Fabrizio Busso Wins 2025 Canadian Pizza Chef of the Year

The heat was on at this year’s Canadian Pizza Summit in Calgary, where top chefs from across the country fired up their best pies for a shot at the national title.

After a day of bold flavours and creative flair, one pizza rose above the rest.

Photo (hero image): Winning pizza La Coppa d’Oro (The Golden Cup) from Fabrizio Busso
Photo (left to right): Judges Carlo Raillo, Wayne Rempel, Wanda Baker, Cory Medd

Topping the Competition

The Canadian Pizza Summit took place in Calgary on July 21, 2025, bringing together top pizzaiolos from across the region to compete for the title of Canadian Pizza Chef of the Year West. After a fierce (and flavourful) battle, it was Fabrizio Busso, of Autentico Pizza & Co. who claimed the top prize with La Coppa d’Oro (The Golden Cup) – a pizza rich in symbolism, storytelling and craftsmanship.

A tribute to Busso’s Italian roots and his Canadian present, the pizza was a celebration of seasonality and terroir. Featuring a robbiola cream base, coppa “capicollo” from Piedmont, smoked Alberta cheddar, hot honey-glazed peaches, arugula pesto with bergamot olive oil, and crushed Piedmont hazelnuts, it blended bold texture and flavour on a slow-fermented, double-baked crust made with Red Fife flour and “00” Autentico Blend. It was as technically impressive as it was delicious.

Aaron Gehrman of Emilio Finatti Pizzeria in Langley, B.C. took second place with Brisket Bash, a smoky, tangy, hearty creation loaded with Alberta beef brisket done two ways, two barbecue sauces, coleslaw, corn salsa and freshly made cornbread croutons drizzled with hot honey.

Third place went to Justin Tanada of Cowabunga Pizzeria from Hamilton, Ontario with Justin’s Competition Pizza, a crowd-pleaser topped with crispy pepperoni, creamy ricotta, and fresh basil, showing off big flavours and skilled execution.

Congratulations to all the competitors who brought creativity, flavour and skill to the table with their delicious one-of-a-kind creations.

Busso now heads to Las Vegas to compete in the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo – and we’ll be cheering him on every step of the way.

Learn more: Canadian Pizza Magazine (https://www.canadianpizzamag.com/).