A Toronto pizza chef has been named one of the best pizza chefs in the world.
Chef Ryan Baddeley, known as the genius behind one of the city’s most popular pizza joints, Pizzeria Badiali, has just been ranked number 32 out of 100 worldwide chefs by the Best Chef Awards.
The platform recently unveiled its 2024 list of the top pizza chefs around the world and Baddeley was the only Canadian chef to make it on the list.
Most of the list was composed of Italian chefs, with first place going to the prestigious Franco Pepe of Pepe in Grani, in Italy.
The Best Chef Awards uses a digital survey system for its voting process which determines its results. Its online survey was open for two weeks where each voter was allowed to cast one vote. Voting procedure is confidential and chefs are prohibited from voting for themselves.
The Best Chef also uses a tiered recognition system of one, two or three knives to dictate the chef’s level of excellence. Three knives (the best) is awarded to chefs achieving 80 per cent or more of the maximum possible points, two knives (world class) is awarded to those achieving 40 per cent or more and lastly, one knife (excellent) is for chefs who have achieved 20 per cent or more in culinary skills.
News of the Badiali chef making the list was met with mixed reactions on Reddit.
“This is so surprising to me, I didn’t think it was that great. It was a great pizza, but not record breaking,” one user said.
“Incredible pizza, when you have it fresh it’s mind-blowing,” another user said.
“If the scale is 0 to New York pizza, Badiali is like an 8, this is great in terms of pizza in Toronto,” another user commented.
Baddeley was one of three Toronto chefs who created Pizzeria Badiali. His other partners include Nick Halligan and Owen Walker (El Rey & Quetzal). Badiali’s gained prominence in the last few years after more and more locals and visitors tried its famous New York-style pizzas. The restaurant is most praised for its pepperoni, spicy vodka and margherita pies, in particular.
According to media reports, the establishment is in the process of opening a second location at the Mirvish Village development at Bloor and Bathurst streets, although an opening date has yet to be set.
Torontonians can visit Pizzeria Badiali at 181 Dovercourt.
