“Don’t give to get,

give to inspire

others to give”

What I Do - Living Through Giving

Along the way, Hakki has become a pizza celebrity, won international pizza-making competitions, and his Instagram account has 4.8 million followers. While building this small pizza empire, he never forgot his time among the homeless. He passed out free slices to street people who came around asking. Eventually, he started a weekly food and clothing handout on the sidewalk on West 34th Street. As of 2018, he has donated two hundred thousand slices. This activity, currently held every Wednesday, has now expanded to include groups such as homeless aid foundations PCNY Street and Bowery Mission, as well as a number of celebrities and millions of Instagram followers.
Also, Champion Pizza aids not only the less fortunate but also the hardest hit. In October 2012, when Hurricane Sandy inflicted a week-long power outage on New York City, Hakki served the neighborhood free pizza, courtesy of his gas ovens. In 2017, as Puerto Rico was reeling from Hurricane Maria, Champion Pizza organized relief efforts and shipped tons of food, water, and necessities to the island.

For his commitment to supporting those in need, Hakki received citations and commendations from the New York City Council, the New York House of Representatives, the L.E.S Hispanic council, the State of New York, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, and the offices of the Mayor and the Manhattan Borough Presidents, as well as the 2019 Beacon Award, which is given by the Ellis Island Honors Society and American Immigrant Society.

Hakki Akdeniz – Owner and executive chef Hakki is a world champion of acrobatic pizza performing competition. He has been featured numbers of domestic and international Tv shows, magazines and newspapers. In spring 2013, he brought the awardwinning pizzas to nolita Manhattan. Hakki and his successful story is currently the subject of a documentary film intended for submission to major film festivals.

My Journey

Whatever you do, never give up.
This simple yet very strong motto is what pushed Hakki through the bad times to become a successful business owner and entrepreneur in New York.
Hakki Akdeniz was born in a small village in southeastern region of Turkey. As he grew up, he learned to sell and buy things on the street, to polish shoes to make a living for him and his family, which built his keen sense of business that affected a lot later in his life. The life in the village made him dream of bigger future achievement outside the village.

As a teenager, Hakki moved to Montreal, Canada and worked at his brother’s pizzeria, where he learned not only recipes of pizzas on the menu, but also how to run a business. Years later when he became 21, he made a decision to move to New York to achieve the big dream of his lifetime: to open his own business. despite anxiety of family and friends, he departed with just two hundred forty bucks in his pocket, no English word, and the spirit of never give up.

After struggling few years in one of the worlds most competitive cities, Hakki opened his first pizza shop in 2009 in the lower east side of Manhattan. Once he started, his passion became bigger and bigger and it did not take him long to expand the business Hakki second pizza shop was launched the very next year in 2010 and by 2016, he opened 5 additional pizzerias and he started few other business with more than 40 employees working for him.

Hakki is currently working on the project to franchise a pizza business that involves healthier pizza. I want my customers to enjoy the pizza as much as I do, and at the same time stay healthy. He says, along with his team, Hakki is working on organic dough and some new recipes with lots of vegetables. Starting in the Us and Canada, he plans to spread the chain in countries in south america and europe as well.

Professional

Whatever you do, never give up.
This simple yet very strong motto is what pushed Hakki through the bad times to become a successful business owner and
entrepreneur in New York.

Hakki spent lots of time to create his signature Grandma pizza. With the crunchy thin crust, the tomato sauce that has a bit of sweetness, carefully picked parmigiano cheese, it is one of the best seller at Champion Pizza Soho.

Everyday Hakki spends some time in the kitchen to maintain the quality of pizza by himself. As a result the business receives great online reviews and achieves more and more fans. He often listens to customers voices as well for improvement always quick to say hi to his neighbors, and friendly to every customer, young and old, which explains why his pizza shops become busy spots very quickly and have loyal customers who visit the store to get a slice every week, if not everyday. “It is important to always remember where you came from, and to appreciate what you have now as well” he says.

Not only a pizzeria owner, Hakki is known as a wold champion of pizza acrobatics competition, in which competitors take turns spinning pizza dough to dazzle judges and audiences. 

Hakki is proud member of the US Pizza team to compete, covering one of their monthly magazines in 2010 after winning the championship in New York City.

Hakki started competing in the world championships in 2005 after he saw a performance on TV and got deeply inspired. Upon his first trail, Steve Green, the chairman of the US Pizza team, offered Hakki a free ticket to compete. He ended up in the disappointing 87th place there, which uplifted Hakki with more enthusiasm for winning rather turning him down.

With his great effort rewarded, Hakki eventually became a champion in 2010, outperforming all the other contestants around the world. He holds two separate world championship titles which are fastest pizza maker and freestyle acrobatic. His success in acrobatic field brought him wide coverage in local US newspapers and TV Channels including some papular national TV shows such as.

Professional

Whatever you do, never give up.
This simple yet very strong motto is what pushed Hakki through the bad times to become a successful business owner and
entrepreneur in New York.

Hakki spent lots of time to create his signature Grandma pizza. With the crunchy thin crust, the tomato sauce that has a bit of sweetness, carefully picked parmigiano cheese, it is one of the best seller at Champion Pizza Soho.

Everyday Hakki spends some time in the kitchen to maintain the quality of pizza by himself. As a result the business receives great online reviews and achieves more and more fans. He often listens to customers voices as well for improvement always quick to say hi to his neighbors, and friendly to every customer, young and old, which explains why his pizza shops become busy spots very quickly and have loyal customers who visit the store to get a slice every week, if not everyday. “It is important to always remember where you came from, and to appreciate what you have now as well” he says.

Not only a pizzeria owner, Hakki is known as a wold champion of pizza acrobatics competition, in which competitors take turns spinning pizza dough to dazzle judges and audiences. 

Hakki is proud member of the US Pizza team to compete, covering one of their monthly magazines in 2010 after winning the championship in New York City.

Hakki started competing in the world championships in 2005 after he saw a performance on TV and got deeply inspired. Upon his first trail, Steve Green, the chairman of the US Pizza team, offered Hakki a free ticket to compete. He ended up in the disappointing 87th place there, which uplifted Hakki with more enthusiasm for winning rather turning him down.

With his great effort rewarded, Hakki eventually became a champion in 2010, outperforming all the other contestants around the world. He holds two separate world championship titles which are fastest pizza maker and freestyle acrobatic. His success in acrobatic field brought him wide coverage in local US newspapers and TV Channels including some papular national TV shows such as.