Pizza Championship Winner Chef Will Grant Spills The Deets On Making The Perfect “Pie”
World Pizza Championship winner Chef Will Grant spills the deets on preparing the perfect pizza. Hint: it’s all about the base…
Original Story Posted on Behind the Plate with Kenzie Osborne
The FIFA World Cup… The Superbowl… The NBA Finals… Each of these events are exciting, interesting, and call for huge celebrations and social gatherings. Every year, hundreds of thousands of families and friends gather together to watch these events. But it wouldn’t be the same with something to munch on while kicking back and watching the game… And, there’s nothing that fits the bill quite better than sharing a bite of the best pizza you can find.
The Golden Standard Of Pizza
A slice of pizza has some BIG standards to live up to… The cheese-pull has to be just right, the crust has to be golden brown and crisp on the outside (yet fluffy and soft on the inside), and the toppings have to be plentiful and complimentary. It has to be greasy enough to lick your fingers clean, yet not so greasy as to soak your napkin… Each bite has to have the perfect cheese-pull so you can take an insta-worthy picture, yet not so much pull that the cheese slides right off… It’s a process… And, it’s one that only a few chefs in this world are able to master.
Just like the Fifa Cup, the Superbowl, and the NBA Finals, there’s an important championship in the world of pizza too: The World Pizza Championships. Chef Will Grant won his division of the championships in 2017. Ever since, he’s been making waves in the pizza community…
Chef Will Grant
Chef Will Grant grew up in a family that appreciated food, and valued time around the dinner table. It was always about using ingredients from the earth and preparing meals that were as sustainable and wholesome as possible. Food was a way to learn about their surroundings and appreciate what the land had to offer. More so, it was a time to bond with one another, learn about their community, and make everlasting memories together.
A Jack Of All Trades, And A King Of Pizza…
Although Chef Will’s family had a passion for food, none of them originally worked in the food business. That is, until Chef Will’s father decided to pivot his career and take on the challenge of preparing the best pizza in town.
“My father was a lumberjack, then a fisherman, then a welder. He was always looking for something new to try. During his spare time, he started working with our neighbours to make pizzas in the backyard. Our neighbours had this 90-year-old sourdough starter that needed to be used — so, they decided to use the starter in their pizza dough. Soon enough, the pizzas became so popular, my dad and his neighbour decided to make a business of it. From there, our journey in the food industry took off.”
Jumping In The Kitchen At The Age Of Five
Chef Will began in the kitchen at just five years of age. For him, cooking wasn’t exactly “a choice”… Rather, it was something to keep his energetic self fully occupied. At the time, he didn’t really care what he was doing — he just needed to be doing something.
As Chef Will grew older, his passion for being in the kitchen grew stronger. At the age of 10, Will’s family was in the process of opening their fifth restaurant — an Italian fine-dining establishment. Prior to opening the restaurant, their family travelled over to Europe to learn more about Italian cuisine and visit a few breweries and wineries they’d been invited to.
Falling In Love In Europe
The moment that Chef Will stepped foot in Europe, he was hooked. The culture, creativity, imagination, and innovation of European food was incredible. He’d spent nearly five years helping his father prepare the best pizza from a sourdough starter — but now he was able to learn about the history and culture behind the classic dish.
As they travelled across Europe, Chef Will had one mission: To taste every Margarita pizza he could. No matter what country or city they were in, it was his go-to order. He was on a mission to find the best one — and in Europe, that’s quite the challenge… (they’re all so darn good!)
Pizza For The Mind, Spirit, And Soul
When he returned from Europe, Chef Will was motivated to innovate the best pizza the world had seen. To some, this task may seem like quite the hassle, but to Chef Will it was a challenge that truly set his mind at ease.
“Being in the kitchen gives me a purpose. I can focus on one thing at a time. It takes my mind off of whatever is going on in my life. It’s the perfect escape because you can help yourself while still being able to provide a special experience for others.”
Being in the kitchen was truly a blessing. Sure, it had its difficulties, but the creativity, innovation, and the experiences you could pass along were all worth the troubles.
”I always focus on the guest. I want to provide them with the best possible experience. For us, this means starting right from the beginning with the sourdough. We feed the sourdough, allow it to grow, then use it in our homemade pizza dough. Everything is right from the ground and we source as much as we can from local providers.”
I found this fascinating. The texture of sourdough is incredible. But, more impressive is the patience and care it takes to feed the sourdough properly and perfect the art of making the bread.
It’s All About The Base…
You’d think the pizza dough would be one of the most important parts of the pizza… Afterall, it IS the base of the dish… However, chefs (and customers) tend to focus on the toppings, and the pizza dough gets left on the backburner… Rather than solely focussing on the quality of the toppings, Chef Will also places emphasis on the dough itself. Hence the incredible innovation of using sourdough to prepare his dough.
“It’s starting to become a bit more popular to use sourdough in pizza — but it’s somewhat inconvenient for chefs. Prior to commercial yeast, every baker used a sourdough starter. But, once the commercial yeast was produced, bakers opted for the quicker version so they weren’t on the “specifical schedule” of sourdough fermentation to bake their goods. Unfortunately, using commercial yeast can cause gut problems, or digestive issues. Plus, the texture of the dough is altered. Generally, sourdough will result in a crunchy-yet-airy dough, which lends itself well to pizza.”
Striking Gold (Without A Gold Leaf)…
The innovation of using sourdough for the dough was likely something that propelled Chef Will’s pizza to the top of the Caputo Cup (hosted by Orlando foods and Caputo flour for the best pizza in the USA). Rather than serving gold leaves and whole lobsters on his pizza, he placed the focus on making the perfect dough and adding high quality toppings.
Chef Will’s signature pizza (perhaps the best pizza created to date…) won first place in the “Non-Traditional Pizza” category. This category allows chefs to use more than two toppings and an assortment of cheeses, if they desired. His signature pizza was a gorgonzola vegetarian pizza (chef Morgan Clementson raved about this one to me!). The pizza features a gorgonzola sauce with mozzarella, provolone cheese, mushrooms, red onions, pine nuts, and garlic all cooked on his special sourdough base. Then, he finishes it off with a sprinkle of fresh feta cheese… Wow… The combination is so simple, yet sophisticated and unique!
Chef Will Grant’s signature dough continued to stun the judges… His manager (using Chef Grant’s dough) earned second place in the “Traditional Pizza” competition. In this division, chefs were tasked with using a red sauce, one or two types of cheese, and a maximum of five toppings. Chef Will’s manager served the sourdough pizza base along with pepperoni, mushroom, sausage, black olives, basic red sauce and mozzarella cheese. It was simple, yet the unique sourdough pizza base made for a surprising bite.
An Honour To Simply Show Up
The competition was never something Chef Will Grant had thought of doing… However, when he was asked, he simply couldn’t turn down the opportunity. Being in the competition itself was a huge honour — and winning first place was absolutely incredible.
“I was so nervous to enter the competition. Cooking there is nothing like when you’re at home in your own kitchen… You’re in an unfamiliar kitchen with different equipment, you bring your toppings with you, and you only have 20 minutes to prepare the pizza. It’s a lot of pressure!”
Though the pressure was mounting, the kindness and support of the other chefs set Chef Will’s mind at ease.
“I was surprised by how welcoming the other chefs and judges were. There was a true sense of brotherhood within the kitchen. I couldn’t believe I was cooking against some of the chefs I’d looked up to for years. The experience was amazing, and I’m so proud to have been a part of it.”
Sustainability, Support, And Sharing A Slice
As he continues along his path of perfecting the art of pizza, Chef Will Grant still has the concept of sustainability at the top of his mind. As mentioned earlier, Chef Will’s family was always conscious of sustainability, and appreciative of the land around them.
“It’s so important to know what you’re putting into your body and to support your local community. When you interact with local farmers, you learn exactly where your food is coming from. It’s important for both sustainability and health. Milling my own malt and preparing my dough right from scratch makes a huge difference. I know where everything is coming from — and I’m proud to be supporting my community.”
Working with various local farmers has driven Chef Will Grant away from the meat-filled pizzas. Rather than relying on meat for flavour, Chef Will tackles the challenge of preparing delicious vegan and vegetarian preparations.
“I love trying to make something taste really good without meat. In the 80s everything had meat in it… To go “against the trend” and prepare amazing vegan and vegetarian food is fun. You get to experiment with contrasting flavours and unique combinations that have never been tried. It’s a fun way to try to make something new and delicious.”
A Secret Ingredient To Never Forget…
Regardless of if you order vegetarian, vegan, or his gorgonzola masterpiece, there’s one constant ingredient that Chef Will will never forget: Love.
“I’m not a salesman. I want my guests to come to be a part of our family. In this day-and-age, we don’t get a lot of family and culture time. Stopping by for a slice of pizza can be their chance to bond with each other and make memories as a family. It’s so fun to see the smiles and be the one to build a positive memory in someone’s life. It really is a cool job to have.”
Thank You!
Awh — I LOVE this approach! Thank you so much to Chef Will Grant for taking the time to speak with me and share your passion for pizza! I hope to one day have the opportunity to visit your shop and watch you prepare your signature sourdough pizza from scratch. I’m inspired by your journey, and cannot wait to see what you will do next!
If you’re in the Bainbridge Island area, check out Chef Will’s spot “That’s A Some Pizza” HERE and Sourdough Willy’s Pizzeria HERE! Be sure to follow him on instagram HERE for his latest culinary creations!
Before I let Chef Will get back to feeding his sourdough, I had a few last quickfire questions to ask…
Quickfire Questions
What Is Your Favourite Food Memory?
“All of my memories are around food…. Uhmmm… Jeez… I guess one that stands out is when I went to a 300yr old bakery in Italy last summer to make one of their signature one-meter pizzas. I totally destroyed the crust!! The owner had to help, and everyone was joking about it. There I was, a pizza champion ruining a pizza, with a world famous chef pointing at me laughing. What a catastrophe… In all honesty, it’s such an incredible memory. It was an absolute honour to be able to help load a one-meter pizza in such an acclaimed bakery in downtown Rome.”
What Is Your Favourite Dish That You’ve Ever Eaten, And Why Was It So Special?
“I’ve eaten all over the world, it’s hard to decide! I think my favourite food would have to be fry bread. When I was young, my aunt (who is an eskimo from Alaska) would always make us her fry bread. Fry bread is basically fried sourdough that is made into small donut-like sweet treats or folded in half and served like savory tacos. My aunt would usually prepare them like donuts and top them with jam or powdered sugar. Whenever we see her, we always get a giant bag of fry bread and we eat it all up before we get home!”
What Is Your Favourite Food (Apart From Pizza…)?
Philipino roll: lumpia
What Are Three Ingredients You Can’t Live Without?
Flour, water, salt, sourdough…
Final Words?
I use Shepherds Cream flour for my dough. It’s locally milled and farmed. I think that the idea of being able to support neighbours is really important — especially in our COVID world. Bottom line: support people who can support you. The best restaurants in the world don’t source from elsewhere. Instead, the source locally for the freshest produce they can find.
Tell Us About Your School Of Pizza!
I’m just about to open a school of pizza in a few months. I’ll be putting in a brand new oven, taking videos, and helping teach others about preparing pizza from scratch with a sourdough starter. I’m so excited to be able to share my knowledge and hopefully inspire home cooks and chefs to have fun making pizza in a new way. Find out more on www.sourdoughwillys.com!
