 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(November 2022) |
Hakki Akdeniz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 1, 1984 |
| Occupation(s) | Restaurateur, pizza chef |
Hakki Akdeniz (born 1984, February 1) is an American restaurateur. He is owner and founder of the pizzeria chain Champion Pizza in New York City. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In 1997, Hakki moved to Montreal, Canada and worked at his brother’s pizzeria. He was homeless when he moved to New York in 2001 [5] and started working at a pizzeria until 2005. In December 2009, he founded his first pizza shop in lower Manhattan, which was later named Champion Pizza. [6] In 2019, the chain had seven locations. [1]
The New York Times reported that, "Along the way, he became something of a pizza celebrity, known for his flashy acrobatics in tossing and twirling dough, flaming or otherwise, and for building giant pizzas." [1] Akdeniz received media attention by his charity works in support of homeless. [6]
In 2019, he received twelve awards during the Beacon Awards ceremony, co-hosted by the Ellis Island Honor Society. [7] His February 2022 TED talk at Rutgers University, entitled "Homeless Not Hopeless", has received over two million views as of June 2024. [8]
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Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, commonly known as Frank Pepe's or simply Pepe's, is a popular pizza restaurant in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, at 163 Wooster Street. Opened in 1925, it is one of the oldest and best known pizzerias in the United States.
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The history of pizza begins in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced flatbreads with several toppings.
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Marion's Piazza is a pizzeria chain based in Dayton, Ohio. Established in 1965 by Marion Glass, the company operates nine restaurants throughout the greater Dayton area. Marion's son, Roger Glass, took over as CEO after Marion's death in 2006 and continued to manage the company until his passing in August of 2022.
Giordano's is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in Chicago-style stuffed pizza. Brothers Efren and Joseph Boglio founded Giordano's in 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. The pizzeria has since expanded to over 65 locations in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The chain has also expanded to offer catering and ship frozen pizzas in the United States.
Patsy's Pizzeria is a historic coal-oven pizzeria in New York City. Opened in Italian Harlem in 1933, it was regarded as one of New York's original pizzerias for its use of traditional New York style thin crust pizza.
Pizzeria Bianco is a pizza restaurant in downtown Phoenix, Arizona established in 1987 by Chris Bianco. It has earned positive reviews from notable food critics. Nationally recognized for its pizzas, the restaurant's small seating capacity can lead to wait times that sometimes surprise casual patrons. The restaurant features a wood-fired oven and homemade mozzarella cheese used in pizzas primarily fashioned by the owner himself. In 2013, the restaurant established a second location in the Biltmore Area of Phoenix. In 2022, the restaurant opened a third location, in Los Angeles.
L&B Spumoni Gardens is an Italian-American pizzeria-restaurant in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Originally conceived as an ice and spumoni stand prior to World War II, it grew during the mid-1950s into a full-scale pizzeria that's known today primarily for its Sicilian pizza and ices. The restaurant has been featured on the show Man v. Food. NY Eater critic Robert Sietsema considers L&B Spumoni Gardens a must-try Italian American restaurant in Brooklyn. They were featured on Andrew Zimmern’s show The Zimmern List.
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Pieology Pizzeria is a Tustin, California-based pizza chain within the fast-casual dining restaurants category. Founded in 2011 by Carl Chang, the brother of former tennis player Michael Chang, Pieology's mission is to "turn one of America's favorite food into an affordable and interactive experience". Pieology's main rivals are Blaze Pizza and MOD Pizza. By October 2018, Pieology had a single unit in Mexico plus approximately 140 units in 23 American states and territories with more than half of those restaurants located in the state of California.
Dodo Pizza is a Russian pizza delivery franchise founded in 2011 by Fyodor Ovchinnikov. The corporation was founded in Syktyvkar, Russia. Its headquarters are also in Syktyvkar, as well as in Moscow.
The American city of Portland, Oregon has been recognized for its pizza culture and establishments.
Baby Blue Pizza was a vegan pizzeria in Portland, Oregon. The restaurant operated from July 2019 to January 2022, closing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Via Tribunali is a pizzeria with two locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Currently operating the city's Capitol Hill and Queen Anne neighborhoods, the restaurant previously operated in the Georgetown neighborhood and in New York City and Portland, Oregon. The business was established in 2004.
Fireaway Pizza is a British pizza restaurant chain. The chain operates on a franchise model system, as well as a distribution network to all of its stores in England. The majority of products are imported from Italy.