Lisa Hamilton emerged as the overall winner of the inaugural Guyana Cup Pizza-Making Competition on Wednesday evening after capturing the Guyanese Gourmet Pizza category and earning the highest score among the competition’s ten participants.
Hamilton received a $300,000 cash prize from Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues and was presented with the winner’s trophy by Prime Minister Mark Phillips at the event, which was hosted by the Delegation of the European Union in Guyana in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Panama.
The competition, held on the eve of the International Day of Gastronomy, featured contestants competing in two categories—Traditional Neapolitan Pizza and Guyanese Gourmet Pizza.
Alex Tenorio won the Traditional Neapolitan Pizza category and will go on to represent Guyana at the 2026 World Pizza and Empanada Championship, scheduled to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 2 to 4 next year.
According to the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), the event formed part of efforts to promote culinary tourism and strengthen Guyana’s growing gastronomy sector.
Judging in the Traditional Neapolitan category was conducted by Italian pizza experts Carmine Candito and Marco Carlesso, both World Pizza Champions, master pizzaiolos and international instructors. Rodrigues and Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Steven Jacobs served as judges in the Guyanese Gourmet category.
Speaking at the event, European Union Ambassador to Guyana Luca Pierantoni said the competition demonstrated how culinary traditions could serve as a bridge between cultures.
“By bringing the rigorous traditions of Italian pizza-making to Georgetown and blending them with Guyana’s vibrant, rich flavours, we are not just celebrating gastronomy—we are fostering skills, economic opportunity and culinary tourism,” he said.
Pierantoni also thanked Rodrigues and the GTA for supporting the initiative.
The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the GTA provided the $300,000 prize for the winning gourmet pizza category.
GTA Director Kamrul Baksh said food tourism was becoming an increasingly important component of the travel experience.
“Visitors want more than sightseeing; they want to connect with places through flavour, through stories, through local creativity,” Baksh said, adding that initiatives such as the competition help to strengthen Guyana’s tourism product.
Rodrigues said the country’s culinary heritage continues to play an important role in tourism development.
“Our food culture continues to play an important role in strengthening Guyana’s tourism product and supporting opportunities within the wider sector,” she said.
She added that events focused on gastronomy contribute to skills development, innovation and capacity building within the culinary industry while broadening Guyana’s tourism offerings.
The competition highlighted both traditional Italian pizza-making techniques and local culinary creativity. Participants prepared pizzas in either the Traditional Neapolitan or Guyanese Gourmet categories, showcasing their skills before the panel of judges.
The event also coincided with international recognition of the craft of Neapolitan pizza-making. In 2017, UNESCO inscribed the “Art of the Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo” on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising the traditional methods and cultural significance of the centuries-old practice.
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