzarella, caramelized onions, bacon bits, mushrooms, olives, hot honey, basil, and pickled red onions. They used one of everything from each of the sponsored ingredients that were given from the tomatoes to the cheese, to all their seasoning needs. They found it extremely easy to stay within the budget given, especially since they used many sponsored ingredients. They even had extra money which they used to make lemonade and caramels!
Second Place Winners: JB & Trio
Winning them $750, they made a Korean inspired galbi pizza. On this delicious pizza, they had pickled jalapeño, fried onion, and garlic. While presenting they used a smoking gun to brush the tops of the pizzas with a delicious smokey flavor. They also used at least one sponsored ingredient from each company, especially the low moisture cheese. They said it was easy to stay within the budget because they used a ton of sponsored ingredients and their classes helped prepare them with being able to cost out everything properly.
Third Place Winners: The Mafia
Winning them $500, their creation was a caramelized onion and balsamic vinegar pizza. They used tomatoes for their sauce from our sponsors. They found it easy to stay within the budget given because of their practice of elevating simple ingredients to make them something special.
Personally, every team produced some amazing pizzas, and they were all delicious! Being able to share these experiences with my friends and fellow classmates—and cheering them on—makes coming to these events even more worth it.