TIPS FROM THE PIZZA TEAM
Vittoria took 4th place internationally and 1st on the Galbani Pro Team in Romanstyle pizza at the 2022 International Pizza Challenge.
VITTORIA TRUPIANO: A PIZZA STAR RISES AT MANGIA E BEVI She’s still in her early 20s, but this pizzaiola has already proven that she’s got serious culinary chops—and the work ethic to match. BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ
I
N ANY INDUSTRY, THERE IS AN ERA-DEFINING CHANGING OF THE GUARD, a passing of the torch—or, in the pizza biz, the peel—from one generation to the next. Vittoria Trupiano of Mangia e Bevi in Oceanside, California, one of the newest and youngest members of the U.S. Pizza Team (USPT), is one of these up-andcoming next-gen pizzaioli, ready to learn from the veterans while elevating the industry for the future. Balancing school, family and work, Trupiano took the time to talk with PMQ about the life of a young pizza maker today. Brian Hernandez: How did you get started in pizza? Vittoria Trupiano: I started working for my grandfather, Damiano Trupiano, at Dominic’s in Oceanside Harbor, 54
PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM
but didn’t get started with pizza until my dad, [USPT member] Tore Trupiano, opened Mangia e Bevi in 2018, when I was 18 years old. I would just watch them make pizza, thought it looked easy enough, began making them for myself and, before I knew it, I was in Las Vegas at the International Pizza Expo in 2022. It was my first competition, and I took 4th place internationally in the Pan division, as well as first in that division for the Galbani Professionale Team. Hernandez: Is it difficult to work with— or for—family? Trupiano: Between my dad, grandfather, brother and sister all working in the restaurants, our work and personal lives are very integrated. But I genuinely love working with my family. Good things happen, bad things happen,
C ONT RI B UT E D PH OT OS
As a young pizzamaker, Vittoria looks to competitions for new ideas and techniques.
