John Howe
World's Best! Gold, Fastest Pizza, Paris – 2008
National Champion, Fastest Pizza, Orlando – 2009
National Champion, Fastest Pizza, Orlando – 2008
National Champion, Fastest Pizza, Orlando – 2007
John W. Howe, III has been a member of the U.S. Pizza Team since 2005, and earned his spot by winning first place in the Orlando Pizza Show's U.S. Pizza Team trials as Fastest Pizza Maker. He slapped out five dough balls in a winning time of 32.46 seconds, and then beat his record and won again with 28 seconds.
John says he is most excited about the opportunities that will likely come with the win. "I get to represent the U.S. in the pizza industry, which I love, and the PR is great, not to mention the honor that it brings to my restaurant and my reputation," he said. "I want to be able to show my employees that determination really goes a long way, and also, that the training we do can benefit our business, our customers and us as individuals."
John got his start in Washington, D.C., where he was studying to go into hospitality management. "When a recruitment ad for Domino's caught my eye, I jumped on the chance, applied and joined one of the top franchises in the system – Team Washington," he said. " After a year of intense training, I became a General Manager." John says he loves the industry so much because it's always interesting, never boring, and "the sky is the limit."
John opened his store in Orlando just two months before PMQ's pizza show came there, he's been in the industry for nearly 10 years. "We are very aggressive and have great relationships with all of the hotels in the area, which is very tourist-intense in Orlando. We always try to go out of our way to be extra nice to our customers," he said.
"Practice, practice, practice." John says that's the key to being able to achieve his status of being an official U.S. Pizza Team member. Additionally, John now works as a marketing manager for Pizza Hut in Orlando. He appeared on the Regis and Kelly show in March 2008 to showcase his fast pizza-making skills.
