Taiwan chef wins Italian pizza championship

2014-09-11

Taiwan chef Paul Huang cooked his way to first place in the traditional specialities guaranteed section of the 13th Pizzaiuolo World Championship Sept. 3 in Naples, Italy.

Nicknamed Chef 96 for his 1.96-meter height, Huang defeated other industry professionals from over 50 countries before an audience of 7,000 in the home of Neapolitan pizza. “I never thought that I would win,” Huang said. “I was really surprised.”

Huang’s route to the top has been unconventional. He studied mathematics at Soochow University, and only began making pizza four years ago after watching video of a Japanese pizza contest on the Internet.

Later, he was taken on as an apprentice by a local Italian restaurant where he was coached by chefs from Italy, Japan and Taiwan. He followed this up with a stint at a culinary school in Naples, and has been working in the Italian restaurant chain Salvatore Cuomo and Bar in Taipei since February.

The first indication of just how good Huang had become was in May when he won the Taiwan regional qualifiers for the competition.

Huang attributes his success to daily practice. “I always want to make the best for my customers. I pay as much attention to detail with a regular order as when I make a pizza for a competition,” he said.

Word of his victory has quickly spread, and the local maestro is swamped with requests to pose for photos with customers. Huang said he complies, but is bemused by the experience. “I do not feel that I am a celebrity. I am just an ordinary guy.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=221445&CtNode=413)