Family behind Antonio’s is among the best in the world in pizza competitions

Paul Cataldo was watching a pizza competition at a food show in the early 2000s and figured he would do all right if he entered his creations. He entered a Rosemary Garden pizza in a subsequent competition in the Toledo, Ohio, show and proved himself right.

That pizza won more than one competition and stars on the menu at the family Italian restaurant that opened in Elkhart, Indiana, in 1979 as Bruno’s Pizza, with father Antonio and sons Paul and Bruno working together. In 1995, Paul took over the operation and renamed it Antonio’s.

The win got him on the U.S. Pizza Team, a collection of pizza makers and restaurant owners who travel to competitions and then compete as individuals in categories including pizza making, dough twirling (aka dough acrobatics) and dough stretching.

A few years later, Paul was in Salsomaggiore, Italy, up against competitors from around the world. When some of his teammates—including California pizza maker and celebrity Tony Gemignani—formed the World Pizza Champions, they invited Paul to join that team. At competitions, they root for and help each other as they seek top prizes.

Paul has entered a pizza in a regional, national or international competition more than a dozen times. All of his six children have worked or still work at the restaurant. The five oldest children have gone to competitions with Paul or competed themselves. Carmela, now 20, won first place in the Midwest region in Columbus, Ohio, at the Mid-America Restaurant Expo in 2020. At the 2021 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, she was first in the Midwest region and second overall. She came within a fraction of a point from winning a world championship at that international competition. In the coming months, 16-year-old daughter Gianna will enter her first competitions in Las Vegas and Salsomaggiore.

No matter how they do at the competition—and they’re almost always in the top five of their category or overall—they come home winners because of what they learn and the relationships they form with other operators from around the United States, particularly those on the World Pizza Champions team. “Whether it’s competing or going to the shows, it’s networking,” says Carmela. “You’re still getting knowledge even if you don’t do well; you’re doing well because you’re learning.”

They discuss different types of flours, cooking temperatures and what styles are hot at the moment. Between competitions, Paul can reach out to his WPC teammates via a text group to ask questions. They all help each other be better pizza shop operators.

As the Cataldos have shaped dough in competitions, the experiences have shaped how they make and serve pizza at their restaurant. “Every trip is a learning experience,” Paul says.

The Cataldos try to assess what the judges will like at any competition they enter. In Italy, Paul learned to go light on the cheese for those judges. In Columbus, Ohio, he learned that pizzas with an odd combination of ingredients, even ones that mimic sub sandwiches, appeal to Midwestern palates.

Competing taught Paul to stretch beyond a single type of crust to make a dough that cold-ferments 48 to 72 hours. When it’s baked, it is crisp and chewy with large holes in the crumb of the dough. “I learned so much about the development of dough itself,” he says. The Cataldos have gone from hand-mixing all the dough to using a spiral mixer that can handle the higher-hydration dough.

When they’re at shows and competitions, they often see something that excites them and they say to each other, “We’ve got to try this,” says daughter Caitlin Doucette. After learning about pinsas, a light, Roman-style pizza, they created one and competed with it, finishing first in their regional category in Vegas in 2022. It’s now on the menu.

Paul and his daughters don’t bring home every idea they see for their Elkhart customers, but the pizza they serve is more diverse and better because of the competitions.

The Vegas Fortuna, which won the best traditional pizza in Vegas in 2019 among other awards, uses long-fermented dough, scratch-made sausage, hot honey and small pepperonis that curl as they cook. It’s on the menu, along with an award-winning Calabrese pizza, to order for dine-in only. Paul said he wants the customer to taste it fresh and hot like a judge would, though he knows that some customers order one at the bar and take most of it home. “Time and temperature affect everything,” he says.

The Cataldos work together as a family in the competitions and at the restaurant to better fulfill their promise to “feed you like family,” with their award-wining pizzas and a menu of pastas and seasonal dishes that will keep you coming back for more. 

Antonio’s Italian Restaurant

1105 Goshen Ave.

Elkhart, Indiana

574.295.8424

antoniositalian.com

Open 4–9pm Wednesday and Thursday,

4–10pm Friday and Saturday

Marshall V. King has been writing about food in the Michiana region since 2000. He resides in Goshen, Indiana, and you can read his regular food writing at hungrymarshall.substack.com.