Our own local pizza chef and gourmet pizzeria owner Ali Haider recently appeared on Hulu’s brand new pizza cookoff show ‘Best in Dough’, where he represented Los Angeles and beat world championship pizza chefs from New York to Chicago once again.
‘Best in Dough’ features some of the world’s finest pizza chefs who compete in curated contests to impress a panel of judges over the course of two rounds. Ali left the judges wanting more after demonstrating his talent for infusing international flavors and ingredients into aesthetically pleasing, mouthwatering pizzas.
Ali, who is of Iraqi and Indian descent, is known by many in the gourmet pizza circuit as the “Ambassador of International Flavors” and is an eight-time national and international award winning pizzaiolo, or pizza chef, as part of the United States Pizza Team, and he’s even a Guinness Book title holder for making the largest, longest pizza. Ali has also been seen in the New York Times, Forbes, US Weekly, LA Weekly, Kuwait Times, PMQ Magazine, Pizza Today, Food Network, ABC7, KTLA5, NBC, CBS, and many more.
His organic approach to making pizzas brings global cultures and delicacies to his restaurants and competitions.
“Food is love. When people experience my pizza, they connect with and appreciate other cultures. That makes the world a better place,” said Ali.
For example, during the last round on ‘Best In Dough’ Episode 6, Ali created a pizza paying tribute to India’s Kashmir region. This pizza was shaped in the form of a star to honor Ali’s daughter and featured beef, meatballs, Greek yogurt, cherry tomatoes, and authentic Indian sauces.
Ali’s restaurant, 786 Degrees, offers two locations in the Los Angeles area; one is located in Pasadena, and the other can be found in Sun Valley. Ali’s global and national recognition brings customers from out of state and even from outside of the country, making it a popular destination location. On the menu at 786 Degrees, customers can find pizzas that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.
Some of his award-winning signature pizzas include the ‘El Chapo’, a spicy Mexican-inspired pizza with beef chorizo, grilled onions, cilantro, tomatoes, mozzarella, pepper jack, and grilled green peppers; the ‘Bulgogi Gangnam Style’, a Korean-inspired pizza with 36-hour marinated beef with sesame and scallion, pears, apples, and more; and the ‘Habibi’, an Egyptian-inspired pizza with smoked mozzarella, Egyptian garlic yogurt sauce, lamb, beef, and more.
It was this level of international flavor and creativity that left the ‘Best in Dough’ judges in awe of Ali’s seemingly innate talents for blending unique flavors and ingredients together to yield pizza like they’d never had before. It surprised judges and audiences to learn that Ali started making pizzas as a self-taught form of art before becoming a certified pizzaiolo through Italy’s Vera Pizza Napoletana.
Los Angeles residents can take a trip around the world by visiting the five-star rated 786 Degrees. More information, including hours, locations, and menu options, can be found at https://786degrees.com/.
‘Best in Dough’ Season 1, Episode 6 ‘Pizza Champs’, in which Ali won against two other world championship pizzaiolos, is now on Hulu!
About 786 Degrees
786 Degrees is a premier Los Angeles gourmet pizzeria featuring artisan wood fired pizzas from all around the world.
