PAPA INDUSTRY AWARDS
The Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Industry Awards 2025 were presented on a glittering evening in early November at the Sheraton Grand Park Lane, London. Hosted by Britain’s Got Talent winning magician Richard Jones and celebrity chef Theo Randall, the PAPA Awards dinner brought the industry together for the annual celebration of the best the industry has to offer. There were awards for retailers, restaurants and delivery outlets, pizza, pasta and other products, as well as the culmination of the annual Pizza Chef of the Year competition and special recognition for a long and successful career. As is traditional, the evening’s presentations began with Theo Randall revealing the winners of the Pizza Chef competition, with Michele Rutigliano taking the top prize. The heart and soul of the industry is never more personified than by the independent businesses, for whom winning can mean so much. Take Gavin O’Brien who was “completely overwhelmed” after his venture Gavin’s Pizza Company claimed the new Mobile Pizza Award. Similarly, Jo Malone from Village Pizza Kitchen was thrilled to win the Independent Pizza Restaurant Award commenting, “We are completely over the moon with our award – it really does mean the world to us!” It was a huge evening for Aldi, whose outstanding pizza range and pasta choices resulted in them taking away four awards on the night, including a double in the Manufactured Pizza award categories.
Other big-name winners from the high-street included M&S, Ask Italian, Co-op, Caprinos Pizza and Pizza Pilgrims. Surprise winners were Beyond Belief Brewing Co. whose Pasta Craft Beer helped them take home the Business & Product Development category, as well as the prize for Environment & Sustainability. Cheers! Reactions from winners included Thom Elliot from Pizza Pilgrims who said, “We are honoured to have won the Pizza Restaurant Chain Award.” Meanwhile, Zamman Ahmed from Caprinos Pizza, who won the Pizza Delivery Chain Award, said, “We’re absolutely thrilled about the win and grateful for the recognition.” Simran Sarl from Italian Restaurant Chain winners Ask Italian commented, “It was a lovely evening and we’re so pleased to have won.” The formal part of the celebration concluded with the presentation of the PAPA Industry Award to Pete Brain from Leprino, for his outstanding long-service, working alongside nearly every major pizza operator in the UK. The less formal, post-awards partying seems to get more legendary with each passing year and we are excited to do it all again in 2026! Check out all the winners on the following pages.
www.papaindustryawards.co.uk www.papa.org.uk 231_P&P_Dec25_p19-33_PAPA_Awards PW AB.indd 19
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