The Pizza Tomorrow Summit and the Florida Restaurant Show, held recently at the Orange County Convention Center, delivered a high-energy, well-attended event that brought together nearly 5,000 pizzeria, restaurant and hospitality professionals. Over three packed days, 300 exhibitors across 600 booths showcased the latest products, technologies and trends shaping today’s foodservice industry.
With nonstop exhibits, competitions, demos, and expert-led education, the co-located events served as a dynamic hub for networking, learning, and business growth. PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team was a key contributor to all that action, hosting the Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup & Acrobatic Trials, featuring both pizza-making contests as well as dough-slinging heroics from the country’s leading “pizzathletes.”
“What makes this event truly special is the community it brings together. From independent operators to national brands, and from rising chefs to seasoned industry veterans, everyone arrived ready to learn, collaborate, and celebrate this incredible field,” said Glenn Celentano, partner and CEO of Restaurant Events, producer of the events. “The demand for our expanded three-day format proved incredibly successful this year, reinforcing just how valuable this gathering is for the industry. We’re proud of the platform we’ve built and grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s Pizza Tomorrow Summit and Florida Restaurant Show our most impactful yet.”
“We had an amazing time at the Florida Restaurant Show and Pizza Tomorrow Summit in Orlando catching up with current foodservice providers and meeting so many new ones! We couldn’t have asked for a better placement alongside our friends Stanky Sauce and spreading flavor all around the Culinary Innovation Theater together,” said Todd Pierson from Todd’s Curry Sauce.
“These shows are massively impactful to the hospitality industry. It brings leading vendors and restaurateurs together to connect directly with the technology shaping their businesses. That face-to-face access is incredibly important. It’s a great show with great exposure, and we truly value the community it creates,” said Patrick Ford, CEO, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill and Incoming President, FRLA Central Florida Division.
This year’s free education program showcased an expanded lineup of speakers and sessions addressing the most pressing opportunities and challenges in the industry. Designed with the needs of restaurant and pizzeria operators in mind, the sessions covered a wide range of relevant topics including digital marketing, customer engagement, food and beverage trends, leadership, operational efficiency, and financial strategies.
Among the standout sessions were the Catering Panel Discussion—featuring top Florida caterers Bill Hansen, Warren Dietel, and Kevin Lacassin, moderated by Sara Webber of CFE News—and the Restaurant Owner’s Panel, which included Chau Nguyen of Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, Ralph Lewis of Okeechobee Steakhouse, and Santiago Lopez of Divieto Ristorante, moderated by Darren Denington, founder of Service with Style.
The Culinary Innovation Theater, powered by Unox, drew large crowds with live demos from top culinary talent including Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark—Top Chef winner and Netflix’s Next Gen Chef co-star—as well as prominent Disney chefs Daniel Contreras (Animal Kingdom), Matthew Eiler (BoardWalk), and Noah Estabrook (Grand Floridian Resort & Spa). Additional highlights included Daniel Clark, PhD, with Certified Angus Beef, who presented a live beef top sirloin demonstration. The beef was then used in the Rapid-Fire Competition Powered by Unox, with winner Canadian Chef Graham Schneider.
In partnership with the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Central Florida Chapter, two ACF-sanctioned, live-action competitions were held. ACF judges included Past ACF Presidents Reimund Pitz, CEC, CCE, AAC, HOF, and Louis Perrotte, CEC, AAC, HOF and judge Steve Jayson, CEC, AAC. The competitions included:
- The Mystery Basket Fruit & Vegetable Carving: The winner was Maria Yolanda Diaz from Mayodi’s Fruit Carvings and Displays.
- The Cake Decorating Competition: The winner was Khari Santiago from Smallcakes Cupcakery.
A signature feature of the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, the Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup drew more than 50 competitors vying for $15,000 in prizes. The grand prize—a trip to compete in the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy—was awarded to Alejandro Burgaleta of The Pizza Point Miami, whose Classica division pie earned top honors. For more information about the Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup or the U.S. Pizza Team, contact Brian Hernandez at [email protected]. Click here to view the full list of winners.
