(April 2, 2007) Doug Ferriman, owner of Crazy Dough's Pizza in Boston, Mass., won the prestigious Pizza of the Year award at Pizza Festiva XV, a pizza recipe competition sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board and Pizza Today magazine. For creating his winning Mission di Parma pizza, which featured several kinds of Real California Cheese and black Mission figs, Ferriman took home a gold medal, a $5000 prize and a trophy.
"The response to this pizza has been off the charts," Ferriman said of his winning pie. "The secret is in the dough, which we flavor with hickory and applewood and cook right on the grill. California Blue cheese and Mozzarella give it a nice blend of tastes on top, and the figs add a soft, sweet finish."
Ferriman is no stranger to the Pizza of the Year award - this is his second time taking home the prize. In 2004, Ferriman won for his Nutty Tuscan Pizza, which is topped with caramelized onions, roasted garlic, plum tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and California Blue cheese and Mozzarella. He is the second two-time champion in the history of the competition.
Nearly 100 pizza recipes from across the country were submitted to this year's Pizza Festiva competition. Five finalists were selected on the strength of their recipes and preliminary taste tests. A panel of five judges evaluated the finalists on the basis of taste, creativity and appearance, as well as pragmatic concerns such as marketability, practicality and potential value to Pizza Today readers.
Pizza Festiva took place at the International Pizza Expo held in Las Vegas from March 20-March 22. Now in its 23rd year, the International Pizza Expo is the largest and oldest pizza trade show in the world, and this year hosted more than 1,000 booths and 6,000 pizza manufacturers, restaurateurs, distributors, equipment manufacturers, marketers, promoters and other industry insiders.
California is the nation's leading milk producer and also produces more butter, ice cream, yogurt and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese and is home to more than 50 cheesemakers who produce 250 varieties and styles. For more information on California cheese, visit www.RealCaliforniaCheese.com.