Photo submitted Dave Smith, owner of Pizza Palace Plus in Emporium, tosses pizza dough for onlookers during a recent food show in China. Smith is a member of the U.S. Pizza Team.

By Amy Cherry

Staff Writer

Dave Smith, owner of Pizza Palace Plus in Emporium, recently traveled to China where he participated in the country’s first-ever National Pizza Championship.

As a member of the U.S. Pizza Team, Smith was asked to be the lead judge in the culinary competition as well as in the acrobatic contest.

“The most unusual topping was colored spiral pasta on a pizza. It didn’t win the competition, but it was the first time I had seen it tried and I’ve seen a lot of different pizzas over the years,” Smith said.

Smith traveled to Shanghai, China, the country’s largest city and home to over 20 million people, for one week allotting an additional two days for traveling to make up for the 13-hour time difference.

While at the show Smith exhibited his dough-making and tossing skills and delighted crowds with his famous Cajun pizza.

“They absolutely loved [Cajun pizza.] I had more requests for that pizza than any other,” Smith said. “My big hurdle was shopping for all the ingredients, but the interpreter was very helpful....a necessity.”

Smith explained the pizza industry in China is only beginning to boom.

“The biggest difference between them and us is, if the Chinese want to impress their friends, they take them out for pizza. We look at it as a staple food,” Smith said.

The competition took place at the FHC Food Show where Smith helped staff the PMQ Pizza Pavilion. PMQ Pizza Magazine is an industry publication distributing magazines, newsletters and maintaining a website for over 40,000 owner/operators of America’s 70,000 pizzerias for the past 12 years. The company also had publications in China and Australia.

PMQ China sponsored by Pizza Pavilion in order to bring recognition to pizza related products while building information bridges between China and the rest of the world.

Joining Smith were Steve Green, PMQ Pizza Magazine publisher and Stephen Millar, senior consultant in the industry from Australia.

Smith has previously traveled to Italy and Paris and will travel to France once again in the spring with the U.S. Pizza Team.

When not working at the show Smith had the opportunity to tour Shanghai where he tasted a wide variety of food including frog legs, the hoofs and spine of a goat, and rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Sounds gross but the food was really good. For the taste of home, we once at breakfast at McDonalds,” Smith recalled. “I was impressed by almost everything. All communities have their bright and not so bright spots, but the people are all friendly and accommodating. I hope to have another opportunity to travel there again representing the team.”

Upon his return Smith began learning how to make hand stretched noodles, a meal he enjoyed at a Shanghai restaurant. He is also experimenting with forming extra dough on top of calzones into shapes like dragons, crabs, similar to those featured by FHC chef Francesco Sanna.