Davide Lubrano lives and breathes pizza. As the co-owner of two Pizzata Pizzeria locations in Philadelphia, the soon-to-be 40-year-old pizza maker trained with some of the best of the best in Italy after growing up a third-generation pizzaiolo from Naples. Now, his hard work has paid off in a way he always dreamed of—being crowned a champion at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas.
Lubrano doesn’t have to look beyond his pizzerias’ four walls to find a pizza competitor as accomplished as him—fellow co-owner Vinny Gallagher won the same event in 2019. It appears the Philly-based shops just became the first ever to have two in-house International Pizza Challenge division champions.
The annual three-day tournament saw Lubrano compete against some of the best pizza makers in the world, and on Thursday, March 27, the Philadelphia pizzaiolo was crowned winner of the Best Roman-Style Pizza category. Lubrano also earned second place overall for Pan Division, which is categorized as “any pizza made in baking trays such as Detroit style, square pans, Roman style, etc.”
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Lubrano’s winning pizza was topped with organic mixed wild mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, portobello, cremini), organic leeks, low-moisture mozzarella, prosciutto cotto Italian ham, stracciatella, pickled mushrooms in oil, chives, aged Parmigiano Reggiano and truffle caviar pearls. One of Pizzata Pizzeria’s locations, in South Philadelphia, will be offering the pizza for one day only, April 17.Â
Gallagher won the same event at the International Pizza Challenge in 2019, which is where the two business partners met (though at that point they were competing in different categories). Lubrano calls that meeting the original start of the Pizzata story.
“We are so happy and very proud to represent Philly—a city that has shown us nothing but love since we first came here,” said Lubrano. “We have put in so much work into our dough and on this pizza, and to come out a champion makes all the hard work worth it. I want to thank my brother, Ciro, and my business partner, Vinny, for always believing in me and for always being by my side. Without them, none of this would’ve been possible. I also have to thank Massimiliano Saieva, my Roman-style instructor, for just being an incredible human, mentor, and friend.”
Lubrano’s winning pizza finished with a score of 54.23 from the judges, nearly three whole points higher than the second-place finisher. All pizzas were judged blindly and scored on a scale of 1-10 by an expert panel of judges. The sub-categories included assessments of the crust, sauce, cheese, toppings, bake, overall taste, creativity and appearance, depending on the division, with an emphasis on the culinary attributes.Â
In addition to the victory at this year’s International Pizza Challenge, Lubrano, Gallagher and Ciro Lubrano were all nominated to be part of the World Pizza Champions, the competitive team directed by Tony Genigmani and company. “All three of us have big things in store for us with this nomination, which is incredibly hard to get as they only choose a small number of pizza makers each year,” Lubrano said. “[Gemignani] and his entire group have been incredible, and we’re so grateful to the whole group for bringing us along and immediately making us feel welcome in Las Vegas.”
In June, the Pizzata team will also be competing at the Caputo Cup (also known as the Trofeo Caputo), a prestigious pizza-making competition in Naples, Italy.
Pizzata Pizzeria has two locations, including one at the corner of 22nd Street and Rittenhouse Sq., which opened in October 2020, as well as Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria at 1700 East Passyunk Ave., which opened in February 2024. Pizzata is now the home of two International Pizza Challenge champions, a Philadelphia magazine Best-of-Philly award and a number of other recognitions. The pizza brand has a fitting motto: “crust the process.”Â
Pizzata features traditional New York-style pizza, as well as salads, paninis, toasts, desserts, and more, while Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria has a much larger menu, with appetizers, pastas, entrees, a full bar which hosts “one of the best happy hours in Philadelphia” and more. The restaurant’s happy hour features a laundry list of items priced at $8, including personal pizzas, many appetizers and more. The restaurant features eight beers on tap, with another 60 or so in cans and bottles. The beverage menu also includes red, white and rose wines, and an array of cocktails. Both locations are open seven days a week.
Lubrano earned his pizza knowledge by being classically trained at both the Roman Pizza Academy and Pizza Master Italian Academy while living the life of a third-generation pizzaiolo from Naples, Italy, since he was four years-old. Lubrano’s brother, Ciro, founded La Scala’s Birra in 2016. La Scala Birra eventually transitioned into Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria in 2024. Ciro Lubrano has an extensive portfolio running local restaurants including Caffe Aldo Lamberti in New Jersey.
Gallagher is a self-taught, San Francisco natural-leaven dough freak who won the 2019 USA Caputo Cup and was featured in the New York Times for his work. Pizzata means “pizza party” in Italian and symbolizes how the three owners, brothers, and friends think pizza should be eaten—with a group of your favorite people.
