MADISON, Ala. — Tops in toppings. A mozzarella maestro. A man who shows dexterity and deftness with dough. No matter how you slice it, a Madison man has made his family and hometown proud by winning an international pizza making competition.
Joe Carlucci is co-owner and head pizza chef at Valentina's Pizzeria on Huntsville Brownsferry Road. This past March, Carlucci attended the invite-only Pizza Maker of the Year International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, along with a list of competitors, all of whom have won the title of Pizza Maker of the Year in previous conventions.
For the title of Pizza Maker of the Year, chefs were given a basket of secret ingredients, a la the food competition program Chopped. The basket contained pineapple, pork belly, and red onion.
Carlucci's, creation, a red sauce-based pie with mozzarella, seared pork belly, caramelized pineapple, and red onions topped with mint, bowled over the judges and earned him the coveted title.
"I have been in the industry for 25+ years and have been competing for most of them," Carlucci told industry website Pizza Today. "I have failed more times than I can count, but I kept pushing forward."
Carlucci runs Valentina's, named after his daughter, with General Manager Camryn Suggs, who won Best in the Southeast for a non-traditional pizza with an au poivre sauce topped with provolone, mushrooms, burgundy and filet mignon.
Valentina's opened in 2020, before which Carlucci tried other restaurant concepts and operated a food truck selling pizza and hot dogs.