Pizzaiola Laura Meyer loves to bake and she loves to compete. The winner of several domestic and international (think Italy) pizza contests, she has squared off against and prevailed over men many years her elder, and she has the trophies to prove it. But she's also a very chill and humble champ.

On this episode of Storied: San Francisco, Laura, who's moved out of the kitchen to be the regional corporate manager for all of Tony's restaurants in California (it's a seemingly always-expanding lineup), tells the story of the time that she and her crew served a meal to a group of ... well, very proud and confident Italian food reps. It was the week of the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, and matters got heated up like the 1000-degree oven she's used to baking pizzas in.

Film photography by Michelle Kilfeather