Working with his family beginning at the age of 14, Massimiliano Stamerra served in various positions in local bars and restaurants in his native Italy.

Garnering an interest in the culinary arts, he studied in Santa Cesarea Terme, through which he learned the fundamentals of food preservation and kitchen management. Likewise, he studied at the Italian School of Pizza Makers in Caorle, Italy, and the International School of Catering. While still living in Italy, Mr. Stamerra escalated through the ranks and became the owner of two restaurants, Capri and Capri New Style Gallipoli, between 1991 and 2018.

Subsequently, Mr. Stamerra immigrated to the United States in 2018, where he first served as the owner of Capri New Style in Miami for two years. Since 2020, he has excelled as the owner of the Italian restaurant Gioia Eat, located in Hollywood, Florida. Alongside his primary endeavors, he has also served as the owner and founder of the Pizzaioli USA Academy, which is a reference for aspiring culinary artisans who wish to specialize in pizza making. Likewise, Mr. Stamerra is a master consulting pizza maker for IBS United States of America, Inc. During the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he was recognized for cooking pizzas free-of-charge for volunteers within the community of Miami Beach, Florida.

For his accomplishments, Mr. Stamerra was featured in several media outlets, including News Break and the Sun Sentinel, where he was honored in their article “Dinner and Throw” in 2021. Previously, he earned several accolades through a myriad of international competitions, which has included 12 gold medals, three silver medals and four bronze medals in the culinary arts. Notably, he won Best Award at the Great Britain Pizza Senza Frontiere European Pizza Championship in London in 2019, as well as a Gold Medal for the Freestyle Championship in Rome, Italy, in 2018. Outside of these honors, Mr. Stamerra was a judge for MSC Cruises for four years.