Born and raised in Hayward, California, Laura Meyer’s first job was working at Pyzano’s Pizza, her local pizzeria. At just 17 years old, the pizzeria was where Laura met her mentor, Tony Gemignani, and her career as a pizzaiola began. After high school, Laura went to earn her bachelor’s degree, when she discovered her passion for culture and food while studying abroad in Italy. Upon graduating, Laura moved to San Francisco to take the helm at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana as kitchen manager alongside Tony himself. 

In 2013, Laura won first place in her first competition in Parma, Italy, becoming the first woman and first American to win the Pizza in Teglia category. The following year, she won Best Non-Traditional Pizza at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. In 2019, she won first place at the Caputo Cup in Naples, Italy for Best American-Style Pizza, once again becoming the first—this time winning in a newly created category in one of Italy’s oldest pizza competitions. Throughout her tenure at Tony’s, Laura’s rising success earned her recognition as SF Chronicle’s Rising Star Chef, an Eater Young Gun, and one of Zagat’s 30 Under 30, and was named Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2016.

With an insatiable quest for learning, Laura took on the role of teaching assistant and administrator at Tony’s International School of Pizza where she taught countless chefs and operators for ten hard working years. A newly developed passion for teaching led Laura to speaking opportunities at Pizza Expo, and a role as a contributing writer to Pizza Today magazine. Amid the pandemic, Laura dipped her toes into the waters of entrepreneurship, opening Focaccia da Laura, a focaccia pop-up. Given the success and prospects of Focaccia da Laura, Laura made the decision to depart Tony’s wing after nearly 20 years to open Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, California in March of 2023. Most recently Laura has expanded Pizzeria da Laura to include The Mercatino, a specialty market that offers curated goods, a female wine list, local beers, and house made items.

Leah Scurto owns, operates and is the head pizzaiola at Pizzaleah in Windsor, California. She first starting making pizzas in1997 and spent years honing her skills working in a small Bay Area pizza chain, Pizza My Heart. In mid 2018, Leah branched out on her own and began the process of creating Pizzaleah. Since opening in March 2020, PIzzaleah has been included multiple times on the San Francisco Chronicle’s list of the 25 Top Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and was recently awarded the Snail Of Approval by the Slow Food Russian River Chapter.

Leah has won awards in pizza competitions across the United States and in Naples, Italy. She is 5 time pizza champion and in 2022 she was featured on Hulu’s original show, Best In Dough. In 2021 She was recognized as one of Pizza Today Magazine’s Rising Stars of the Pizza Industry.

Leah is an instructor at Marra Forni‘s Pizza University and also an instructor at Central Milling‘s, Artisan Baking Center in Petaluma, Ca.

She has also had the honor of judging both international pizza and beer competitions.

Stephanie Swane is the publisher of Modernist Cuisine and their in-house publishing department, The Cooking Lab for over 10 years. She develops and leads new publishing projects and partnership opportunities. She brings over 30 years of experience working on book publishing, global sales & distribution, brand management, foreign rights, production, and licensing to the team.

In 2024, Stephanie added the management of the culinary and food science teams for their current project, Modernist Pastry.

Publisher for the following award-winning Modernist Cuisine titles including Modernist Bread, Modernist Pizza, Food & Drink The Photography of Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold, and Modernist Bread at Home.

For the last decade, she has traversed the globe to help the team research bread, pastries and pizza from every imaginable angle. Stephanie has met with experts in baking, milling, agriculture, production, history, fermentation, equipment and ingredient manufacturers, and beyond. She regularly attends industry workshops and conferences that cover all aspects of baking, from commercial production to cereal science.

Stephanie is an active volunteer for Slice Out Hunger, whose mission of #pizza4good is to fight food insecurity in the US.

Stephanie is an ambassador and the host of over 100 IG Live episodes highlighting the amazing and inspiring pizzaiolas from around the globe and the moderator for panels in US, Canada, and UK. She was recently included in the PMQ Pizza Magazine’s 20 Pizza Influencers for 2024.

Stephanie’s role as pizza judge continues to grow since 2021 in multiple categories at the Las Vegas Pizza Expo and the opportunity to judge in Naples, Italy at the 2024 Caputo Cup.

From 2021 to 2023, Stephanie was part of the IACP Cookbook Awards Executive Committee in a variety of roles from Super Judge, Judge and lastly IACP Cookbook Awards Chair.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas; Nicole currently owns and operates two locations of Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana with her family. She started her pizza journey in 2013 when she joined the family business, and has over 10 years of experience in Napoletana pizza making.

Nicole is well versed in multiple styles of pizza and an avid traveler. In 2016 she attended The International School of Pizza with Tony Gemignani in San Francisco and in 2019 trained at the Academia Pizzaioli USA with Italian educator, Erico Fama in New York City. She’s also a fierce competitor, traveling to Italy or domestically to show off her talents.

In her quest to keep learning, her father helped initiate a passion project turned into a second business; Pizza U, a pizza school that once started as a way to educate customers now serves to help others on their pizza journey. Whether it’s learning how to make dough or cook on a wood fired oven, Nicole has evolved this school, with her husband Brad, into a multifaceted business offering consulting, private catering for corporations and team building from corporate businesses to schools.

Today, Nicole is among the ranks of many well known pizza makers, she’s also a member of the World Pizza Champions team, an ambassador for Women In Pizza, and continues to strive for excellence and networking throughout the pizza industry. She is always looking forward to working alongside and learning from others throughout the world, be it in the restaurant or on the road.

Melinda Carbajal is the Managing Member and CEO of Simply Pizza, a unique woodfired, mobile, and hybrid restaurant business. With a background in government and education, Melinda has carved out a niche in the food industry, leveraging her extensive knowledge of systems, grants, and nonprofit management to drive her business forward in innovative ways. 

As a dedicated mother of five, Melinda balances her entrepreneurial endeavors with an active role in her community. She serves on five nonprofit boards and holds an elected position in her city, reflecting her commitment to community engagement and service. 

Melinda thrives on building programs, navigating complex systems, and making a positive impact. Her journey from the realms of government and education to the culinary world is a testament to her adaptability and passion for serving others.

Christy Alia, a New York City native and seasoned pizzaiola, finds joy in the way great pizza and bread bring people together. Her passion for pizza-making was sparked by childhood memories of helping her Sicilian grandfather with dough—experiences that inspired her to create new recipes, including sourdough versions of his classics.

Today, Christy teaches classes, develops recipes, and consults for websites, businesses, and cookbooks. She also makes pizza at Traze NYC, one of the few woman-owned pizzerias in New York City. Additionally, she assisted Alexandra Stafford with her New York Times best-selling cookbook, Pizza Night.

In 2020, Christy launched her Instagram account @RealCleverFood to document her pizza journey and share tutorials that inspire a growing community of pizza enthusiasts. Her dedication to both craft and community led her to found #WomensPizzaMonth in March 2021—an initiative that celebrates women in the pizza industry and connects pizza makers worldwide.

Christy’s commitment to giving back is reflected in the fundraisers she organizes annually, supporting causes that align with her values. As a proud Gozney Ambassador, East Coast Collective Leader, and active member of the pizza community, she continues to bring people together through dough, toppings, classes, community events, and catering.