The night Michele Pascarella became the world’s best pizza chef, he was utterly unprepared. The judges of 50 Top Pizza – the Michelin Guide of the pizza world – had visited his restaurant, Napoli on the Road, in secret. He’d had no clue. Then, an invitation arrived: an awards ceremony in Naples. He went, assuming a ranking, maybe a commendation. Instead, they called his name. Best Pizza Maker in the World. Number one. The man from Maddaloni who, just a decade earlier, had been selling pizzas from a three-wheeled Piaggio truck, suddenly found himself at the very top of his industry.
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. I never expected it,” he says. “I’ve learnt that the most beautiful things often happen when you’re completely focused with work, with no expectations, just trying to do something good, something meaningful.”
