Edmonds restaurant owner Niles Peacock joins World Pizza Champions team

Niles Peacock, the owner of Niles Peacock Kitchen and Bar in Edmonds, has accepted an invitation to join the World Pizza Champions (WPC) team. As part of this team, he will compete internationally against the top pizza chefs in the world.

The WPC team promotes pizza making as a respected craft and a viable career choice. The team does this through international competition, educational outreach, public demonstrations and community-based service.

"Being asked to join the World Pizza Champions team is such an incredible honor. For me, it’s all about the joy of learning and being able to compete at the highest level," Peacock told Studio 13 Live. "Having the privilege to compete alongside this stellar team of pizzaoli gives me the learning opportunity of a lifetime. And I’m just so grateful for this opportunity."

People have to be invited to join the team. According to WPC, membership is based on skill, character, compatibility and "selfless effort on behalf of the industry."

"We do not accept new members based on outside inquiries," the WPC's website says. "Team members are carefully selected from among world champion competitors and acclaimed industry leaders."

Since he started competing in 2022, Peacock has been recognized multiple times for his pizza-making skills. That includes taking home the biggest award at the 2023 Galbani Professionale U.S. Pizza Cup for "Best Pizza in America."

Peacock isn't the only person representing Washington on the WPC team. He joins his own pizza-making mentor, Will Grant, who owns Sourdough Willy's in Kingston. Grant earned a certificate to train others how to make pizza from Scuola Italiana Pizzaiolo, the oldest and most prestigious pizza school in Italy.