Domino's Pizza Crowns 'World's Fastest Pizza Maker'
ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- And then there was one! Dough flew as 15 finalists from around the world competed today for the title of "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" in Domino's Pizza's annual competition. The winner, Dennis Tran, a Domino's regional director from Gaithersburg, Maryland made three one-topping large pizzas in an impressive 55.0 seconds. That's making three pizzas in just over 18 seconds each! Tran won a $10,000 cash prize ($5,000 from Domino's Pizza and $5,000 from his franchisee), a trophy and the coveted title.
"Anything other than first was not an option and I proved it today," said Dennis Tran, World's Fastest Pizza Maker. "Winning means the world to me."
The finalists represented Domino's Pizza stores from around the world, as far away as India. They had to hand-stretch fresh dough, sauce and top three large pizzas - one pepperoni, one mushroom and one cheese - in the fastest time. While speed was important, it was only part of the recipe. Quality was scrutinized as two judges highly qualified in Domino's Pizza standard pizza- making practices inspected the stretching of the dough, application of the sauce and portioning of toppings during the competition. If the pizza was not perfect, it was returned to the competitor who remade the entire pizza, while still being timed.
Domino's began the "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" competition in 1982 to honor pizza makers who best exemplify the company's philosophy of keeping efficiency in the store to allow sufficient time for safe, timely pizza delivery. Regional competitions, held across the world, determined the finalists.
"Domino's is proud to employ the best pizza makers in the world, which was once again proven at this competition," said David A. Brandon, Domino's Pizza's chairman and chief executive officer. "The competition underscores our commitment to get hot, great-tasting pizzas to our customers' doorstep faster than any others."
Runners up included Mustafa Habib from California who took second place with a time of 55.6 seconds and Pali Grewal from England who took third place with a time of 1 minute.
The "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" competition was held on the heels of the Domino's Red Carpet Awards, the company's annual honoring of its stellar employees and franchisees worldwide.
About Domino's Pizza
Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery. Domino's is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "DPZ." Through its primarily franchised system, Domino's operates a network of 8,079 franchised and Company-owned stores in the United States and more than 50 countries. The Domino's Pizza(R) brand has been named a Megabrand by Advertising Age magazine, and had global retail sales of nearly $5.0 billion in 2005, comprised of approximately $3.3 billion domestically and $1.7 billion internationally. Domino's Pizza has been named "Chain of the Year" by Pizza Today magazine, the leading publication of the pizza industry and is the "Official Pizza of NASCAR(R)." More information on the Company, in English and Spanish, can be found on the web at http://www.dominos.com/ .
Chef2Chef News Desk