The fight for better pizzas
The jury consists of true pizza enthusiasts!
Chief Judge
Jason Calcutt
Global Culinary Lead, Mozzarella & Bakery
Jason's training in top five star hotels, award winning restaurants & gastro pubs has served as valuable experience
for further Adventures in the food business from developing innovative products for most of the major Retailers in the UK to working with Suppliers inspiring Chefs across the UK food service to be creative with the best ingredients from around the world.
Currently on a mission to inspire chefs worldwide
Jason was inspired by Arla's innovative approach & mission to work on behalf of the Farmers for a natural & sustainable future.
Judges
Lasse Lindström
Helsinki Mills
Lasse Lindström works in product development at Helsinki Mills, the producer of Myllärin products. He is steering the product development of this Finnish family-owned company in a direction rarely seen in the milling industry.
Lasse has gathered experience for his professional toolkit from renowned restaurants such as Chez Dominique, Luomo, G.W. Sundmans, and Gastro Bar Sesonki. He has also challenged himself repeatedly in culinary competitions. His achievements include being a finalist in Chef of the Year in Finland, second place in the 2nd season of Top Chef Finland, and second place in the National Young Chefs Championship.
Respect for raw materials and their origin is important to Lasse. Everything surrounding food requires commitment, collaboration, and a passion for doing things better.
Jani Huitsi
SeaGood Oy Fort Deli, Procurement team leader and product development
Jani Huitsi, from Pudasjärvi relocated to Helsinki to pursue his restaurant dreams. He has gained experience in Michelin-starred fine dining, festival food and as a restaurant entrepreneur.
Today, he works in food procurement and sales at Fort Deli, where his work focuses on innovation and customer-oriented solutions. Jani is particularly inspired by discovering new worlds of taste and bringing international food trends to Finnish food culture.
Eetu Linsamo
Electrolux Professional
Eetu Linsamo has been Electrolux Professional's Regional Sales Manager for Southwest Finland since 2024. Before that, Eetu worked in various professional kitchens for over 10 years, gaining experience in, among other things, making pizza. Eetu has a good grasp of the process of making the perfect pizza.
"You should definitely apply for the Pizza Master competition if you enjoy making pizza, want to challenge yourself and gain experience. You can succeed in the competition with good training, creativity - and of course, a good pizza taste."
Matti Holma
Kespro Foodsteri Oulu,
Food Solution Manager
Matti Holmas has been working at Kespro Foodster in Oulu since early 2021. Through his job, he is in daily contact with customers and get to work with a variety of business models. He has worked in the restaurant industry and in kitchens since 2004 - first in Helsinki, and later returning to Oulu, where he has built the majority of his career.
"I'm inspired by passionate people in the restaurant industry, skilled craftspeople and hardworking doers who are chasing their owns dreams."
Petra Tuominen
MTV Uutiset,
Food Journalist
Petra Tuominen is a long-time food journalist and pizza enthusiast who is passionate about restaurants and food tourism. In addition to food journalism, Petra has also hosted the popular tasting show, Halpa vs. kallis. With over 120 episodes of various product tasting, her taste buds have truly been refined and trained.
Petra has served as a judge in various events, including cocktail and mocktail contests, the PRO Gala for restaurant industry, and the herring tasting panel at the Silakkamarkkinat.
Risto Mikkola
Kotipizza,
Creative Director
Risto Mikkola is a Finnish top chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and Creative Director at Kotipizza. He is one of the founders of Local Bistro restaurant and is known for his versatile career as a developer of Finnish food culture.
Mikkola has also gained recognition as a judge on MasterChef Finland -show. He has also published several cookbooks and is known for his passion for high-quality ingredients, clear flavors, and emphasizing the joy of dining.
