Joana Mendes, of Ipswich, named Domino’s world’s fastest pizza maker

A woman from Suffolk has been named Domino’s world’s fastest pizza maker after producing three large pizzas in just 39.2 seconds.

Joana Mendes, an assistant manager at Domino’s in Ipswich, won the company’s competition in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 8 and received $5,000 in prize money, a trophy, championship belt and the renowned title.

After joining Domino’s in 2015, Joana is the first woman to ever win the competition which began in 1982.

She said: “This title means everything to me.

“For the past two years I have been training very hard and became the first female to win the United Kingdom’s fastest pizza maker competition.

“From there, my goal was to take it to the next level and be the world’s fastest pizza maker.

“I had the best people by my side to show me the process and have now achieved one of the biggest goals in my life.”

The finalists were challenged to prepare three large pizzas - one pepperoni, one mushroom and one cheese – by hand-stretching dough, saucing and placing toppings as quickly as possible.

While speed is important, the overall quality of each pizza is closely scrutinised as two judges grade participants on three criteria: dough/sauce, portioning of toppings and placement.

Frank Garrido, Domino’s executive vice president and chief restaurant officer, said: “The world’s fastest pizza maker competition celebrates our Dominoids who have taken their pizza-making skills to unparalleled heights.

“The awe-inspiring speed and precision these competitors demonstrate is a testament to Domino’s focus on delivering exceptional results.

“Our franchise owners employ some of the greatest pizza makers in the world and we are so proud to name Joana as our 2024 world’s fastest pizza maker.”