On 26 February, the second “Latvian National Pizza Championship” was held in Riga, organised by the Latvian Chefs’ Club and food and delicatessen distributor Reaton Food, with the support of the Italian Embassy in Riga.
The event was promoted with the aim of enhancing and developing the skills and professional expertise of pizza chefs in Latvia.
Nineteen pizza chefs from different cities across the country took part in the competition. The competitors challenged each other in two disciplines: the preparation of the classic Pizza Margherita and “Pizza on the Peel” (pizza cooked on a peel).
The jury evaluated not only the taste and appearance of the final product, but also fundamental professional parameters such as work organisation, workstation management and compliance with cleaning standards during preparation.
The winner of the 2026 edition is Bella Napoli pizzeria in Riga, represented by pizza chef Jose Angel Bermudez Gil, who won the grand prize: a trip to Naples – the world capital of pizza – and participation in the professional course ‘Training Vera Pizza’ at the prestigious Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, to further perfect his training.
Second place went to Raivis Dembovskis (Frego Pizza), third place to Elvis Švītiņš (Stacija Vaivari) and fourth place to Artjoms Nazarovs (Cafe53).
This event confirms the growing quality and professionalism of the pizza sector in Latvia, strengthening the gastronomic and cultural ties between Latvia and Italy.
