Two chefs rose to the top of the dough at Guyana’s inaugural Pizza-Making Competition on Wednesday evening, with Lisa Hamilton crowned overall champion and Alex Tenorio earning a place on the world stage.
Hamilton won the Guyanese Gourmet category and a GYD $300,000 cash prize, while Tenorio took the Traditional Neapolitan category to secure a spot representing Guyana at the 2026 World Pizza and Empanada Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 2-4.
The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) supported the competition, held in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Panama on the eve of the International Day of Gastronomy.
Hamilton received her prize from Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues and was presented with the winners’ cup by Prime Minister Mark Phillips.
Ten competitors took part across the two categories. Judges included Pizza World Champions and Master Pizzaiolos Carmine Candito and Marco Carlesso, alongside Rodrigues and Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Steven Jacobs, who judged the Guyanese Gourmet category.
EU Ambassador to Guyana Luca Pierantoni described the competition as a blend of Italian pizza-making traditions and Guyanese flavours, calling food a universal language that fosters skills, economic opportunity and culinary tourism.
GTA Director Kamrul Baksh noted that food has become an increasingly important part of how visitors experience destinations, adding that initiatives like the competition help build space for innovation while strengthening the broader tourism product.
Rodrigues explained that gastronomy is helping open new ways of sharing Guyana’s identity, noting that such events support skills development, innovation and capacity building within the culinary industry.
In 2017, UNESCO declared the Art of the Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo, the traditional culinary practice of Neapolitan pizza makers, an element of intangible cultural heritage.
