Just this month, our very own Adrian Rodriguez — a Cook at the Chino Valley, AZ Pizza Hut — put his pizza-making skills to the ultimate test. At the Pizza Championship National Competition, a pizza-making contest held by Pizza Hut Corporate, Adrian competed against other Pizza Hut team members from across the country.
While Adrian didn’t end up winning, we wanted to give his journey to the national stage a special shoutout. It’s been nothing short of incredible!
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE CRUST
In 2024, Adrian claimed multiple top-cook titles: first at his own restaurant, then at the Pizza Hut Area 17, Region 5, Region 8 and Region 11 championships. This slew of victories earned him the overall title of Desert de Oro Foods (DDO) Pizza Championship Winner! Coming out on top against all the other regions also meant that Adrian advanced to the Pizza Hut City Competition in Las Vegas. There, he faced off against 10 other organizational champions from multiple states.
We had the opportunity to ask Adrian about the specific challenges the Las Vegas contest entailed. He shares that each contestant had to first complete a multiple choice test with extremely specific questions, like “What are the correct specs of a Supreme Pizza with extra green peppers?” and “How long can breadsticks sit in the warmer?” Luckily, Adrian crushed the competition for this part, earning an incredible 100% on the test. Bravo, Adrian!
After the multiple-choice test was complete, Adrian and all the other contestants were tasked with making two pizzas. A judge kept track of each cook’s time, ensuring they were each finished in four minutes or less. Other judges rated each step of the pizza making process: dough-stretching, cheese-spreading and topping placement. “It was nerve-wracking, because people are watching you and you’re on a time crunch,” Adrian shares.
Despite the difficulty, Adrian won the whole thing — making him the first-ever city level winner in DDO history. “I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I thought that was pretty cool!” he says.
THERE’S NO S(TOPPING) HIM
Adrian’s city-level victory is what qualified him for the Pizza Championship National Competition in Plano, TX. At this next stage, Adrian was able to bring his Restaurant General Manager (RGM), Justin Antonetti, to compete alongside him. Though they didn’t end up winning, it was a fun, team-filled DDO affair. Adrian’s Area Coach and Regional Director as well as DDO’s Pizza Hut Operations Specialist and Director of Restaurant Concepts were all in attendance to offer their utmost support.
EXTRA CHEESE (AND A CHALLENGE), PLEASE
We’d be remiss if we didn’t touch on Adrian’s incredible Pizza Hut tenure, which is what got him to this level in the first place!
In 2012, Adrian started with the brand under a different employer — but in 2015, his location was purchased by DDO. It was Nate Sleeper, Adrian’s Area Coach (AC) at the time, who told Adrian about the pizza-making contest and asked if he would want to put his cooking skills to the test.
Adrian’s previous employer hadn’t ever mentioned a pizza-making contest, so he was surprised to find out it even existed! At first, he was hesitant to enter the competition, sharing that he’s quite shy. However, when Adrian learned more details, he had a change of heart: “It looked kind of fun. So I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to participate and be a team player.’”
There’s no doubt that this can-do attitude is what got Adrian as far as he did. We want to thank him for all of his dedication to the competition — although the outcome wasn’t a win, you’ve certainly made us proud!
