News Nearby: Ardolino's Pizza Places Second at International Pizza Challenge

There were pizza makers from New York, from Italy, from all over the world, but it was Tammy Ardolino's non-traditional creation that captured the attention of the judges at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas.

Tammy and Rodney Ardolino, owners of —just over the border—in Upper St. Clair, entered their "Pizza Freako" into the non-traditional category last week and placed second in the region and 10th in the world.

Their "Pizza Freako" was inspired by Tammy's Italian grandmother's egg-in-a-piece-of-toast breakfast she'd always serve the family.

The Ardolinos used quail eggs and "all kinds of different cheeses" to make the award-winning pie. Tammy said it was sort of similar to a frittata—without the eggs being scrambled.

They also entered the traditional pizza category, but their pizza fell on the ground, and it was hard to recover with the time remaining.

This was the Ardolinos first time competing.

"I always tell my kids to step out of the box. That you have to be a risk-taker," Tammy said.

Her sons told her she had to take her own advice.

"I was so impressed with all the people," she said. "It was really an eye-opening experience."

Pizza Freako is not on the Ardolino's Pizza menu—yet. Tammy said they may experiment with some breakfast pizzas in the future.

This story was first posted on Upper St. Clair Patch.