COLUMBUS, OH, February 16, 2011 – The eighth-annual North America Pizza & Ice Cream Show (NAPICS) will be held Feb. 20 and 21, 2011, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The event is projected to attract a national audience of approximately 4,500 pizzeria and ice cream shop operators. NAPICS is a show for pizza and ice cream professionals – owners, managers and operators – and provides a forum for meeting a variety of food and equipment vendors while networking with peers and learning from experts. NAPICS will feature exhibits and demonstrations of new products and equipment, and seminars and workshops covering tried and true “how to” procedures and innovative methodologies.
Approximately 200 exhibitors will demonstrate the latest advances in equipment for pizzerias and ice cream shops and will provide samples of new food products, including a variety of products for Italian dishes, coffees and dessert items, as well as pizza and ice cream.
Educational offerings will also be held during the show. This year, the Ohio Restaurant, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, CareWorks Consultants, Inc. and RiskControl360° are teaming up to offer a “Back-of-the-House” safety seminar. The seminar will be held on February 21, 2011 from 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. in Room E172. The free course, which satisfies BWC’s two-hour training requirement, was designed specifically for the restaurant industry. The course will address how back-of-the-house safety processes and effective safety training can help keep down the costs of running a successful business.
Registration is $70 per person after Feb. 16, 2011 or on-site. Visit www.napics.com to register. The show is open Feb. 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Feb. 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. NAPICS is a trade only event and not open to the public. No one under 14 will be admitted.
Pizza Pizzazz is Primo
The 17th annual North America Pizza Pizzazz, the longest running pizza-making competition in the United States, will feature competitors vying for a cash prize of $6,500 each in gourmet and traditional categories plus $1,000 media assistance package. The gourmet competition kicks off at 9 a.m. Feb. 20 and the traditional competition does likewise at 9 a.m. on Feb. 21, both in the Greater Columbus Convention Center on the NAPICS exhibition floor.
Awards are announced daily for each competition at 3:30 p.m. Annually, more than 100 contestants (50 in each division) compete in first-round bake offs with the top six in each category continuing on to the championship rounds where they again prepare their original entry. A panel of judges rules on appearance, marketability and taste.
Student Chefs Perform
The eighth annual Ohio ProStart® Student Invitational will be held Feb. 20-21, 2011 at NAPICS in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The event, only for Ohio ProStart schools, is the premier competition for high school culinary arts students in Ohio.
