Michael Shepherd

Michael Shepherd is a four-time World Pizza Champion and president of the pizza resource website – perfectingpizza.com.  Michael owned and operated three pizzerias in Northwest Ohio for 20 years, growing the small-town locations into a multi-million dollar company using nontraditional marketing methods, out-of-the-box thinking, and a systemic approach to operations that consistently earned him over 20% in profits. 

Michael’s 25+ years of pizza experience started with one of the big chains where he delivered pizza through high school and college. He launched his first pizzeria in 1997 and went on to open a total of three pizzerias; covering a wide range of concepts — a del/co, carryout only, and a full-service pizzeria restaurant with 120 seats. He was runner-up for the Ohio SBA’s Small Business of the Year in 2006, Hardin County Business of the Year in 2007, and won the 20 Under 40 Entrepreneur Award in 2008. He is also certified in Neapolitan & Classic Italian Pizza Making by the International School of Pizza.

His pizzerias have won numerous awards for pizza making over the years at pizza competitions across the country.  Michael has earned eight medals from the World Pizza Championships held in Salsomaggiore, Italy, for Fastest Dough, Largest Dough, and Team Acrobatic, including three gold medals. 

Michael is retired from operating his pizzerias but wants to share his vast knowledge of the pizza industry with operators such as yourself in hopes of helping you avoid common pitfalls and headaches that plague the industry and hopefully help you achieve profits that you never thought were possible. 

Outside of pizza Michael’s time is consumed by family, running, and OCR (Obstacle Course Racing).