Steve Lieber, Director of the United States Pizza team, was introduced to local pizza acrobat Kai Tutor the same way as Historic City News — by e-mail.
Lieber got word that Kai wanted to join the United States Pizza team, so he took a look at an audition video that Kai’s sister had posted to YouTube. Lieber was expecting to see someone who worked in a Florida pizza parlor and was learning the old world tradition of spinning dough, but instead, was surprised to discover that the applicant was only twelve years old.
The United States Pizza team runs pizza competitions in New York City and Orlando and this year ran their first gluten-free pizza championship. They try to promote pizza stores all over the United States and try to help pizza stores make a better pizza.
The team member’s skill in “tossing pizza” got them recognized and, for the first time ever, they were invited to march in the 84th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan.
Lieber thought Kai had the stuff, so he made him the youngest member of the United States Pizza team.
Kai went about collecting money in his neighborhood so that he could participate with the team and he was able to raise about $300.
Joe and Cindy Tringali, owners of Carmelo’s Marketplace Pizzeria downtown, make gourmet brick oven pizza from an old Tringali family recipe that was handed down from Joe’s grandfather, Carmelo.
They learned why Kai was collecting money and decided to sponsor him by providing round-trip airfare to New York for both he and his mother.
The Pizza Team and Kai were interviewed last week by Greg Kelly and Rosanna Scotto on the Fox News morning program, Good Day New York. The team showed Greg and Rosanna how to toss pies high in the sky using what’s called “throw dough”.
Kai’s audition video
Fox News interview