By Brian Hernandez
Walk the floor at the Pizza Tomorrow Summit or any major pizza event, and you’ll notice that some of the busiest people aren’t necessarily the ones competing. They’re teaching classes, demonstrating products, answering technical questions, developing recipes or helping another operator troubleshoot a problem that’s been driving them crazy for months. More often than not, those people wear a U.S. Pizza Team (USPT) logo somewhere on their chef coat. That’s no coincidence.
Over the years, a growing number of USPT members have become brand ambassadors for some of the pizza industry’s biggest names. This year alone, Mike Pitera of Pizza a Modo Mio expanded his role with DeIorio Foods as executive chef and brand ambassador. Meanwhile, Sean Dempsey of Dempsey’s Brewery Pub & Restaurant joined the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) as a Real California Milk chef ambassador as well as representing Performance Food Group and Shamrocks Edelweiss LLC.
They join a growing list of USPT members serving as brand ambassadors throughout the industry, including USPT Culinary Coach Vitangelo Recchia of Bella Napoli Pizzeria & Restaurant in Port Charlotte, Florida, who represents Marra Forni and Pizza University & Culinary Arts Center; Jon Garland of Saccone’s Pizza in Austin, Texas, who works with Lisanti Foods and PizzaCloud; Michael “Wolf” Athanasopoulos of The Lamb and the Wolf, an ambassador for Galbani Professionale and Devanco Foods; and Gino Rago, Lenny Rago and Bruno Brunetti of Panino’s Pizzeria, who have represented Galbani Professionale, Margherita Meats and other industry brands for years.
Different brands may sell different products, but they all seem to be looking for the same type of person: someone who has earned the respect of fellow operators and enjoys helping others grow and improve.
For Mike Pitera, the opportunity started with solving his own problem. After moving from New York to South Carolina and opening a food truck, he needed a dough program that could keep up with his growing business. That search led him to DeIorio Foods long before the company ever became a USPT sponsor. “I developed a relationship with them about four years ago,” Pitera says. “I was making my own dough when I moved to Charleston. I didn’t have a kitchen then. I needed some help, so I found DeIorio. From building that relationship, we eventually built one with the U.S. Pizza Team, leading to DeIorio sponsoring the team. They saw the value of working with talented pizzaioli from across the country.”
Today, Pitera demonstrates DeIorio products at trade shows, consulting with pizzerias and helping operators improve everything from dough consistency to overall kitchen operations. “It’s exciting to be able to help a business become better at something I love to do,” Pitera says. “I get to share what I’ve learned from fellow pizzaiolos, my teammates on the USPT and others from across the country. Now I have the opportunity to pass those experiences along and teach others the same way I was taught.”
As Pitera expanded to multiple locations, he realized great recipes weren’t enough if every store couldn’t produce the same product every day. So the relationship with DeIorio has proven crucial for Pizza a Modo Mio in that respect. “In order for me to grow, I need consistency, and I want to be able to trust that everything is being done right with all of my locations. I can’t be at four locations at the same time.”
Sean Dempsey’s path to becoming a Real California Milk chef ambassador followed a different route but reached the same destination. After building relationships through CMAB events and competitions, he was invited to join the ambassador squad earlier this year. His responsibilities include trade show appearances, recipe and content development, and helping operators better understand California dairy products. For Dempsey, however, the opportunity isn’t simply about representing a brand. It’s about continuing to learn.
“I think it will give me a better, more fully versed understanding of everything cheese,” he says. “Creating more [digital] content is going to make me a better creator, and it’s going to help me become fully immersed in California cheese.” He also hopes the experience will allow him to bring more knowledge back to fellow operators and teammates.
Dempsey’s advice to operators hoping to earn similar opportunities is refreshingly simple. Don’t start by asking for sponsorships. Build relationships first. “You should start by sorting out which brands align with your core values,” he advises. “When you post, tag the company. When you’re at trade shows, find their booth and try to make some connections. Another great option is competing. It’s a lot easier to get your name out in the pizza world if you are at these competitions and making those connections.”
As an ambassador for Marra Forni and instructor at Pizza University & Culinary Arts Center, pizza education is something USPT Culinary Coach Vitangelo Recchia has built an entire career around. Recchia believes too many operators chase recipes when they should be learning principles. “My role is to help operators understand the entire pizza system—how flour, fermentation, dough temperature, workflow, baking and equipment all work together,” he says. “An oven is just a tool. Without understanding the process behind it, even the best equipment can only take you so far.”
That philosophy shapes every class he teaches. Rather than asking students to duplicate his pizza, Recchia wants them to understand why pizza behaves the way it does. “My goal isn’t for someone to leave saying, ‘I can make Vitangelo’s pizza.’ It’s for them to leave saying, ‘Now I understand my own pizza.’ To me, that’s real education.”
When asked what advice he’d give operators hoping to become ambassadors themselves, Recchia’s answer had very little to do with becoming an ambassador at all. “Don’t chase titles. Chase excellence,” he says. “If you become known for your integrity, your consistency and your willingness to elevate others, the opportunities will eventually find you.”
That mindset also explains why so many USPT members continue to be sought after by manufacturers and suppliers throughout the industry. Whether they’re representing dough, cheese, ovens, ingredients, software or distribution partners, the common thread is a willingness to teach, learn and give back to the pizza community.
According to James Viti, vice president of marketing and product development for DeIorio’s Foods, the qualities that make someone a successful competitor are often the same qualities that make them an effective ambassador. “We’re looking for ambassadors who bring more than name recognition,” Viti says. “Mike Pitera represents everything we value in a partner. He’s a respected educator who’s earned the trust of operators, and when he recommends a product, it comes from real-world experience. That’s why U.S. Pizza Team members are so valuable. They use these products every day, compete at the highest levels and are constantly pushing the craft of pizza forward. For us, it’s a partnership built on expertise, innovation and trust.”
Regardless of the logo on the chef’s coat, the job description remains remarkably similar. The best ambassadors aren’t there to deliver a sales pitch. They’re there to answer questions, solve problems, teach techniques and help fellow operators become more successful. That’s something USPT members were already doing long before anyone ever called them brand ambassadors.
