Alberton Record
The return of the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge
The Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge, South Africa’s beloved food competition, is back for its fourth edition, seeking to crown the nation’s top pizzamaker as chosen by the public.
In last year’s fiercely competitive event, Gino’s of Robertsham, the 2021 winner, reclaimed the top spot after being bested in 2022 by one of Cape Town’s most popular pizzerias, Ferdinando’s.
Gino’s, a Johannesburg south institution that marked its 40th anniversary last year, could celebrate the victory with extra pride.
“It was a tremendous validation of what we do, which is to provide delicious Italian food made with passion and which is good value for money.
“What makes the win even sweeter is the public votes in the competition; so it proves we are doing the right thing for our customers,” said owner Gino Mazza.
Porcupine Ridge spokesperson Lynton Kaiser shared: “Last year’s competition was a ding-dong battle and the rivalry, while fierce, was also very friendly.
“We had close to 100 eateries challenging each other for the top prize, including competing sisters, competing brothers, brand new establishments and 40-year-old restaurants, all of whom made it into the top 10.
“What was also wonderful about last year’s challenge was the provincial representation of restaurants taking part. We had establishments in almost every province in the country participating, which made it a truly national competition.”
The exciting news is many of last year’s competitors have returned for this year’s challenge, joined by a wave of newcomers eager to knock the favourites off their pedestal.
“We are confident there will be more entrants this year and the competition will be more intense while remaining loads of fun,” added Kaiser.
The rules remain unchanged: the public will vote for their favourite local pizzeria through a dedicated website.
The pizzeria with the most votes will be crowned South Africa’s favourite, earning ultimate bragging rights, along with wine and marketing materials valued at R40 000.
This year, there is an exciting new addition. Each of the top 10 pizzerias will also receive R1 800 in vouchers and three cases of wine to reward their top-selling Porcupine Ridge servers.
Voters are not left out either. Consumers who vote for their favourite venue can win weekly prizes of six bottles of Porcupine Ridge wine and EarthFire pizza accessories.
One lucky voter will be the grand prize winner at the end of the competition, receiving an EarthFire Tabletop Pizza Oven, a year’s supply of pizza from their favourite pizzeria (up to R2 000), and five cases of Porcupine Ridge wine, all valued at R10 000.
The competition began on September 1, with voting closing on October 31.
The top 10 contenders will be announced in mid-November.
Johannesburg south restaurants interested in participating in the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge should contact their local Vinimark reps or email [email protected]
