--- title: "Pizza Expo 2026: What Mattered in Las Vegas" description: "The 42nd International Pizza Expo drew 10,000 pros and 500 exhibitors. Here's what the results and the coverage say about where the craft is heading." canonical_url: https://ovenscars.com/articles/pizza-expo-2026-highlights/ author: "Oven Scars Editorial" publisher: "Oven Scars" section: "Events & Community" date_published: 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z tags: ["pizza expo", "events", "competition", "community"] word_count: 440 reading_time_minutes: 5 license: "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 — cite as \"Oven Scars\" and link the canonical URL" --- # Pizza Expo 2026: What Mattered in Las Vegas *The 42nd International Pizza Expo drew 10,000 pros and 500 exhibitors. Here's what the results and the coverage say about where the craft is heading.* **Operator takeaway:** The competition results are a free R&D report: pan and Detroit-adjacent styles are surging, and the winning shops treat competition as marketing. Budget for one industry event in 2027 — the education pays for the badge. The 42nd International Pizza Expo ran [March 24–26 at the Las Vegas Convention Center — 500+ exhibitors, more than 10,000 pizza professionals, 40 seminars, 13 workshops, and 12 live demos](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260305686855/en/International-Pizza-Expo-Conference-Returns-to-Las-Vegas-March-2426-2026), with a speaker bench running from Tony Gemignani and Mike Bausch to Michelin-starred Wylie Dufresne. Oven Scars wasn't on the floor this year — this recap is compiled from the published results and coverage, and we're flagging that up front. Next year we will be. ## The competition results are a trend report Read the [International Pizza Challenge results](https://pizzatoday.com/news/2026-international-pizza-challenge-winners-at-pizza-expo-official-list/617047/) like market data and two things jump out. First, Montreal came to win: Mirko D'Agata of Pizzeria No. 900 took **Pizza Maker of the Year** (and the Pan division), while his No. 900 colleague Patrice Desmeules won Traditional. One shop, two divisions — that's a program, not luck. Second, [Carmine Candito of Miami's 'O Munaciello won Best of the Best](https://pizzatoday.com/news/carmine-candito-wins-best-of-the-best-at-pizza-expo-2026/617240/) with a 55.06, the highest score reported at the show. Best of the Best: Carmine Candito, 'O Munaciello (Miami) · Pizza Maker of the Year + Pan: Mirko D'Agata, Pizzeria No. 900 (Montreal) · Traditional: Patrice Desmeules (No. 900) · Non-Traditional: Frederico Santos, Square Pizza Co. (San Diego) · Neapolitan: Loredana Passariello, La Leggenda (Miami Beach) · Best Cheese Slice: Kevin Moreira, Boa Bakery (Ontario). Full list at [Pizza Today](https://pizzatoday.com/news/2026-international-pizza-challenge-winners-at-pizza-expo-official-list/617047/). The pan-style momentum matches what the surveys say — [Detroit style cracked the national top five for 2026](https://pizzatoday.com/news/2026-pizza-industry-trends-report/615558/). The judges and the market are voting the same way. In the [World Pizza Games](https://pizzatoday.com/news/world-pizza-games-2026-official-results/617128/), Spain's Francis Tolu took the Masters acrobatic title, Michigan's David Whisker folded a box in 19.5 seconds, and Pittsburgh's Caliente Pizza & Draft House swept the Pizza Triathlon podium — led by Matt Hickey, who also stretched a 98.55 cm dough. Silly? Slightly. But every winner's shop just earned a year of local press worth more than the flight to Vegas. ## Why events belong in your budget The Expo isn't alone: the [Pizza Tomorrow Summit expanded to three days in Orlando](https://totalfood.com/pizza-tomorrow-summit-florida-restaurant-show-2025/) on demand, and the [World Pizza Championship returns to Parma each spring](https://campionatomondialedellapizza.it/eng/home?lang=eng) drawing 700+ competitors. A trade show badge buys three things a pizzeria can't get at home: side-by-side equipment comparisons before a five-figure purchase, technique sessions from operators who've solved your exact problems, and the reminder that this is an industry, not just a job. Steal the play, not the trophy: enter one competition in 2027 — regional counts. Win or lose, document it; the story is the marketing. And if you're weighing an equipment purchase over $10K, time it to a show where every vendor is in one room and negotiating against the booth next door. ## Sources cited - https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260305686855/en/International-Pizza-Expo-Conference-Returns-to-Las-Vegas-March-2426-2026 - https://pizzatoday.com/news/2026-international-pizza-challenge-winners-at-pizza-expo-official-list/617047/ - https://pizzatoday.com/news/carmine-candito-wins-best-of-the-best-at-pizza-expo-2026/617240/ - https://pizzatoday.com/news/2026-pizza-industry-trends-report/615558/ - https://pizzatoday.com/news/world-pizza-games-2026-official-results/617128/ - https://totalfood.com/pizza-tomorrow-summit-florida-restaurant-show-2025/ - https://campionatomondialedellapizza.it/eng/home?lang=eng --- Published by [Oven Scars](https://ovenscars.com/) — Industry · Culture · Craft. Editorial standards: https://ovenscars.com/editorial-standards/.