WHAT’S NEWS IN HAMPTON
CALIENTE PIZZA
& DRAFT HOUSE
RETURNS TO THE
INTERNATIONAL STAGE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House is no
stranger to the international spotlight. Voted
the Best Pizza in America at the World Pizza
Championship in Parma, Italy, earlier this
year, as well as bringing home three world
championships from the International Pizza
Expo in Las Vegas, Caliente has made quite
a name for itself in the pizza world.
The second half of 2019 has brought
more of the same, as owner Nick Bogacz,
Regional Chef Eric Von Hansen, and
the Caliente team were slated to travel to
three cities in an effort to bring another
championship back to the ‘Burgh. The first
trip: Naples, Italy, Sept. 16-20 to represent
Caliente at the Trofeo Caputo, the largest
pizza event in the world. With over 600
pizzaioli from over 40 countries expected
to be in attendance, Caliente Pizza & Draft
House was getting the chance to compete
with the best in the world.
One week later, Bogacz was to be back
stateside to present a keynote speech at
the U.S. arm of Trofeo Caputo, the Caputo
Cup, in Atlantic City on Sept. 26 at the
2019 Pizza and Pasta Expo. Apart from
his keynote, Bogacz would be presenting a
seminar on Caliente’s craft beer selection
and offering a cheese demo. Other Caliente
team members included Nick Fink, who was
responsible for one of Caliente’s 2017 first-
place wins at the Las Vegas International
Pizza Expo.
The Caliente Pizza & Draft House
team will continue the international tour
with a trip to the European Pizza & Pasta
Show in November, where they’ll look to
be crowned European Pizza Champions
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in the competition portion of the event.
Headlined by industry legend and Bogacz’s
fellow World Pizza Team member Tony
Gemignani, the event is set for Nov. 13-15
in London. Over 200 exhibitors and 3,000
attendees are expected, making it the largest
B2B pizza and pasta event in Europe.
With multiple high-profile events and
competitions in the latter part of 2019, it
could be another compelling stretch for
Caliente Pizza & Draft House in its seventh
year of operation.
ABOUT CALIENTE PIZZA & DRAFT HOUSE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House, founded
in 2012, is an award-winning locally owned
and operated pizza restaurant known
for its roster of craft beers and gourmet
pizzas. With five locations in the Pittsburgh
area, Caliente is known internationally as
three-time World Pizza Champions and
represents Pittsburgh on the World Pizza
Champions Team. For locations and more
information, visitpizzadrafthouse.com.
PITTSBURGH BALLET
THEATRE’S TERRENCE
S. ORR TO RETIRE
AFTER 22 YEARS AS
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
After leading the company for 22 years,
Artistic Director Terrence S. Orr has
announced he will retire in June 2020 after
celebrating the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s
upcoming 50th Anniversary Season.
Over more than two decades as artistic
director, Orr has grown the company’s
repertory with more than 20 new
commissions and dozens of acquisitions.
He has debuted ambitious story ballets like
“La Bayadère,” “Romeo et Juliette” and “A
Streetcar Named Desire”; curated major
icmags.com
masterworks by dance giants like Jerome
Robbins, Jiří Kylián and Twyla Tharp;
and provided a platform for emerging
choreographers, including from within the
company. His original production of “The
Nutcracker” has been a Pittsburgh classic for
close to 20 years.
During his tenure, the company has
grown its ticket sales, school enrollment and
campus. It has debuted the country’s first
professional sensory-friendly production of
“The Nutcracker” and increased accessibility
and educational programming in the theater,
studio and community.
“I have made Pittsburgh my home and
certainly my life,” says Orr, who has lived in
Sewickley with his wife, PBT Ballet Mistress
Marianna Tcherkassky, since becoming
PBT artistic director in 1997. “It has been
exciting to watch the company grow and rise
to incredible heights.”
Orr, a California native, began his dance
career at San Francisco Ballet, where he
became a principal dancer by age 17. He
went on to lead a celebrated career at
New York City’s American Ballet Theatre
(ABT), rising from corps de ballet to
principal dancer. He joined ABT’s artistic
staff while he was still performing and
served as ballet master from 1978 to 1997.
He has staged works for ballet companies
worldwide, including the Royal Ballet at
Covent Garden, the Paris Opera Ballet, La
Scala, Australian Ballet and National Ballet
of Japan.
Orr will close his career with PBT by
leading celebrations for the company’s 50th
Anniversary Season, opening in October.
The season will honor the company’s
history with a five-production lineup
featuring “Giselle” with the PBT Orchestra
(Oct. 25-27), “The Nutcracker” (Dec.
6-29), PNC Presents “Beauty and the
Beast” (Feb. 14-23), “Here & Now” at the
August Wilson African American Cultural
Center (March 20-29) and “Balanchine
& Tchaikovsky” with the PBT Orchestra
(April 17-19) as well as exciting repertoire
to be performed on tour on prestigious
national stages including the Chautauqua
Institution, Northrop at University of
Minnesota and others. For ticketing and
program information, visit pbt.org. n