Longmontap pizza scene will be well represented at the upcoming International Pizza Expo, a competition featuring the world’s top pizza purveyors.
This week, Colorado pizza chefs Nick Swanson and Anthony DeSousa will head to Las Vegas for the . Swanson is the co-founder and culinary director of , and DeSousa owns — both on Longmontap Main Street.
For both chefs, this isn’t their first time showing off their pizza-making skills at the international event. DeSousa has been attending the expo since 2015, while this week will mark Swanson’s fourth time competing. The International Pizza Expo runs from Tuesday through Thursday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Swanson is bringing Urban Field’s signature Detroit-style pizza to the Pan Division of the International Pizza Challenge at the expo. When he’s not competing, Swanson can chat with food vendors and check out the latest pizza technology.
Swanson will have 30 minutes to prepare and bake his pizza at the convention center, then present it to a panel of judges.
“Being in the competition kitchen is so much fun,” Swanson said. “Everyone is there to win, but the camaraderie amongst everyone is awesome. In the background, when no one sees it, everyone’s tasting each other’s sauce, trying each other’s dough and giving each other feedback.”
Last year, Swanson placed first in his category at the , a national competition held in Florida. For that competition, Swanson faced off against roughly 20 pizza chefs; at the International Pizza Expo, he’ll be one of 70 chefs from all over the world battling it out in the Pan Division.
Swanson has placed in the top 10 in his division at the International Pizza Challenge. This week, he has his sights set on making the top five. He said it all depends on the dough quality and how the pizza bakes.
“I feel pretty dang good about it,” Swanson said. “I have more confidence going into it this year than I have in years past, especially coming off the win in Florida.”
The competition comes with challenges for Swanson, including the need to adjust to a lower altitude for the baking process. Chefs also have to come to the competition with raw dough, so Swanson brings Urban Field’s pizza dough with him.
“I literally pack it in a cooler and sit it on my lap while I’m on the plane,” he said.
So far, 2026 has been a big year for Longmont pizzerias. Antonio’s, Urban Field and fellow Main Street restaurant Rosalee’s Pizzeria formed a nonprofit, , to fight food insecurity. The Colorado Pizza Festival will debut in Longmont in September.
For DeSousa, the expo is a chance to represent his communities of both Longmont and Estes Park, which is home to the second Antonio’s location. He will be competing in the “world’s best cheese slice division,” which has 110 competitors this year.
“Itap just like going to the Pizza Olympics, if you will,” DeSousa said of the competition. “You do the best you can, and you hope that itap enough that day.”
DeSousa has done well at the International Pizza Challenge in the past, including placing second in the Cheese Slice Division in 2024. If Swanson and DeSousa both triumph in their divisions, they will compete against each other in a final showdown for Pizza Maker of the Year.
DeSousa is looking forward to getting tips from pizza experts at the expo.
“Itap probably the single biggest source of information for the pizza industry,” DeSousa said. “You’re meeting people who are incredibly invested in pizza. I find new things, new ideas every single year.”
