Ermanno's Legendary Pizza Once Again Cranks Out Award-Winning Pie

owner Alan Frank still dreams of becoming a member of the U.S. Pizza Team. But until that day comes, he’ll continue doing well in all the pizza competitions he enters.

Did we say well? We meant very well.

Frank and his wife, , also a contributor for North Canton Patch, , making their Daydreamer pizza the fourth-best pizza in North America. Their latest competition March 21-23, the American Pizza Challenge, took the couple to Milwaukee, where they also came in fourth with a modified version of their chicken alfredo pizza.

First-place winners won a trip to Italy and became members of the U.S. Pizza Team, a group of extraordinary pizza makers.

Frank laughs when thinking about how close he was to placing in the challenge — 13 points away (the competition consisted of 400 points).

During the Columbus competition, pizza makers threw their pizzas in the oven based on what oven temperature they needed, so there was a lot going on at once. But in Milwaukee, Frank said the pressure was on as everyone competed one at a time, even conducting interviews while preparing their pizzas.

“This one was a little different because they had a table with a mirror set above it so the audience could watch you make your pizza,” he said.

“It was a little nerve-wracking.”

And you remember Frank talking about the ? Well, they did it again for their Milwaukee trip. That’s nine hours with a tray of dough strapped to the roof of their car to keep it at the right temperature.

In Milwaukee, the couple watched a freestyle acrobatic competition in which pizza makers roll dough across their shoulders and spin it on their fingertips. Frank said he and his wife tried to recreate those moves using their own fake dough, or rubber dough.

Frank still has his sights set on a spot with the U.S. Pizza Team and victories in other competitions. He says he plans to compete in next year’s North American Pizza and Ice Cream Show again.