Normal’s Pizza Payaa was recognized as one of the top pizza makers in the world at the International Pizza Expo last week in Las Vegas.
In a competition of more than 780 contestants, Adam Elpayaa’s Detroit-style pizza was awarded 2nd place overall in the style and finished 5th place overall in the Pan Pizza category.
The award-winning pizza will hit the menu on April 1 in the Uptown Normal location.
“This is only my second time competing, and to place at this level against the best pizza makers in the world is incredibly rewarding,” said Elpayaa. “At the same time, it motivates me to keep refining and come back even stronger next year.”
Elpayaa prepared his dough and ingredients at the restaurant in Normal before leaving for the competition. It required a three-day fermentation process and flying the dough and ingredients in a cooler on the way to the competition.
It was not the restaurant owner’s first experience in competition. Elpayaa has served as a judge and guest speaker at previous Pizza Expo events and has twice competed in the Twin Cities' Vegan Chef Challenge.
This year, Pizza Payaa will celebrate its seventh year in business in Bloomington-Normal.
