Francis Tolu is a freestyle pizza champion who does much more than make pizza. He spins and throws pizza dough in acrobatic performances, sometimes while blindfolded. He has won four times at the Pizza World Championship.
Away from competitions, Tolu works at the restaurant his family has owned for 40 years in Alginet, Spain. His day usually begins between 7:30 and 8 a.m. Before work, he likes to exercise at the gym or go for a run. He says the activity clears his mind and gives him energy for the day.
Cooking remains part of his free time as well as his job. He especially enjoys pasta and describes it as something that helps him relax. At the restaurant, his work includes preparing long-fermentation dough for the next day, ordering and receiving supplies, serving customers, and making recipe videos.
Freestyle pizza is both his hobby and his passion. Performers learn a set of basic moves, but then develop a personal style that can surprise judges and audiences. Tolu says routines performed on a table have become his signature.
He began building his skills after taking a course with Italian acrobats and entered his first competition in 1999. Restaurant work leaves little time for a separate social life, but many longtime customers have become friends. For Tolu, the restaurant and the stage are not separate worlds. The dough he prepares for customers is also the material behind the sport that has brought him some of his proudest moments.