The Fastest Pizza Maker in the World is in Kingstowne

Waheed "Johnny" Awsim is not your ordinary champion. Awsim (pronounced Awesome) owns Johnny's New York Style Pizzeria in Kingstowne, and is the seven-time winner of the "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" competition. And since 2001, he's held the world record - making 14 perfect pizzas in two minutes and 34 seconds. 

Awsim and his mother, brother and sister fled Afghanistan after the death of his father during the Soviet invasion in 1983. The family moved to Alexandria, and he soon started work at Domino's Pizza in Alexandria.

"My family and I came here as refugees," Awsim told Patch. "I've been making pizza since I was 13. I'm now a seven-time world champion, and every time I won a championship I won free cars... I've done over 400 TV shows. I was a guest on 'Good Morning America', 'Regis and Kelly', 'Late Night with David Letterman', 'The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson', 'The Today Show'... I've made pizza for politicians, for the White House, and I know the Bush and Clinton families personally." 

The competition, which is held annually in Las Vegas, pits expert pizza makers against each other with the challenge of making 14 pizzas perfectly as fast as possible. Awsim was crowned world champion from 1987-1990, and reclaimed his title in 1994, 1997 and finally in 2001.   

Each win brought Awsim notoriety. "When I became the fastest pizza maker in the world, everyone wanted to meet me. They wanted to know how a guy from Afghanistan can make better pizzas than Italians," he said. 

Awsim, 41, also owns Valentino's New York Style Pizzeria and Restaurant in Alexandria.

"The secret behind good pizza is the sauce," he said. "What I sell is fresh. Nothing is refrigerated. We make our own dough, make our own sauce and cut our own vegetables."

Johnny's, which opened five years ago, features 21 specialty pizzas, including a Buffalo Chicken pizza and a Chicken a la Vodka pizza. Slices run $3.95, and it costs $13 for a 14-inch pie, $17 for an 18-inch pie and $20 for a 16x16 square pie. 

"Every morning when I get up for work all I think about is beating everyone else, and that's what makes me love my work," said Awsim. "In my restaurants, quality and the recipes are the key ingredients to my success. Every customer who comes in here becomes a repeat customer."

Johnny's New York Style Pizza, 7011-G Manchester Blvd., delivers in a two-mile radius and is open Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.