According to a panel of expert judges, a Toronto pizzeria is making one of the best pies in the country.
On Tuesday, Sotirios Tzakis, owner of Descendent Pizza in Leslieville, showcased his award-winning pie during the pizza competition at the Restaurants Canada Show.
Securing the top spot in the Creative Pizza category, Tzakis brings home a $3,000 cash prize, a Sunmix dough mixer worth $3,500  the chance to represent Canada at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo in Las Vegas next year — and of course those bragging rights!
Judges for the event included Dominic Primucci, President of Pizza Nova, Rocco Agostino executive chef and partner at Pizzeria Libretto Restaurant Group and Alida Solomon, chef and owner of Tutti Matti.
“IÂ would like to thank all of our customers and everyone who participated in the national pizza competition for choosing Descendant as the winner of the 2024 national pizza competition and giving us the opportunity to represent Canada in Las Vegas next year,” Tzakis proudly captioned an Instagram post alongside a picture of him holding the winning cheque.
Descendant Pizza opened its doors in 2015, and Tzakis took over ownership in 2021. “My parents used to have a little mom and pop shop back in Boston, and I grew up just making pizza for them,'” he said in a YouTube video.
Torontonians aren’t the only fans of Descendant’s pizza. In 2002, during Dave Portnoy’s visit to Toronto to promote his partnership with The Score’s sports betting app, he sampled slices at pizzerias spanning from Etobicoke to Leslieville, including Descendant.
In total, Portnoy visited 16 pizzerias in the city, and Descendant ranked in fourth place with a very respectable score of 8.1 out of a possible 10.
If you haven’t yet tasted the pie at Descendant, now’s your chance to try one of their delicious ‘upside-down’ pizzas like the Truff-Guy or Daddy’s Favourite. Visit them at 1168 Queen St. E.