Tony Gemignani is a pizza connoisseur who’s been making pizzas for over 31 years. Pizza dough, yummy sauce, melted cheese drooping over crispy edges–Tony is in love with it. He’s Italian; he grew up around food and learned how to make pizza from scratch. His brother opened a pizzeria at 21, and when Tony started working at the pizzeria, he knew pizza was also in his future.
Tony Gemignani is the chef and owner of several restaurants, mainly in California, but also has locations in Las Vegas and football stadiums, one being the San Francisco 49ers. Tony owns, operates, licenses, or franchises over 30 “concepts”–from kiosks to full-service restaurants and bars. His success didn’t come quickly–he took a long time to learn the craft truly, and it has paid off in dividends.
Tony Gemignani took 17 years before he opened his first restaurant. During that time, he tasted and crafted a lot of pizza. The pizza maker traveled to Italy and dined in Naples. “Pizza is personal. There’s always a story to tell. Have you been to Naples? Have you been there and felt it and [really] had a pizza?” Says Tony. Tony immersed himself in the world of pizza. He learned many styles: Neapolitan, Roman, Sicilian, Detroit, Classic American, Classic Italian, St. Louis, Chicago Style, Deep Dish, and so on. As Tony implied, pizza is more than food. It’s a feeling; it comes with people’s stories.
Because Tony Gemignani took the time to learn the art and craft of pizza, he was able to grow his passion for it. Like most kids, Tony fell in love with pizza early in his life. Many entrepreneurs might stop there, thinking their passion for their product is all they need. But instead, his love-fueled passion for the craft and pizza became his occupation. Tony learned everything there is to know about pizza and hasn’t stopped. He continues to immerse himself in the world of pizza.
Tony has received numerous accolades for his pizza making, including the prestigious 2007 World Champion Pizza Maker at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy. He was the first American and non-Neoploitan winner and a 13-time world pizza champion. Aside from his many awards, Tony was the first Master Instructor In the U.S. from the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli. Additionally, Tony teaches pizza making as the proprietor of the International School of Pizza, where he certifies chefs worldwide.
Tony Gemignani took entrepreneurship to the next level. He wanted to own and operate his restaurant when his brother first opened it, but ownership didn’t happen overnight. Tony advises being patient and remembering the path to success: “People might look at me now as this guy who has all these restaurants but back in the day, I had no business plan; it took me 17 years to get my first restaurant,” he says.
Tony is where he is today because of the hard work he put in for those 17 years. He’s opening more concepts, from locations in the Raiders Stadium to bakeries and a bagel shop. The pizza maker also franchises Slice House by Tony Gemignani (a fast-casual pizzeria with many locations in California and Las Vegas) nationally and internationally. He is in the talks of opening locations in India and Brazil, with several locations already slated to open in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Ultimately, Tony Gemignani is sharing his love with the world. He even wrote and published, The Pizza Bible, which outlines everything you need to know about at-home pizza-making.
