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Albany County’s Anthony Berghela, owner of Romo’s Pizza in Glenmont, took first place in the Traditional American Division at the World Pizza Championship in Naples, Italy on Wednesday, June 21.
The largest pizza competition in Italy, the event features pizzaiolos (pizza makers) from over 20 countries who are judged on preparation, taste, bake, and presentation.
“Congratulations to Anthony Berghela of Romo's Pizza and Restaurant, who brought home the Pizza World Cup to Albany County!” County Executive Daniel McCoy wrote on Facebook.
The prize-winning pie was a take on the restaurant's New Haven-style pizza, with some changes to better fit in with the Italian culture, the eatery said on Facebook.
"We incorporated San Marzano tomatoes into the sauce, used a 48-month-old Parmesan Reggiano, along with Buffalo mozzarella."
A native of Watervliet, Berghela is no stranger to the world of competitive pizza making.
In 2018, he competed in Las Vegas and Atlantic City at the Caputo Cup, where he finished in the top 10 each time, according to his team bio on the World Pizza Champions website.
Berghela opened Romo’s Pizza in 2009 after being inspired during visits with his uncles at another local pizzeria.
“Always trying to better himself and the business, Anthony stayed up late watching videos and reading books of well-known pizza makers trying to learn new techniques and recipes to improve his business,” reads his bio.
He later attended the International School of Pizza in San Francisco, which is run out of chef Tony Gemignani’s restaurant in the city’s North Beach area. It was there that he was exposed to different styles of pizza doughs, sauces, and cooking methods.
“Anthony had a vision to bring these new ideas back to his hometown,” reads his bio. “With continued mentoring from Tony, he began to work and perfect the new styles of pizzas he had learned.”
After eventually outgrowing the original space, Berghela opened the current Romo’s Pizza in January 2016.
The eatery serves up several styles of pizza, including Neapolitan and Sicilian, along with a variety of salads, wings, calzones, and cold subs, according to its website.
Among the most popular dishes on its Yelp page are the Gracie Pie, a Sicilian pizza with sliced mozzarella, tomato sauce, parmesan and extra virgin olive oil.
“Second to none,” one satisfied reviewer wrote on Yelp.
“The food is always delicious and the portions are huge,” wrote another Yelp user. “The pizza has great flavor and the crust is perfect!”
The pizzeria said it will offer the prize-winning pie for dine-in and takeout on Wednesday, June 28. It will be added to the permanent dine-in menu in the coming weeks.
Romo’s Pizza is located in Glenmont at 365 Feura Bush Road. Find out more on its website.
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