Bellissimo Foods Company (BFC), the nation’s leading supplier of Italian and Mediterranean foods, announced a new partnership with Chef Leo Spizzirri.

BFC services more than 80% of all of the independent pizzerias in the United States under its proprietary brand, Bellissimo. “Sales of the Bellissimo brand have grown significantly in the last few years and we are excited that Chef Leo will be joining the Bellissimo team as a brand ambassador,” said BFC Founder and CEO Peter Thor. “Under our brand we offer restaurateurs a full line of authentic ingredients that not only meet their menu needs, but their business needs as well. Chef Leo will put us on the forefront of market and culinary trends.”

Chef Leo Spizzirri, who co-founded the North American Pizza & Culinary Academy in Chicago, is a certified pizzaioli and completed his studies at the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli in Italy under headmaster and world pizza champion Graziano Bertuzzo. Chef Leo is well-known in the industry for being a world-renowned chef and instructor.

The addition of Chef Leo puts Bellissimo on a different level in the foodservice industry—with renewed focus on not only the items themselves, but the foodservice operators who use them. Under Leo’s guidance, the Bellissimo brand will be firmly secured as the go-to Italian brand in the industry.

Chef Leo’s Pizza Culinary Academy in Chicago is the premier location in the U.S. for culinary pizza work. The school is outfitted with all the equipment one would need to test a variety of ingredients in any format. From oven variety to a temperature and humidity-controlled dough room, you can recreate any cooking condition available. Leo has provided many organizations an ideal location to test product and is eager to get to know the BFC supplier community.

Chef Leo will be making his Bellissimo debut at the 2020 Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. He will be holding multiple demonstrations at the Bellissimo booth no. 1769, including Detroit Style High Hydration Dough and Introducing the Bellissimo Napolitana “00” Flour. For a full lineup of demonstrations please visit Bellissimo.com.