*Gold Cup Acrobat – International Pizza Makers Challenge, Lecce, Italy 2008
*Best Pizza USA – World Pizza Championships, Salsomaggiore, Italy 2008
*Silver Medal "Team Acrobatic" Salsomaggiore, Italy 2005
*Bronze Medal "Pizza Acrobatic" Salsomaggiore, Italy 2005
*Gold Medal / 1st Place Pizza Champions Challenge Food Network 2006
*Gold Medal / First Place – Master of Champions (ABC TV)
*Gold Medal/1st place World Pizza Cup Naples, Italy Best Pizza STG/Neapolitan category
Website
www.tonygemignani.com
Early life and careeredit
Gemignani was born in Fremont, California, to Frank and Eileen Gemignani. He grew up on his family's farm, he is a third generation Italian American.[4]
Gemignani graduated from Washington High School in Fremont,[5] and later worked at Pyzano's, his brother Frank Jr.'s restaurant in Castro Valley, California, in 1991.[6] Gemignani began his pizza tosser[7] career while at Pyzano's as a way to entertain customers and to show the quality of the dough to diners.[8] He competed all over the world, winning 8 world champion titles for pizza acrobatics between 1995–2007, and earning himself the nickname of the "Michael Jordan of Pizza Throwing".[9] Gemignani traveled the world for 16 years, competing, working in others' kitchens, and learning about regional styles of pizza.[10]
Gemignani formed the World Pizza Champions in 2005, which is made up of over 60 team members who have each earned the highest awards in the pizza industry, along with television appearances, Guinness World Records, and respect as leading professionals and pioneers in the pizza industry.[11]
In 2007, Gemignani took the title of "World Champion Pizza Maker" at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy.[12] Gemignani was the first American and non-Neapolitan to ever take this title.[13] Gemignani is the first and only Triple Crown winner for baking at the International Pizza Championships in Lecce, Italy, meaning, he won three first place titles in one competition.[14]
Restaurantsedit
Tony's Pizza Napoletanaedit
Gemignani opened his first restaurant, Tony's Pizza Napoletana, in July 2009, with partners Bruno DiFabio and Nancy Puglisi, in San Francisco's North Beach. The restaurant has 7 pizza ovens.[15]
The Original Slicehouse & Coal-Fired Pizza by Tony Gemignaniedit
Opening in 2010, Gemignani took ownership of an adjacent deli.[24] Seeing this as an opportunity to serve more styles of pizzas like classic New York style slices, Sicilian, and California style slices, along with Chicago Beef Sandwiches and other deli favorites, the slicehouse allowed people to enjoy Gemignani's pizza without the infamous wait times usually seen at his flagship restaurant.[25]
Since the opening in North Beach, Gemignani has expanded his slice house concept to include concessions stalls in Oracle Park & Chase Center, as well as multiple locations in California and Nevada under the name Slice House by Tony Gemignani.[26][27][28] Tony G's Super Delicious Pizza is Tony Gemignani's newest slice house concept in Meridian, Idaho, with its delivery only concept under Crave Delivery.[29]
Pizza Rockedit
In 2011, Gemignani, Hewitt and Karpaty opened Pizza Rock in Sacramento California, with a focus on rock 'n' roll and great pizza. Pizza Rock offered many of the same items as Tony's Pizza Napoletana but featured events such as Acoustic Brunch and live DJs performing from a custom Peterbilt truck.[30][31] Pizza Rock permanently closed in Sacramento, California on July 29, 2020 as a result of declining sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[32] Pizza Rock is still open in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. Pizza Rock has received accolades in a number of publications, including the Sacramento[33] and The Chew.[34]
Capo'sedit
Gemignani's Chicago-style pizza and whiskey bar, Capo's, opened in November 2012 just two blocks away from Tony's Pizza Napoletana; it was designed to feel like a prohibition era speakeasy.[35] The restaurant invites family style dining, serving four styles of Chicago-style pizza: Deep Dish, Stuffed, Cast Iron Pan, and Cracker Thin; along with Southern Italian dishes. Favorite items include the Quattro Forni, a thick, square cut pizza cooked in four ovens that is a variation on a pizza baked in three ovens that won Gemignani an international championship;[36] The Dillinger and The Crown Point, Cast Iron Pan pizzas, that won the World's Best Pan Pizza and the Best of the Best at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas in 2014 and 2016, and subsequently earned Chef Matt Molina the title of Pizza Maker of the Year in 2014 and Best of the Best Champion in 2016.[37][38][39]
Tony's of North Beachedit
Opened in 2013 at the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, California, Tony's of North Beach offers many styles of pizzas made by Tony Gemignani. The menu offers eight kinds of pizzas made in three different kinds of ovens, family-style pasta dinners, sandwiches, and salads.[40]
International School of Pizzaedit
Gemigani is the first certified Master Instructor in the United States.[41][by whom?] He opened the International School of Pizza and the United States School of Pizza under the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli. Gemignani and his fellow instructors certify students from around the world, and the certifications come direct from Italy with strict guidelines and theory followed from the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli.[42][43] Gemignani also offers non-professional home chef courses, designed to teach home cooks how to make restaurant quality pizza in their own kitchens.[44] In 2023, Gemignani closed the International School of Pizza to focus on his numerous other pizza ventures.
Retailedit
Giovanni Italian Specialties opened in October 2017, Tony brought an "old-world Italian specialties shop" to the neighborhood of North Beach.[45] Giovanni Italian Specialties offers fresh pasta, specialty cooking tools, cook books, and offers focaccia and piadina daily.[46]
Tony Gemignani’s California Artisan Type 00 Pizza Blend flour is made by Central Milling.[47]
^Gemignani, Tony (2005). Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811845540.
^Gemignani, Tony (2009). Tony and the pizza champions. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811861625.
^Gemignani, Tony (2014). The Pizza Bible. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1607746058.
^Avoral, Linda (2018-11-30). "Port wine pizza?! Tony Gemignani wins a 13th title with this one". The Mercury News. The Mercury News. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
^Palmer, Tamara (2016-04-21). "This American Chef Just Won First Prize in Italy's Pizza Championship: Here's Where to Try His Pies". Bravo TV. Bravo TV. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ abcdefghijklmnop"Tony Gemignani 11 time world pizza champion". World Pizza Champions. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
^"Tony Gemignani from Legends of Pizza". Legends of Pizza. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^"Largest pizza base spun in two minutes". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^Cox, Jeff (2013-12-14). "Cox: Superstar of Pizza". Press Democrat. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^"Longest Pizza". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
^"San Francisco sets new world record for pizza dough tossing". abc7News. 2014-06-29. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
"About the World Pizza Champions: Tony Gemignani". World Pizza Champions. 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
"MORE~ About the World Pizza Champions | Tony Gemignani". World Pizza Champions. 24 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2021.