10 cool things we learned at the Canadian Pizza Summit 2018

1.     The Canadian Pizza Summit is a great place to catch up with friends and make new connections (photos of Gius and friends, floor photos)

2.     Top pizzeria must-haves for millennial customers include delivery, access to other foods besides pizza and ingredients that are locally sourced – as found by a survey conducted by Abacus Data in partnership with Canadian Pizza. (photo of David Coletto)

3.     Just because the delivery landscape is changing doesn’t mean you have to change what you are doing for delivery. Mike von Massow of the University of Guelph recommended pausing to look at what customers are ordering through delivery platforms. Maybe there is an opportunity to tweak or add to your own menu to give customers more of what they are looking for.

4.     Deep-dish is a thing in Canada! Dean Litster’s self-described Windsor-style grandma pie showed attendees the art behind the deep-dish and won him the title of Chef of the Year in the Open division. (dean photo)

5.     A plant where Ford cars were finished 100 years ago is a great place to finish pizzas! (faema car and other photos, Joe) #faema

6.     It might be time to update the traditional Margherita – Giuseppe Cortinovis won the Traditional division with a Margherita pizza updated to suit new tastes and more widely available ingredients. (giuseppe photo)

7.     Competitors can be friends – Participants in our Great Pizza Box Fold-Off cheered each other on in the friendliest competition of the day! (foldoff photo)

8.     It’s a family affair! Independent pizzerias in Canada more than anything symbolize family and a strong community! The Lorefice family, headed by Enza and Carmine, run Trecce in Toronto, and are a great example of that spirit of family! (Lorefices)

9.     Pizzeria owners need to be strong advocates for the interests of their businesses when looking to lease a property, said Dale Willerton of The Lease Coach, who talked about common mistakes owners make when leasing. (photo of Dale)

10.  Competition facilitator Chef Michael Bou-Younes loves the adrenalin of competition! (photo of Michael)