“It didn’t take long for Chris DiFabio to realize that this was truly a competition. ‘Everyone was pretty tense,’ said Chris, a freshman at Ridgefield High School. ‘I noticed right away that the other competitors weren’t talking to me or anyone else.’ Chris wasn’t describing the scene at a soccer tournament or a piano competition or even a spelling bee. No, this was the North American Pizza and Ice Cream Show, which took place Jan. 29-30 in Columbus, Ohio,” reported the Ridgefield Press.com. “But neither the atmosphere nor his age — he was the youngest competitor by 15 years — fazed Chris, who was making his first appearance at a pizza contest. Competing in a field of 40-plus contestants, Chris finished 11th on the first day and ninth on the second day, beating mainly pizza business professionals.”

“Among that group was his dad. ‘I go to three or four competitions a year and usually make the finals (top five each day), but Chris beat me both days,’ said Bruno DiFabio, who owns a group of pizza restaurants, including Pinocchio Pizza in Wilton and New Canaan. ‘For a young kid in his first competition, he really did well.”’