Tony Cerimele continues to bring home accolades to his hometown of Nesquehoning through his pizza skills.

Last month, the owner of New Columbus Pizza Company claimed the “Best of the Best Award” at the 2025 Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. This comes on the heels of last year’s victory at the 2024 International Pizza Challenge, where he was named “Pizza Maker of the Year.”

According to Pizza Today, the Best of the Best category at the Pizza Expo is open only to past Pizza Maker of the Year recipients.

“I honestly do not even know where to begin,” Cerimele posted on his Facebook page about the win. “... Only a few people knew this as I didn’t want to jinx myself, but I was fortunate enough to compete one last time again in Las Vegas at the 2025 Pizza Expo, however this competition was a little different.

“We, and I say we, because this was team effort of myself and all of my friends and family. ‘We’ were asked and competed in Pizza Expo’s and Pizza Today’s ‘Best of the Best’ competition.”

He said that the competition used surprise ingredients for the toppings, which included sausage, goat cheese and dragon fruit.

“The only item you can use is your own dough,” Cerimele wrote.

He made a Sicilian pizza with dragon fruit jam that wowed the judges, earning him yet another gold for his culinary efforts.

“I would like to thank everyone who has helped me on this eight-year journey to reach the top of the mountain,” he said. “My only wish is that my father was here to see it, but just like last year, he was with me. I prayed and talked with him the whole time and mixed in a little Bruce Springsteen to get in the right mindset just like last year.

“Each and everyone of you have impacted me and my life in so many different ways that I could never repay you. Thank you all so much and know that these championships are all of ours and I share them with you.”

The Cerimele pizza business has been a staple in the Nesquehoning community since the 1950s, when Tony’s grandparents, Michael and Mayme Cerimele began to hone their skills in the pizza world in the basement of their New Columbus home.

Over the next several decades, the family perfected a pie that became a main meal in many residents’ homes.

The business passed to Tony’s uncle, Michael “Schmick” Cerimele and parents Fred and Marguerite Cerimele before becoming his.

Since then, he has been building on his family’s legacy with a variety of new pizza options.

To honor the Nesquehoning native, borough council, last year, named April 25 as Tony Cerimele Day in the borough.

Council expressed their gratitude for Cerimele’s efforts in keeping the family tradition alive and bringing notoriety to the Nesquehoning community through his passion for the culinary arts.

For more information on New Columbus Pizza Company, visit the company’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/NewColumbusPizza or website https://newcolumbuspizzaco.com.