Saturday, September 17th, 2022
Area teen to compete in pizza-making contest
By Leslie Gartrell
Photo by Leslie Gartrell/The Daily Standard
Zoe Cox, 17, makes a pizza on Thursday afternoon at Celina Pizza Hut. Cox this weekend will compete in the Pizza Championship in Chicago. Cox this weekend will compete against other Pizza Hut employees from across the Midwest at the Pizza Championship in Chicago to determine who the fastest pizza maker is. The winner will move on to the grand championship in Texas.
CELINA - A Celina teen this weekend will compete in Chicago to prove her pizza-making prowess can't be topped.
Zoe Cox, 17, a kitchen manager at Pizza Hut, has set herself apart from her peers as one of the fastest pizza makers in the region.
After winning at the restaurant, area and franchise level, Cox will face off against other Midwestern Pizza Hut employees at the Pizza Championship. Should she win, Cox will move on to the grand championship in Plano, Texas.
Her winning streak started by beating two other Celina employees in the competition before most recently toppling competitors from 21 other stores at the franchise level.
With three years of experience under her belt, Cox said she can make two large pizzas in one minute and 25 seconds, starting from un-stretched dough to perfectly-topped pizza ready for the oven.
Cox said the repetition of making pizzas over the years has been one of the greatest contributors to her speed.
"I think using both my hands, doing different things at different times, where I'm still topping with one (hand) while my other hand is grabbing the next one and doing that, so like multi-tasking," she said. "Other than that, I've always been fast."
Photo by Leslie Gartrell/The Daily Standard
Zoe Cox stretches dough on a pizza pan on Thursday.
However, speed alone does not make a pizza champion. Competitors also have to pass a written knowledge test of operational standards, a pizza making exercise to show mastery of the processes and standards and finally a speed component.
The written test challenges contestants with questions covering topics such as food safety, temperature, expiration dates and how to top a pizza, Cox said. While the information largely is common knowledge, the 17-year-old said she studied for the local and regional level competitions.
"Zoe is amazing," said Talytha Hamilton-Collins, vice president of operations for Buckeye Valley and White River Valley Pizza Hut. "Her pizzas are beautiful and she dominated every level of the competition so far. We are so proud of her and cannot wait to have her represent our franchise this weekend."
Cox's winnings so far include gift cards, a trophy, a championship belt and a paid trip to Chicago this weekend to participate in the competition, Hamilton-Collins said.
Before leaving for the Windy City on Friday, Cox said she was proud to compete and grateful for the support of her store managers including her mother Shelly Houser, franchise owners Gary and Nancy Coomer, Hamilton-Collins and others.
"I've always put pride into my pizzas, and I guess that pays off now," she said.
