Chris Ostapenko Wins World’s Best Cheese Slice

If you’re like Kevin and think outsmarting Joe Pesci is cool, consider what it would be like to win a $5,000 big check for making the World’s Best Cheese Slice at the 2025 International Pizza Expo. In fact, Chris Ostapenko of Slice on Broadway makes a cheese slice so glorious, the city of Pittsburgh declared May 6, 2025, Slice on Broadway Day in his honor.

Ostapenko tells Pizza Today that he makes about 100 cheese pizzas on Friday nights at the shop, and he followed the same method in this year’s International Pizza Challenge. “The rules were simple: Make the best cheese pizza you can,” he says. “I made the pizza as I do every day in the pizza shop, and the results paid off.”

Chris Ostapenko of Slice on Broadway in Pittsburgh celebrates his World’s Best Cheese Slice Championship win with team mates at International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Slice on Broadway.

Those looking to follow in Ostapenko’s footsteps should know he’s worked at Slice on Broadway for 15 years. If that doesn’t intimidate you, you might be ready to follow his steps:

• Cold ferment pizza dough for 48 hours
• Use house-made tomato sauce
• Liberally apply a house blend of cheeses

“I think this pizza stood out because of the balance of the flavors that we try to accomplish between the dough, sauce and cheese,” he says of winning over judges and claiming the division trophy.

Following Ostapenko’s win in Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh community showed up to support him by ordering his award-winning cheese pie. “I made more pizza that weekend than I have in a while,” he says. “People were coming to try the World’s Best Cheese Slice!”

World’s Best Cheese Slice History and Rules

The International Pizza Challenge debuted the World’s Best Cheese Slice division at Pizza Expo 2024. Unlike some other divisions, World’s Best Cheese Slice has strict guidelines for competitors:

• No par-baking.
• Must use red tomato sauce.
• Only grated cheese and dry spices are permitted
• Once the pizza is in the oven, no toppings or drizzles can be added aside from olive oil

Contestants select their best three slices, which are presented to judges blind.

Andy Huynh Wins Inaugural Prize

Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

The first year the International Pizza Challenge opened its division devoted to World’s Best Cheese Slice, Andy Huynh brought home the trophy to Cowabunga+ in Hamilton, Ontario. As the owner of Cowabunga+, Huynh uses a sourdough starter and tops his cheese pizzas with marinara sauce, a Canadian mozzarella blend, Fior di Latte and oregano. Of course, only grated cheese is permitted during the competition.

Additionally, Huynh had to travel to Las Vegas with his pizza dough, some of which was packed in luggage lost by the airline, along with other ingredients. This left him without sufficient dough to compete for the coveted Pizza Maker of the Year award, which is open to division champions on the final day of Pizza Expo. Rather than rush the dough that needed to be ready the next day, the pizza maker asked a Cowabunga+ staff member to fly the pizzeria’s signature 72-hour fermented dough down from Canada.

“Luckily for us, we had a lot of support from our suppliers on the floor of the Expo. When we explained what happened, they were happy to give us some sauce and cheese,” Huynh tells Canadian broadcast station The News Forum. The baggage “landed about midnight Wednesday night, and by Thursday at 7 a.m., we were back on the floor competing again.”

Cheese Pizza Recipes

For a Truly elevated cheese pizza (pun intended), consider Chris Decker’s four-part pie featuring burrata cream and fried basil.

If you have a hankering for cheese pizza but are feeling fancy, Scott Wiener has the steps to create a four-cheese pizza Margharita soufleé.

Finally, you can’t go wrong with a classic cheese pizza. Yes, all for you.

The Great American Pizza Challenge

If you think you have what it takes to win a pizza competition, The Great American Pizza Challenge is taking place Oct. 26-27 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Information about the categories is available here.

In the meantime, happy National Cheese Pizza Day! May your cheese pulls be long and you always have Gouda luck!

The post National Cheese Pizza Day 2025 Falls on America’s Pizza Night appeared first on Pizza Today.

 NEW YORK (April 22, 2025) – A beloved New York City tradition came to a halt two years ago, when the iconic $1 cheese slice vanished – leaving a pizza-shaped hole in the city’s heart. But today, Seamless – the homegrown delivery service known for its unbeatable NYC restaurant selection and deals – is bringing it back.* From April 22 to May 20, New Yorkers can snag a legendary $1 cheese slice for pick-up by ordering on Seamless. To find a participating restaurant nearby, visit SeamlessDollarSlice.com.

A Staple of NYC Culture Returns

For generations, the $1 slice has been a thrifty indulgence, a lunchtime savior and a late-night snacking tradition. Whether scarfed down on a subway platform or enjoyed standing curbside, it was always there: hot, fast and satisfying. No frills, no forks, just you and a perfectly foldable slice.

“The $1 cheese slice is more than just pizza – it’s part of the city’s DNA,” said Howard Migdal, CEO at Grubhub, which owns Seamless. “As a company born in NYC, we know what this slice means to people. It’s about culture, convenience and that authentic NYC flavor. Simply put, it’s how New York eats. We’re proud to bring it back and celebrate the food culture that makes this city unlike anywhere else.”

How to Get a Slice of the Pie

Craving a classic? Head to SeamlessDollarSlice.com to explore more than 40 participating pizzerias across all five boroughs, including neighborhood favorites like Luigi’s Pizza, Rocco Pizza, 2 Bros. Pizza, Marinara Pizza, Krave Pizza, La Bellezza, Best Pizza, Ledo Pizza, Beverly Pizza & Cafe, Da Bianca Pizza, Rizzo’s Pizza and Patrizia’s Taverna. Just place a pickup order through Seamless. Limit one order per day during the campaign, with up to five $1 slices per order.

“I’ve watched this city change over the years, but nothing beats that look on someone’s face when they fold a hot $1 cheese slice and take that first bite, it never changes,” said the 2 Bros. Pizza Management Team, proudly serving New Yorkers for over 20 years. “Teaming up with Seamless gives us a chance to celebrate the $1cheese slice tradition with our loyal customers – and introduce a whole new generation to what makes New York pizza so special.”

Seamless Is Better Than Ever, Offering a Wealth of Unbeatable Deals

To reinforce its commitment to where it was founded, Seamless isn’t just bringing back the $1 cheese slice. The food delivery service is also bringing New York City diners unbeatable value on the best restaurants in the city. This includes zero delivery and service fees at participating restaurants and weekly doorbuster deals, up to 50% off orders of $30+, at legendary spots like Di Fara Pizza, Han Dynasty, Thai Villa, Adel’s Famous Halal Food and Katz’s Delicatessen.

For more information about Seamless and to check out the full list of must-try restaurants and current deals, visit Seamless.com or download the Seamless app.

*Pickup orders only. Subject to merchant and menu item availability. Discount applies to up to five plain cheese slices in one order. Promotion may be redeemed once per day. Available for a limited time only. Promotion applies automatically at checkout. To redeem, select the promotional item from the menu on a pickup order from a participating merchant. May not be combined with cash or certain other discounts. Offer and participation are subject to the Grubhub Terms of Use (including the Perks Terms of Use), available at https://www.grubhub.com/legal/terms-of-use Grubhub reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify any aspect of or the entirety of this offer, for any reason at any time, with or without notice, including, without limitation, if any fraud or technical failure impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the offer.

SOURCE: Seamless

The post Seamless Brings Back New York’s $1 Cheese Slice appeared first on Pizza Today.

National Cheese Pizza Day on September 5 calls to attention the quintessential holy trinity of pizza, the cheese pizza. It is the classic combination of cheese, red pizza sauce and crust. A cheese slice is what we use to measure pizzas from different pizzerias. It’s the basis to which all other pizzas are judged. The cheese pizza is a staple deserving of its own holiday. Pizzerias around the country demonstrate just how innovative and creative a cheese pizza can be on National Cheese Pizza Day.

People love cheese pizza so much that Extra Cheese is a Top 5 Pizza Topping. See what other toppings round out the Top 5 and even Top 10. 

Let’s crush on delicious cheese pizzas from pizzerias in the U.S.

Here are just a sampling of cheese pizzas that we, at Pizza Today, have had the amazing opportunity to try in America:

Williamsburg Pizza, Brooklyn, New York

Williamsburg Pizza, Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Josh Keown

Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut

Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut. Photo by Josh Keown

Scottie’s Pizza Parlor, Portland, Oregon

Scottie’s Pizza Parlor, Portland, Oregon. Photo by Josh Keown

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, Dallas, Texas

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, Dallas, Texas. Photo by Josh Keown

Razza, Jersey City, New Jersey

Razza, Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo by Josh Keown

Scarr’s Pizza, New York, New York

Scarr’s Pizza, New York, New York. Photo by Josh Keown

Pizza Jerk, Portland, Oregon

Pizza Jerk, Portland, Oregon. Photo by Josh Keown

Cheese Pizza Recipes to Honor National Cheese Pizza Day

Pizza Today has thousands of recipes in our online recipe collect. We’ve scoured the collection to bring you the best cheese pizza recipe for you to try.

First up is a cheese Grandma Pie. There is something about the Grandma pizza style that draws attention to that glorious whole-milk mozzarella. Here is a grandma pie recipe by World Pizza Champion and Pizza Restaurateur Tony Gemignani. Go to the recipe below.

Grandma Pie Recipe

Next, John Gutekanst wanted to great an elevated spin on a traditional cheese pizza. The Royale with Cheese uses a cheese blend of Feta, Asiago, Parmigiano, Gorgonzola and Provolone. Go to the recipe below.

Royale with Cheese Pizza Recipe

One of the best cheese pizzas we ever made in the Pizza Today Test Kitchen was an Upside Down Sicilian Pizza. This pizza changes up the placement of the mozzarella to be applied first then the sauce. This pizza was also created by the goat of the pizza industry Tony Geminani. It is dynamite. Get the recipe below.

Upside Down Pizza Recipe

Here are a few other spins on cheese pizza to give a try. (Don’t hate on the beer cheese and nacho cheese!)

Four-Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza

Beer Cheese Pizza

Nacho Cheese Pizza

The Best Cheese Pizza in the World

Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

We felt so strongly about the role of the cheese pizza that we debuted a Division for The World’s Best Cheese Slice in the International Pizza Challenge at the 2024 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

The Cheese Slice competition has strict criteria. In IPC’s newest division, competitors provided the dough, traditional red tomato sauce (only), cheese/cheese blend and spices. NO par-baking. Once the pizza enters the oven ONLY a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (infused or not), grated cheese & dry spices after baking are acceptable; NO other drizzles, toppings, cheeses, or work on the pizza is allowed once the pizza enters the oven. This division is open to all crust styles.

Find more International Pizza Challenge 2024 winners.

Share Your National Cheese Pizza Day With Us

We want to see what you are doing for National Cheese Pizza Day. Tag Pizza Today on your favorite social media channels!

The post September 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day appeared first on Pizza Today.

Whenever I go to a new pizzeria, the first thing I order is a classic cheese slice or pie. Not only is it my daily go-to slice, but it is also how I determine just how a place measures up. In my mind, if you can’t get the basics right, there isn’t a very good foundation to be creative with. The mozzarella, and if you’re getting fancy, Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano that a pizzeria chooses says a lot about them. Once you do master your perfect plain slice, there are so many options to explore with cheese. 

The type of cheese you decide to use can really make or break a pizza. It can add tons flavor and texture depending on what direction you want to take. Certain cheeses, such as ricotta, can be paired with a wide range of things. It’s creamy, light texture is a fantastic vehicle for everything from seasonal fruits and greens to garlic, caramelized onions, olives and salty meats. Then there are cheeses with more distinct flavors like the blue veined variety. They pair great with sweet or slightly salty things. Think prosciutto, dried cherries and fig jams. Here are a few of my current favorite pies:

• Stracciatella, mozzarella, peaches, arugula, prosciutto and extra virgin olive oil
• Roquefort, mozzarella, honey and pistachios with fresh flowers
• Cotija, mozzarella, Anaheim green chiles, fresh corn, red onion and cilantro
• Manchego, mozzarella, Iberico ham and olives
• Ricotta, spinach, garlic, olive oil, basil, mozzarella, Pecorino and Castelveltrano olives

Before deciding on a cheese to use, it’s important to understand what makes each type of cheese unique. Moisture levels play an important role since cheese is categorized by its firmness. Higher moisture content results in a softer cheese and lower moisture content results in a firmer, densely packed cheese. While there are thousands of types of cheese, they can be broken down into six categories: fresh cheese, soft cheese, semi-soft cheese, semi-firm cheese, hard cheese and blue-veined cheese. 

A few important things to keep in mind when choosing a cheese:

Type of Milk

Milk is always the base of cheese but what animal it comes from drastically changes the flavor of it. Cow’s milk tends to have a creamy, sweet flavor and is usually the mildest. Sheep’s milk is tangier and grassy, and goat’s milk has a gamey flavor to it without the buttery sweetness of cow’s milk. 

Aging

Depending on how long cheese is aged can radically change its flavor. A perfect example is Parmigiano Reggiano. While all true DOP versions of this cheese have a sharp, complex flavor, a 12-month Parmigiano Reggiano will be lighter in flavor and smoother in texture than a 36-month-old wheel. The longer it’s aged the more intense the favor and more granular the texture becomes. 

Country of Origin

Many cheeses can only bear a certain name if they are produced in a certain region using strictly controlled methods. Manchego is a good example of this. It is produced from the milk of the Manchego sheep in La Mancha wilderness of Central Spain. 

Best Uses

Especially when it comes to pizza, I like to use different cheeses at different stages making a pie. Certain ones are fantastic base cheese and others the perfect finishers. 

Deciding when to add a cheese will also affect how it interacts with other ingredients. If you want the flavors to meld with your base, then add them before the pie goes in the oven. However, if you’re looking to have them round out the pizza or shine on their own, add them after they come out of the oven. One of my favorite finishing cheeses is Stracciatella. I love this post-bake because you can really discern the creamy, rich flavor and texture as opposed to adding it before where those elements are simply baked out. Another is Piave. Piave is an Italian cow’s milk cheese kind of similar to Parmigiano Reggiano but with a smoother, nutty flavor. Pecorino is also a great finisher. I know a lot of pizza makers who finish every single pizza with this hard cheese. It rounds out the pizza and adds a little sharp flavor that perks your taste buds and combines really well with tomato sauce. Then there are some cheeses which go great at any stage: Gorgonzola, goat cheese, ricotta and feta.

So, what are great base cheeses? Mozzarella is of course my top pick. Not only because it is the classic pizza cheese, but a mozzarella offers up the perfect flavor and texture to build upon. It is creamy with a slight hit of saltiness that allows you to build upon without getting in the way of other more dominant flavors. With mozzarella as a base, you can make everything from a Street Corn Pie to S’mores Dessert Pizza. 

When choosing a mozzarella for your base there are a few different options. You can go with straight up whole milk, my personal preference. Whole milk mozzarella offers a rich, creamy mouth feel with a little extra grease. Personally, I think it bakes better on the pizza and I love how it mixes with our sauce. Part skim has a lower butterfat content, melts evenly and has a fantastic stretch. So, if you’re looking for the Insta-worthy cheese pull, part-skim is for you. Then there is what a lot of cheese companies identify as East Coast blend which is comprised of 50 percent whole milk and
50 percent part-skim. 

Blends are also a great option. Some of the more popular are mozzarella and provolone, mozzarella and Asiago, and mozzarella and cheddar. Different regional pizza styles use specific base cheeses or blends which will change the base flavor profile. 

Detroit pizza uses Wisconsin Brick cheese. It is a semi-soft cheese with a high fat content that is similar to cheddar with a mild flavor. Coal-fired or New Haven-style pizza traditionally uses dry mozzarella. On St. Louis style pies, it is typical to find Provel, which is a processed white cheese consisting of cheddar, Swiss and provolone. Neapolitan pizza is made with fresh mozzarella or Buffalo mozzarella. 

As you can see, it’s always fun to experiment outside of your comfort zone. Find whatever base cheese you love and build your pizza from there. You have countless options. Don’t be afraid to reach out to local cheese makers, it’s most likely just as good as any imported cheese depending on what you’re looking for and where you’re located. 

Summer Corn Pie

This pizza features Cotija cheese, which is a Mexican cow’s milk cheese. It is crumbly, salty, moist and very addictive.

Get the Summer Corn Pizza recipe.

Audrey Kelly is the owner and pizzaiola at Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

The post Cheese Pairing Pizzas: Cheese, Pleeeeze appeared first on Pizza Today.