Macomb chef to compete in International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas
MACOMB, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - It's going to be a roll of the dice for a Metro Detroit chef at the end of the month when he competes in the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas.
Executive chef Mike Baldwin of Testa Barra in Macomb Township will face off against dozens of other chefs from around the world to see who has the most sensational slice of pizza. Baldwin announced his entry on Pi Day (March 14), with his sights set on bringing home the title of Pizza Maker of the Year.
The competition will take place from Tuesday, March 28, through Thursday, March 30. The global pizza professionals will be competing in four different categories, including traditional, non-traditional, pan, and Neapolitan/STG.
The traditional category has some of the more strict parameters, including a specific use of red sauce, no more than two toppings, no post-oven garnish, and a traditional round of 12-18 inches in diameter.
"Honestly, it's an amazing opportunity to be able to even embark on something like this," Baldwin said. "I'm nervous, I'm excited, ambitious, energetic, I'm all kinds of emotions and feels are going through my brain right now."
Whether you're familiar with Testa Barra or not, Macomb County residents might recognize Baldwin's last name. He is the son of Jeff Baldwin, who is the owner and chef at J. Baldwin's in Clinton Township. Jeff Baldwin's establishment has been a familiar site in that community since 2004. Not only is Mike Baldwin a pizza prodigy, but he is also a born and raised Macomb County representative. The love and talent for cooking clearly runs in the Baldwin family!
Little did he know it at the time, but when Mike Baldwin was learning the culinary ropes at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, the Baldwin clan was about to grow. He met Gabriella and the two became a dynamic cooking and pizza-making force. They fell in love, and eventually (you guessed it) got married.
This match made in pizza heaven led to the couple opening Testa Barra under the Baldwin Restaurant Group umbrella. The two executive chefs both not only share a passion for cooking, but for everything pizza. Mike Baldwin, the dough pro, brings his Detroit-style upbringing and combines it with Gabriella's New York-style pizza-making and tossing mastery to create something truly unique to Metro Detroit.
"Mike and I made a great team, we had worked with each other in New York -- since we met pretty much," Gabriella Baldwin said as she explained how she ended up in Michigan.
"I thought it was just because you loved me?" Mike Baldwin joked.
"Secret's out after ten years!" Gabriella said laughing. "I followed love, a job opportunity, the pursuit of happiness, and I always knew where home was, so I said, let's take a chance. And here I am ten years later."
They go together like cheese and pepperoni. Mike Baldwin said basically since the two met all those years ago, they have always helped each other grow and support one another in and outside of the kitchen.
"We're just a tight-knit team. Even from Gabriella's first Food Network competition on Guy's Grocery Games, I remember at four in the morning in California skateboarding as fast as I can through a Walmart to grab her a hair-tie...," Mike Baldwin said.
"It was Bobby pins!" Gabriella Baldwin corrected soon after jokingly.
The Baldwins' chemistry is palpable, and it's clear the two are a driving force of inspiration and support for each other.
Mike Baldwin says when it comes time to make that perfect pie, it really is a combination of the best of both pizza worlds. The sauce may be New York-inspired, but it's put on last as an ode to the Detroit style, Gabriella Baldwin said. And Mike says when it comes to the dough stretch, the slices are thin enough to fold, but still, maintain the thickness and durability to uphold all the glorious toppings.
While the Baldwins' backgrounds and approach to the dough may be different, this is a culinary force to be reckoned with. Mike Baldwin has a clear-cut plan for what he's going to bring, and how he's going to prep and execute his 'Za.
Watch out Sin City, the Baldwins have their eyes on that jackpot prize.
"I'm looking forward to getting that pizza in the oven and seeing what it's going to do. I'm so hungry for that moment, I've been thinking about it since I put that last pizza in the oven there last year," Mike Baldwin said. "I want to thank the community, my staff, my wife, my family. When you love something, it's truly an emotional thing. So, I'm going to put everything I have into this."
For more information on Chef Baldwin or Testa Barra, click here.
