• For the third consecutive year, Franco Pepe retained Number 1 in the international pizza world, as the virtual unveiling of the highly anticipated The Best Pizza Awards 2023 captured international attention this Sunday evening.

 

• The Best Pizza Experience Award has also gone to Franco Pepe of Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo as the Nº#1, for providing a perfect service in the dining room and creating an exquisite pizza experience.

 

• On November 20, the annual Gala for The Best Chef Awards 2023 will set the stage in Yucatán, México, where Franco Pepe, along with fellow laureates of The Best Awards 2023, will shine.

 

• This year, he reaffirms his status as an exceptional pizzaiolo by ascending for the third time to the top spot in this latest ranking.

 

Caiazzo, September 25th. For the third consecutive year, Franco Pepe retained Number 1 in the international pizza world, as the virtual unveiling of the highly anticipated The Best Pizza Awards 2023 captured international attention this Sunday evening. It was an event marked by distinctive excitement. The Best Pizza Experience Award has also gone to Franco Pepe of Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo as the Nº#1, for providing a perfect service in the dining room and creating an exquisite pizza experience.

“It’s a great thrill to receive this award from The Best Chef Awards and Top 100 Pizza because, in addition to the esteemed international culinary critics who voted for us, many important chefs and fellow pizzaioli chose us as the best in the world. A thousand thanks!”, expressed Franco Pepe, very excited by this recognition.

Italian pizzaioli emerged triumphant, claiming the top spots in both the rankings and the list of special accolades ( Francesco Martucci and Gabriele Bonci hold the second and third positions, respectively). On November 20, the annual Gala for The Best Chef Awards 2023 will set the stage in Yucatán, México, where Franco Pepe, along with fellow laureates of The Best Awards 2023, will shine.

Franco Pepe has been no stranger to success, having clinched the prestigious pizza category special prize in both the 2021 and 2022 editions of The Best Chef Awards. This year, he reaffirms his status as an exceptional pizzaiolo by ascending for the third time to the top spot in this latest ranking.

Pepe stands as one of the foremost personalities in the realm of pizza. His culinary journey began under the tutelage of his father, Stefano, who had a deep affinity for the local countryside. Carrying the legacy of two generations, Franco Pepe approaches pizza with a distinctly avant-garde sensibility. In 2012, he opened Pepe in Grani, a venue that melds experimentation, artisanal craftsmanship, education, hospitality, and a profound connection to the territory. Over the years, this project has flourished, rooted in a passion for dough and the creation of pizza masterpieces that encapsulate the flavors of the Alta Caserta region in Italy.

 

About Franco Pepe

Franco Pepe is considered the most famous Italian pizzaiolo in the world. The dough is in his DNA. His grandfather was a baker, his father was a pizzaiolo, and he and his brothers continued in the family business. Famous for his unique dough, and for his dedication to elevating the art of pizza making, his popularity began with an article by Jonathan Gold, a Pulitzer Prize-winning gastronome who wrote in the American edition of Food & Wine magazine, “I’ve probably had the best pizza in the world from Franco Pepe.” From then on, he became the most-voted pizzaiolo in Phaidon’s “Where to Eat Pizza” guide, in which chefs indicate their favorite places to eat in the world.

Franco Pepe stars in one of the episodes of the Netflix series Chef’s Table: Pizza and has been named Ambassador of the Mediterranean Diet in the World, Ambassador of Caiazzo in the World, Ambassador of Taste and Ambassador of Territory. He has also been recognized as Pizzaiolo of the Year by “Food and Travel”, “Pizza Awards Italia”, The Best Chef Awards 2021 and 2022, and Master of the Art and Craft of Pizza by the “Scuola Internazionale di Cucina italiana ALMA”, among others.

 

About Pepe in Grani

Pepe in Grani, a pizzeria located in Caiazzo, a small town of 5000 inhabitants a few kilometers from the province of Caserta, is the place where Franco Pepe welcomes 400 customers and prepares 800 pizzas per day. Pepe in Grani’s project is based on the research and selection of the raw material and the human factor, where he experiments and integrates among other themes and modalities: the frying technique, the electric oven, the structure of the equipment, and the scientific contribution. His pizza is based on innovation but starts from tradition. He enhances the dough with a special mix of flours produced especially for him, a key part of his elaboration. He is very meticulous in the selection of local ingredients. His goal is to share with the world, through his pizza, the flavors, and stories of his territory.

 

The voting process

The complete list, created based on the 2022 and 2023 selections, was voted on with active participation from the Pizza Chefs themselves and a group of selected professionals. Along with the vote for The Best Pizza Top100 list, the voters decided the winners for 7 new Special Awards, by voting for their “Bests” in 7 different categories. For the Top100 list, each person can vote for 10 Pizza chefs, choosing from a drop-down list and using a point system ranging from 10 to 100. For the special award, each voter can vote for two Pizza chefs – the first will be awarded 100 points, the second 50 points. Pizza Chefs cannot vote for themselves. Once the survey has been completed and submitted, it cannot be changed. The Best Chef organization has no access to the results until the voting period has ended. All votes are registered in the system and verified.

 

Images HERE

More about The Best Pizza Chef 2023 in this LINK

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