Pizza champion doughs his thing
By ELAINE ROSE
Staff Writer, 609-272-7215
Published: Saturday, October 11, 2008
ATLANTIC CITY - Walk into a pizza shop and many times the person behind the counter will do a few tricks with the dough before adding the sauce and cheese to make your pie.But they have nothing on Justin Wadstein, of Santa Cruz, Calif., who showed off his skills with the unbaked crust Friday night as the Showboat Casino-Hotel kicked off its Italian Festival.Wadstein, 22, winner of several world championships of pizza acrobatics, took the stage and showed the amateurs how it's done.He rolled the dough across a table and flipped it behind his back. He juggled two or three rolled-out balls of dough at the same time, passing them under his legs and catching them with his face and feet. He flipped and spun the dough while sitting down and while lying flat on his back.Then he did it all again - with a jester's cap covering his eyes.
And the dough stayed intact. Except for the fact that it touched the floor, it would have been fit to go in the oven.Wadstein said he has been doing tricks since he was 12 years old and working as a dishwasher in his grandparents' pizzeria in Medera Ranchos, Calif. He started by spinning towels instead of cleaning plates. A few years later, when he moved to making pizzas, he started playing with the dough.Then his aunt got an idea for him to show off the tricks to diners on Friday and Saturday nights, Wadstein said. That went over well, and a customer told him about a pizza acrobatics contest in Las Vegas. He won first place for the United States, fourth place for the world.He's been on a roll ever since, winning world championships, making television appearances and traveling to competitions in Europe, Wadstein said.After the show, Wadstein invited some children and adults to come on stage to learn a few tricks from the master.E-mail Elaine Rose:ERose@pressofac.comShowboat Italian FestivalThe Italian Festival continues through Monday in the House of Blues music hall at the Showboat. Justin Wadstein will perform at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. today and 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
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