Hakki Akdeniz: The Making of a Champion

New York City’s Champion Pizza operates on a larger scale than the rest.

Champion Pizza doesn’t make oversized pies. They make pies the size of mattresses.

Champion Pizza doesn’t get the word out on social media. They break the internet and, occasionally, invade national television.

Owner Hakki Akdeniz doesn’t flip pizza dough to the ceiling – he dances with dough and occasionally lights it on fire as he tosses his way to World Pizza Acrobatics titles.