Chris Balthrop
World's Best! Team Gold, Italy – 2007
National Champion, Acrobatic Pizza, Orlando – 2007
Chris Balthrop, has been a member of the U.S. Pizza Team since 2007. Chris feels practicing every day is a great way to prepare for the competition. "As the competition gets closer I start thinking more about a specific routine and what music I will use," he said. "I also think, as a Freestyle Thrower, I should incorporate interpretive dance into the routine; the dough is the dance partner and it is not just there to do the tricks with."
Balthrop got his start in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he opened Lupi's Pizza Pies. Chris's favorite part of being in the pizza industry is that he always enjoys preparing food for people. "Pizza always seems to be something that people really enjoy eating and watch being made," he said. "It is fun to bring a smile to someone's face and hopefully make their day better with the pizza you prepare for them."
According to Chris, Lupi's Pizza Pies stands out from their competition because they have superior products, a fun and unique atmosphere and excellent employees. "Our food is prepared fresh daily and we seek the best-quality ingredients to use for our pizzas," he said. "We buy local produce when we can and several of our meats are from local organic farms."
Chris feels if you truly enjoy and have passion for what you are doing as a pizza maker, then you have a real chance of being on the team. In addition to being a pizza champion, Chris is also a proud husband to his wife Stacie and father of son, Quin, and daughter, Sileas.
