The Hot Slice
The Hot Slice brings you inspiring stories, strategies and lessons learned from successful pizzeria professionals and top experts. This podcast is hosted by the team at Pizza Today, the premier network for pizzeria professionals. We’re bringing our award-winning interviewing and 37 years as a trusted pizza restaurant partner to the airwaves with real, in-depth conversations with pizzeria owners, champion pizza makers, industry pros and others to help make your business better.
The Hot Slice
317. Confiscated Ingredients, Broken Ovens, One World Championship Pizza with Carmela Williams
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How do you win a world pizza championship with a pie you'd never fully made before? On this episode of The Hot Slice, presented by Pizza Today, we sit down with Carmela Williams of Antonio's Italian Ristorante in Elkhart, Indiana, fresh off her world champion title in the Americana division at the Caputo Cup in Naples, Italy.
It was Carmela's first time competing internationally, and almost nothing went according to plan. Airport officials confiscated her ingredients. Her hotel had no prep space or refrigeration. The competition ovens swung wildly from 320 to nearly 600 degrees. So, she improvised, blending mozzarella with scamorza she'd never worked with and leaning on instincts sharpened by her restaurant's 70-year-old Blodgett ovens.
Here's what you'll take away:
- How she built a winning pizza on the fly under real pressure
- Dough and cheese decisions that held up when conditions didn't
- Why her family legacy (father Paul and sister Gemma are also world champions) shaped her competitive mindset
With 14 years in the industry, Carmela also breaks down the operational philosophy behind Antonio's: open four days a week, no reservations, first-come, first-served. It's a candid look at craft, grit, and running a pizzeria your way.
Show Notes:
Check out a fun look at her competition attempt: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZx3TUiJQ4J/
Follow Antonio’s Italian Ristorante at https://www.antoniositalian.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/antoniositalianelkhart/
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