With 13 restaurants across South Africa, popular franchise, Piza Ē Vino, has become a household name, synonymous with fresh and authentic Italian food. Their success, and their signature, lies in the crafting of simple, traditional cuisine with a creative spin, making for boldly delicious, satisfying meals.
To this self-proclaimed, rigorously Italian restaurant, pizza is more than food. It is a way of life – something we can appreciate. Thus, it came as no surprise when, in 2019, they introduced a new passion project: The Ultimate Pizza Showdown, an annual pizza competition amongst Piza Ē Vino’s ‘pizzaiola’ team. The challenge requires Piza Ē Vino pizzaiolos to go head to head in a series of three knockout rounds to claim the title as the Pizza Hero.
According to Piza Ē Vino, the perfect artisanal pizza starts with quality ingredients, like our finely milled Farina ’00’ Flour. This is something that Piza Ē Vino take incredibly seriously. So much so, that for the last five years they have only used Millstone Farina “00” Flour to make fresh pasta and pizza bases. Simply put, because it is as finely milled as the flour traditionally used in Italy, providing the perfect texture for authentic pizza. As such, collaborating with Piza Ē Vino in The Ultimate Pizza Showdown was a no brainer.
For the challenge, we provided the pizzaiolos with aprons and caps in each round. We also sponsored prizes in the form of complimentary Millstone Farina “00” Flour, pizza stones, and the grand prize: a weekend trip for two to Durban.
Round one started off with 25 pizzaiolo contestants who were then whittled down to 12, and finally to 4 for the last round. During the final round, one contestant stood out for his style and creativity; Ernest Ndlovu. He was named Pizza Hero 2019 and awarded the grand prize, sponsored by Millstone: an all-inclusive weekend away for two in Durban, including a tour of the Millstone Flour Mill.
We are proud to have partnered with Piza Ē Vino in The Ultimate Pizza Showdown and, as two brands who work in synergy, we look forward to further collaborations.
As the year unfolds, it looks to be another promising one, with plans for 2020 The Ultimate Pizza Showdown well underway. For now, we look forward to welcoming Ernest to the home of Millstone Flour, this February where he will see first-hand the quality craftsmanship that goes into producing our finest creations.