Gemignani was born in Fremont, California, to Frank and Eileen Gemignani. He grew up on his family's farm, he is a third generation Italian American.[4]
Gemignani graduated from Washington High School in Fremont,[5] and later worked at Pyzano's, his brother Frank Jr.'s restaurant in Castro Valley, California, in 1991.[6] Gemignani began his pizza tosser[7] career while at Pyzano's as a way to entertain customers and to show the quality of the dough to diners.[8] He competed all over the world, winning 8 world champion titles for pizza acrobatics between 1995–2007, and earning himself the nickname of the "Michael Jordan of Pizza Throwing".[9] Gemignani traveled the world for 16 years, competing, working in others' kitchens, and learning about regional styles of pizza.[10]
Gemignani formed the World Pizza Champions in 2005, which is made up of over 60 team members who have each earned the highest awards in the pizza industry, along with television appearances, Guinness World Records, and respect as leading professionals and pioneers in the pizza industry.[11]
In 2007, Gemignani took the title of "World Champion Pizza Maker" at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy.[12] Gemignani was the first American and non-Neapolitan to ever take this title.[13] Gemignani is the first and only Triple Crown winner for baking at the International Pizza Championships in Lecce, Italy, meaning, he won three first place titles in one competition.[14]
Restaurants
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco, CA.
Gemignani opened his first restaurant, Tony's Pizza Napoletana, in July 2009, with partners Bruno DiFabio and Nancy Puglisi, in San Francisco's North Beach. The restaurant has 7 pizza ovens.[15]
Tony's Pizza Napoletana is recognized as one of the city's best pizzerias. Along with being named "The Best Pizzeria in America" by Forbes magazine,[16] the restaurant has received multiple accolades in a number of publications, both local and national, including Zagat,[17]USA Today,[18] The San Francisco Chronicle,[19]The Huffington Post,[20]Food and Wine,[21]Travel + Leisure,[22]Fox News,[23] and others.
New York Style Slice, the Purple Potato Pesto at Tony's Coal-Fired Pizza and Slice-house in San Francisco.
Opening in 2010, Gemignani took ownership of an adjacent deli.[24] Seeing this as an opportunity to serve more styles of pizzas like classic New York style slices, Sicilian, and California style slices, along with Chicago Beef Sandwiches and other deli favorites, the slicehouse allowed people to enjoy Gemignani's pizza without the infamous wait times usually seen at his flagship restaurant.[25]
Since the opening in North Beach, Gemignani has expanded his slice house concept to include concessions stalls in Oracle Park & Chase Center, as well as multiple locations in California and Nevada under the name Slice House by Tony Gemignani.[26][27][28] Tony G's Super Delicious Pizza is Tony Gemignani's newest slice house concept in Meridian, Idaho, with its delivery only concept under Crave Delivery.[29]
Pizza Rock
Pizza Rock's iconic Semi-Truck, outfitted with a DJ Booth.
In 2011, Gemignani, Hewitt and Karpaty opened Pizza Rock in Sacramento California, with a focus on rock 'n' roll and great pizza. Pizza Rock offered many of the same items as Tony's Pizza Napoletana but featured events such as Acoustic Brunch and live DJs performing from a custom Peterbilt truck.[30][31] Pizza Rock permanently closed in Sacramento, California on July 29, 2020 as a result of declining sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[32] Pizza Rock is still open in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. Pizza Rock has received accolades in a number of publications, including the Sacramento[33] and The Chew.[34]
Capo's
Capo's 2016 award winning pizza, The Crown Point.
Gemignani's Chicago-style pizza and whiskey bar, Capo's, opened in November 2012 just two blocks away from Tony's Pizza Napoletana; it was designed to feel like a prohibition era speakeasy.[35] The restaurant invites family style dining, serving four styles of Chicago-style pizza: Deep Dish, Stuffed, Cast Iron Pan, and Cracker Thin; along with Southern Italian dishes. Favorite items include the Quattro Forni, a thick, square cut pizza cooked in four ovens that is a variation on a pizza baked in three ovens that won Gemignani an international championship;[36] The Dillinger and The Crown Point, Cast Iron Pan pizzas, that won the World's Best Pan Pizza and the Best of the Best at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas in 2014 and 2016, and subsequently earned Chef Matt Molina the title of Pizza Maker of the Year in 2014 and Best of the Best Champion in 2016.[37][38][39]
Tony's of North Beach
Gemignani's Award Winning Margherita Pizza at Tony's of North Beach in Rohnert Park, California.
Opened in 2013 at the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, California, Tony's of North Beach offers many styles of pizzas made by Tony Gemignani. The menu offers eight kinds of pizzas made in three different kinds of ovens, family-style pasta dinners, sandwiches, and salads.[40]
International School of Pizza
Tony and instructor Laura Meyer with a class of graduating students of the International School of Pizza.
Gemigani is the first certified Master Instructor in the United States.[41][by whom?] He opened the International School of Pizza and the United States School of Pizza under the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli. Gemignani and his fellow instructors certify students from around the world, and the certifications come direct from Italy with strict guidelines and theory followed from the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli.[42][43] Gemignani also offers non-professional home chef courses, designed to teach home cooks how to make restaurant quality pizza in their own kitchens.[44] In 2023, Gemignani closed the International School of Pizza to focus on his numerous other pizza ventures.
Retail
Tony outside of Giovanni Italian Specialties in North Beach, San Francisco.
Giovanni Italian Specialties opened in October 2017, Tony brought an "old-world Italian specialties shop" to the neighborhood of North Beach.[45] Giovanni Italian Specialties offers fresh pasta, specialty cooking tools, cook books, and offers focaccia and piadina daily.[46]
Tony Gemignani’s California Artisan Type 00 Pizza Blend flour is made by Central Milling.[47]
Filmography
Books
Tony Gemignani at his restaurant Tony's Pizza Napoletana for The Pizza Bible release party on October 21st, 2014 with Susie Heller, Steve Siegelman, and Jacques Pépin.
Gemignani has authored three books:
Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza (Chronicle Books, July 28, 2005)[54]
Tony and the Pizza Champions (Chronicle Books, March 4, 2009)[55]
^"Cirque du Pizza: The Art of Pizza Acrobatics". Great Big Story. CNN.
^"Sin City Eats". Cooking Channel.
^Gemignani, Tony (2005). Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811845540.
^Gemignani, Tony (2009). Tony and the pizza champions. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811861625.
^Gemignani, Tony (2014). The Pizza Bible. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1607746058.
^Avoral, Linda (2018-11-30). "Port wine pizza?! Tony Gemignani wins a 13th title with this one". The Mercury News. The Mercury News. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
^Palmer, Tamara (2016-04-21). "This American Chef Just Won First Prize in Italy's Pizza Championship: Here's Where to Try His Pies". Bravo TV. Bravo TV. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p"Tony Gemignani 11 time world pizza champion". World Pizza Champions. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
^"Tony Gemignani from Legends of Pizza". Legends of Pizza. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^"Largest pizza base spun in two minutes". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^Cox, Jeff (2013-12-14). "Cox: Superstar of Pizza". Press Democrat. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^"Longest Pizza". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
^"San Francisco sets new world record for pizza dough tossing". abc7News. 2014-06-29. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
External links
Official website
Tony Gemignani at IMDb
"About the World Pizza Champions: Tony Gemignani". World Pizza Champions. 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
"MORE~ About the World Pizza Champions | Tony Gemignani". World Pizza Champions. 24 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2021.