Semi-finalists | Pizzamestari

Pizzamaster 2026 semi-finalists

Chamoth Gihan "Champ"

Pizzaiolo,
Punto e Pasta, Vantaa
The Jacked-Up Pizza

Hi, I´m Champ a 26-year -old Sri Lankan. My passion is different roots and doughs made from them. I've been working with them almost six years.

The inspiration for the competition was Ryan, who taught me the fun of roots and dough making. I´m currently working at the Italian restaurant Punto, already implementing and trying new things around pizza.

Harvey Sacdalan

Line cook,
Helsinki
Hagonoy

I am 29 years old and originally from the Philippines. I am working at a newly opened restaurant in Kalasatama, Helsinki, as the kitchen manager and specializing pizzas. I arrived in Finland in 2023. For the past ten years, I have worked in the restaurant industry, catering, events, and Italian cuisine in the Philippines. I love to express my culture through my pizza, using it as a canvas to blend my heritage with my culinary creations.

Jaroszlav Spolarics

Pizzaiolo,
Pizzeria Via Tribunali, Turku
Lecsó

My name is Jaroszlav Spolarics, but people usually call me Slavik. I am 27 years old and was born in Ukraine but most of my life I lived in Hungary, which is where my gastronomic journey started. I have worked in a lot of different restaurants, but having moved to Finland seven years ago, my passion for pizza began at Via Tribunali in 2021. Now I work as a sous-chef at the Via Tribunali restaurant in Turku. I have always believed that making pizzas is more about craftsmanship than people think, and I believe that you can create even a Michelin star dish out of a pizza. This is why I wanted to participate in the Pizza Master competition to prove the endless possibilities of creating a pizza.

Luca Negri

Pizza chef,
Pizzeria De Andrea, Turku
Mario

I’m Luca from Italy. After 10 years of travelling the world and working in the food industry as a Pizza chef, everywhere from Iceland to New Zealand, I arrived in Turku, Finland.

What drew me to Turku was the opportunity to work in a pizzeria ranked amongst the Top 50 Pizza Europe, but I ended up staying for love (as I understood it's a common story).

My goal in the kitchen is to bring my idea of pizza to more people.

I'm working at Pizzeria Da Andrea, it's a pizza truck working everywhere in the Turku area.

Mark Zahra

Founder,
Home Chef Mark, Helsinki
Rosacchio

I started my pizza journey five years ago as a hobby, sharing my experiments and progress on InstagraM @homechefmark. Through social media, people began asking me to host pizza pop-ups from home once a month, and soon after, requests for private events followed. Over the past two years, I’ve grown this passion into a full-time business. Today, Home Chef Mark focuses on premium pizza catering, exclusive pizza pop-ups, collaborations, pizza, pasta, risotto courses and consulting. My style combines Italian tradition, high-quality ingredients, and a modern, creative approach, always aiming to deliver a memorable pizza experience rather than just a meal.

Markus Heinonen

Founder, Poppa by
Backyard Pizzaguys, Helsinki
Poppa Eat your Greens!

I am Chef Markus Heinonen from Helsinki. I have over 20 years of experience in the restaurant world and the most interesting projects.

I am the co-founder of Poppa by Backyard Pizzaguys, which started in 2020. Poppa has become known for the most innovative pizzas over the years.

I go to the competition with the same mentality as I go to gigs, that is, through joy. I expect the competition to be a fair fight between the best pizza makers in Finland.