The Kraft Heinz Pizza Battle

Pizza reigns supreme as one of Canada’s favourites. Though the formula is basic—dough, sauce, cheese and toppings—making a pizza takes culinary skill—and the right ingredients. The Chef Collective and Kraft Heinz staged the Pizza Battle, in which four teams competed in front of judges and an enthusiastic crowd. Kraft Heinz was proud to sponsor the event, held at Queen Margherita Pizza in Toronto. SEE OUR VIDEO

The judges evaluated each entry on taste, originality, use of a secret ingredient, preparation and presentation. Teams 1 and 4 met in the finals. “It was great to see such passion and creativity during this battle,” says Thomas Heitz, Kraft Heinz Corporate Chef. “Pizza is such an ideal canvas for originality, and diners today prove time and again how open they are to exciting flavour combos.”

Competitors chose from a wide assortment of ingredients. Kraft’s rich portfolio of cheeses guaranteed delivery of a true pizza experience. Allegro Pizza Sauces, Kraft Pizza Mozzarella Cheese and Kraft Asiago and Parmesan Cheeses set things up for signature sauce and cheese combinations. For a unique spin, drizzles added huge impact. “We drizzled Renée’s Lemon Dill Aioli over our pizza in Round 1,” says Natalie Lam, blogger from Team 1. “It was amazing and really pushed the pizza over the top.”

In the first round, Team 1 (Pasquale Ponticiello, chef; Natalie Lam, blogger) faced Team 4 (Denis Guiol, chef; Anh Trinh, blogger). Lamb was the secret ingredient. Team 1 won with their Lamb Pizza with Basil and Lemon Dill Aioli, starring ground lamb sautéed in olive oil with garlic, Roma tomatoes and oregano. “We used a combination of Kraft Mozzarella, Asiago and Parmesan cheeses—they were fantastic and gave the pizza an authentic cheesy profile,” says Ponticiello. They finished the pizza with Kraft Parmesan Cheese and Lemon Dill Aioli for added zing.

In the final battle, Team 1 again faced Team 4 (Denis Guiol, chef; Anh Trinh, blogger). Duck was the secret ingredient. Team 4 served Duck and Summer Truffle Pizza: duck, pine nuts, Kraft Parmesan Cheese and Allegro Pizza Sauce—finished with Renée’s Roasted Garlic Aioli. Team 1 triumphed with a Duck Confit & BBQ Sauce Pizza, starring shredded duck cooked with shallots, mushrooms, garlic, basil, Kraft Asiago and Kraft Mozzarella, finished with Kraft Parmesan Cheese and a drizzle of Heinz Carolina Barbecue Sauce.