Leeds chef scoops top prize at prestigious PAPA pizza awards with New York Cheese pizza - winning recipe

A chef from Leeds has scooped a top prize at the annual Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Industry (PAPA) Awards for his New York-style cheese pizza. Dan Hall from pop-up pizza business Mozzafella wowed the panel of celebrity judges with his ‘Pie in the Sky’ creation and scooped the winning prize in the Whitworth Bros New York Style category.

The prestigious PAPA event is widely regarded as ‘setting the industry standards in the pizza world. Celebrity judges and industry experts including celebrity chef Theo Randall, chef and restaurateur Enzo Oliveri, pizza chef Marco Fuso and product director Michael Eyre crowned Dan with his winning title this year.

Dan has been making pizza since 2017 when he bought his first pizza oven. In 2018 he launched Mozzafella as a pop-up pizzeria at a local farmers market which quickly expanded to bars and festivals, as well as doing private catering. And by 2019 he was awarded the Best Pizzeria in ‘The Food Awards - England’.

Last year his winning streak continued as he was crowned the coveted title of Pizza Chef of the year at the PAPA Awards, before taking another prestigious prize again this year.

Jim Winship, director at PAPA said: “The PAPA Awards is a calendar moment we all look forward to each year. A time when we’re always surprised and delighted by the creativity of the entrants.

“Winners are judged on innovation, commercial viability and, of course, taste across three categories. It was great to see Dan returning to take yet another award.”

In the future, Dan says he would like to own a ‘bricks and mortar venue, serving Neapolitan pizza but also showcasing different pizza styles throughout the world. He would also like to expand into consultancy and training as he enjoys sharing his knowledge and skills with people.

Mozzarella’s winning PAPA awards recipe

Ingredients

90% Whitworth Bros Strong Pizza Flour

1 x Crushed San Marzano tomato

1 x pinch of Granulated Garlic

1 x pinch of Oregano

150g x Mixed shredded cheese

1 x pinch Parmesan

1 x handful of Shredded basil

Method

Sauce Preparation

Crushed san Marzano with salt, oregano and granulated garlic.

Dough Preparation

63% hydration; 4 hours room temperature; minimum 24 hours cold/fridge.

Method

1. Stretch base and apply to screen
2. Top the dough first with cheese
3. With the sauce in a squeezy bottle, create a spiral of tomato on the dough
4. Bake
5. Post-bake, add the parmesan, a pinch of oregano and the shredded basil