Internationally acclaimed Perth Pizza Maker, Theo Kalogeracos, has taken out the ‘World Champion Master Maker’ title in a Mystery‐Box Pizza Bake‐Off at the 2013 Las Vegas International Pizza Expo last month.Competing against the World’s Best Pizza Maker title‐holders from the last four years, Kalogeracos wowed the judges with his mystery‐box creation.
The four champion competitors were each given a ‘mystery‐box’ with the four same ingredients – sundried tomatoes, pears, rocket and prosciutto – which had to included on their pizzas. There was another box with 40 additional ingredients to select from. Once the ingredients were revealed, each competitor had approximately 20 minutes to prepare, bake and serve their pizza creation to the judges.
Kalogeracos’ winning creation was inspired by a cheese‐board – his winning pizza included pears, creamy cheese sauce, crispy prosciutto and sundried tomatoes, topped with crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts, fresh rocket and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
It was a tremendous victory for Kalogeracos, who was invited to the 2013 Expo as a judge. He was ineligible to compete in the regular competition, having beaten over 50 competitors in 2010 for the Best Non‐ Traditional Pizza title with his Strawberry Fields creation and going on to win the mystery‐box creation challenge in the same year to take out the 2010 World Champion Pizza Chef title.
Back in Australia, Kalogeracos was happy he was given the opportunity to compete again.
“It is such an honour to be asked to judge at the Expo, to meet and mentor other talented and enthusiastic pizza chefs from around the globe, but my real passion is creating – so it was brilliant that they put on a Master Maker Mystery Box competition,” Kalogeracos said.
The win caps off a busy year for Kalogeracos, who released his second cookbook Theo & Co Take 2 – The Search for the Perfect Pizza Continues in August 2012. This book follows‐on from his 2008 sell‐out, Theo & Co – The Search for the Perfect Pizza.
Kalogeracos also operates three Little Caesars pizza restaurants in Perth and has recently taken his Theo + Co pizza products brand global, launching his Pizza Perfector countertop pizza oven into Asia and America.
“They say love is the universal language – well I say pizza is the universal food! Everyone loves pizza and if an Australian‐born Greek, from Perth, who married into an Italian family can take out the title of World Champion Master Pizza Maker – then I think that proves it!” Kalogeracos said.
