This Montreal chef just won the top prize at the world’s biggest pizza competition

If you live in Montreal, you’ve probably walked past a Pizzeria NO.900.

What you may not know is that the chain has been collecting wins on the international pizza circuit for a few years now. And what just happened in Las Vegas might be the biggest one yet.

NO.900’s executive chef Mirko D’Agata was named Pizza Maker of the Year at the 2026 International Pizza Challenge, held during Pizza Expo — the largest pizza industry trade show in the world.

The title goes to whoever beats out the first-place finishers from every competing division, so D’Agata had already won his category before the real contest even began.

That category was Pan Pizza, which was a little unexpected since NO.900 built its reputation on Neapolitan pizza, perfecting it to the point of being the only Quebec eatery certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

Winning the top overall prize with a completely different style says something about what D’Agata is capable of. His winning pizza was built around a slow-cooked ossobuco, a Milanese risotto cream, a 30-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano emulsion, finished with gremolata and saffron tiles.

“Going to the finals of Pizza Maker of the Year, with the other four champions of the other categories, and winning the title was incredible,” the Turin native wrote in a social media post this week. “The result of so many tries, so much work over the years, so many smiles and defeats, because without defeats, we don’t appreciate the victory.”

D’Agata wasn’t the only NO.900 chef making noise in Vegas, though. Patrice Desmeules, from the chain’s Beauport location, claimed first place in the Traditional American Division, giving Montreal’s most decorated pizza brand two division winners at the same competition.

It’s the second year in a row that NO.900, which has over 30 locations across Canada, has pulled off a double podium at Pizza Expo. In 2025, D’Agata won the Neapolitan category with a marinara that won over some of the toughest judges in the industry, becoming the first Quebec chef ever to claim that title. Chef Fiodar Huminski also finished on the podium that year in the Traditional category.

D’Agata now has two International Pizza Challenge wins across two completely different styles. For a chain that already ranks among the top 50 artisan pizza chains in the world and was the only Canadian brand invited to that awards gala two years running, the trophy case keeps getting fuller.

So, if you were looking for an excuse to go for pizza this week, you don’t have to venture too far for a world-class slice.