Under the Toque: Tony GemignaniUnder the Toque: Tony Gemignani

Steve Coomes

TITLE: chef and co-owner, Pyzano’s Pizzeria, Castro Valley, Calif.; Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Tony Gemignani’s International School of Pizza and Tony’s Coal-Fired Pizza & Slice House, all in San Francisco; and Pizza Rock, Sacramento, Calif.
HOMETOWN: Fremont, Calif.
RESIDENCE: Castro Valley
BIRTH DATE: Aug. 23, 1973
EDUCATION: Washington High School
CAREER HIGHLIGHT: becoming the first non-Italian and only American to win the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy, in 2007 and 2011.

Tony Gemignani began making pizza straight out of high school in 1991, just after his brother, Frank, founded Pyzano’s Pizzeria in Castro Valley, Calif. As Tony learned the trade, he also picked up dough-throwing tricks to impress customers. That quirky s...