By Brian Hernandez
A member of PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team emerged as the best dessert pizza maker in the world at the recent Pizza Senza Frontiere in Rimini, Italy.
For the USPT, it was a strong showing all around at this world-stage throwdown inside SIGEP WORLD’s Pizza Arena, with hundreds of competitors from numerous countries and 17 categories that can humble you in public if you show up underprepared. The USPT showed up anyway and came home with a gold, a bronze, and a stack of finishes that could make the highlight reel of your favorite local sports broadcast.
The Rimini roster included Sean Dempsey of Dempsey’s Brewery Pub & Restaurant (Watertown, SD); Giovanni Labbate of Tievoli Pizza Bar (Palatine, IL); USPT Culinary Coach Chef Vitangelo Recchia of Bella Napoli Pizzeria & Restaurant; George and Patti Taylor of Taylors’ Pizza House; USPT Team Captain Tore Trupiano and his son Damiano Trupiano of Mangia e Bevi; plus Craig Allenbaugh and Deserai Satullo of Sauced Wood Fired Pizza & Catering.
Let’s start with the sweetest headline: Dempsey captured first place in the Dessert category with his Carrots & Cream Dessert Pizza, a carrot cake cheesecake dessert pizza that managed to be both bold and disciplined. The concept was comfort-classic flavors, thrown like a clean one-two and finished with championship-level control.
“I used a fermented dough ball, added carrot cake batter, golden raisins and shredded carrots, then cooked it at 620 for 4-5 minutes,” Dempsey said. “After that, I added dollops of New York-style cheesecake batter, crushed walnuts and pistachios, a drizzle of warmed cream cheese frosting, and lemon zest.”
And because dessert pizza can go sideways fast if you chase sugar instead of balance, Dempsey kept the goal clear. “I didn’t want it to be too sweet,” he added. “I wanted to really make it about the actual carrot cake, with a touch of New York cheesecake. But fun side note: My carrot cake pizza has a 1/2 cup of pureed pineapple in it. Not sure if I should mention that.”
He didn’t stop at dessert gold, either. Dempsey placed 7th in Mystery Box, and he partnered with George Taylor to earn a top-10 finish in Pizza & Wine, with Taylor heading the pizza component of the pairing.
On the podium, Giovanni Labbate of Tievoli Pizza Bar (Palatine, IL) took third place in Pizza & Beer pairing, and he wasn’t shy about what made the entry sing. “We’re so excited to share this with everybody,” Labbate said. “We made a classic New York artisan pizza topped with San Marzano sauce, mozzarella, toma, truffle cheese cup and char, pepperoni, herbed-ricotta, peppadew peppers, fresh mozzarella, and then the touch of truffle, honey and Parmigiano Reggiano. It just cooked perfectly.”
Now let’s talk about a result that deserves more shine than it often gets in recaps: In a first-time international outing, Deserai Satullo placed 4th in Pizza Fritta, a competition environment that didn’t exactly make it easy for visiting teams.
The trip also marked first international outings for Patti Taylor of Taylors’ Pizza House and for Craig Allenbaugh of Sauced. This event also doubled as a personal milestone for Allenbaugh and Satullo, who became newly engaged during the trip. And if you want a perfect snapshot of what competing overseas can feel like, Allenbaugh gave it to us in plain language: “Overall it was a good experience,” he said, “but there were some hurdles we did not expect. No refrigeration, no provided utensils, no ice, and definitely the language barrier, but we made it work!”
That’s the real story behind the medals and placements. You can prep and practice all year, but Rimini teaches its own lessons the moment you arrive.
Also bringing home world-level finishes were USPT Team Captain Tore Trupiano of Mangia e Bevi, who earned 7th in Classica and a top-10 finish in Gluten Free, and USPT Culinary Coach Chef Vitangelo Recchia of Bella Napoli Pizzeria & Restaurant, who took 8th in Pizza in Pala. Add in Damiano Trupiano competing alongside his dad, plus the Taylors representing Taylors’ Pizza House, and the picture gets clearer: This wasn’t just a trip, it was a team effort across categories, styles, and experience levels.
“It’s safe to say, today was a good day,” Dempsey concluded.
