Pastry chef Ciro Poppella, patron of Pasticceria Poppella, and pizzaiolo Daniele Gagliotta have won “La Miglior Pizza Dolce 2026” at the Campionato Mondiale Pizza DOC, according to Luciano Pignataro.
The award was presented during the 12th edition of the competition, held from 10 to 12 November 2026 at NEXT in Capaccio Paestum, according to Luciano Pignataro and Panorama.
For Poppella, the win came on his first appearance as a competitor, after previous appearances as a guest, according to Luciano Pignataro and Il Mattino. He entered in partnership with Naples-born Gagliotta, who works in the United States, according to Il Mattino.
The partnership fits the competition’s “Pizza a due” format, which allows collaboration between a pizzaiolo, chef or pastry chef, according to Panorama.
Gagliotta took a second title at the same event, becoming joint Campione del Mondo Pizza DOC 2026 alongside Vincenzo Cordella, according to Luciano Pignataro.
The 2026 edition included 24 professional categories, three special trophies and one amateur category, according to Panorama. It was dedicated to Antonio Giaccoli, identified as the founder and long-time guide of the event, according to Panorama.
The reports do not identify the ingredients, recipe or presentation of the winning sweet pizza, and the jury composition, scores and full ranking in the category have not been released.
