About Me

I’m Gail Churinetz — $25,000 Food Network winner, member of the U.S. Pizza Team, Women in Pizza, and Galbani Professionale — and I bring gourmet pizza parties right into your home.

My pizza journey began in 1994, when my husband Bob transplanted us from Connecticut to Germantown, Tennessee. Pizza was a BIG part of our weekly family dinner, and I went in search of the best pizza I could find here. Nothing resembled the awesome New Haven, CT–style pizza I grew up on — so I started experimenting with my own recipes.

The secret isn’t what you might expect: my dough starts with a sourdough starter I’ve been keeping alive for over seven years, and it ferments for a full 72 hours before your party. That’s where the flavor and texture come from.

I started giving cooking lessons in my own kitchen for a private group of ladies — first class: pizza! When my kitchen got too small for everyone who wanted in, I moved to a local cooking school, the Gift Horse. Years later, when that school closed, I began teaching at Viking Cooking School in Memphis in August of 2006, where I became known for my pizzas.

While teaching at Viking, I applied for a cooking competition on Food Network’s “Ultimate Recipe Showdown,” hosted by Guy Fieri, with my Crawfish & Andouille Sausage Pizza. Out of 10,000 home cooks, I was chosen to compete — and I won! The $25,000 grand prize, plus $5,000 in Food Network products sold at Kohl’s, was a life-changing event.

From there I became a frequent guest chef on CBS affiliate WREG Channel 3’s morning show and a Research & Development Consulting Chef for ACH Food Companies.

Now I’m on to my next chapter — in-home pizza parties, where I bring the menu, the cooking, and the cleanup to you.

Credentials

  • Winner of Food Network’s “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” — $25,000 grand prize
  • Member, U.S. Pizza Team
  • Member, Women in Pizza
  • Member, Galbani Professionale
  • Winner, Pizza Therapy Worldwide Pizza Recipe Contest
  • Recipe developer for “Cooking for a Living,” the ACH cookbook
  • Frequent guest chef, WREG Channel 3 (CBS affiliate)
  • Creator of the cooking blog foodsinthefastlane.me