Every once in a while, the internet comes to a complete standstill and asks itself: Is it pronounced ‘GIF’ or ‘JIF’? Were Ross and Rachel actually on a break? Does pineapple really belong on pizza? While there’s obviously no conclusion for something as subjective as taste in the latter case, the dilemma hasn’t stopped netizens from whipping out the card against humanity until it self-detonates.

Heck, the debate peaked when the president of Iceland himself declared that he would ban pineapple pizza in the country if he could. While the New York Times and CNN doubled down on the so-called ‘abomination’, people all across the world worried that a topping—no matter how controversial—could indeed be outlawed. As jokes and comments related to pineapples routinely grip the broader internet even today, it’s safe to say that conversations about pizza remain on the tip of everyone’s tongues.

While the industry has witnessed trends in regard to packaging, crusts, and sauces, there has also been a parallel rise of enthusiasts creating literal history in the baking.

Introducing the wonderful world of pizza acrobatics, a performance art and sport that puts the ‘oh!’ back in the dough. In a bid to get a slice of the action, SCREENSHOT sat down with intergalactic pizza acrobat Nick Diesslin, one of the most prominent artists on the scene backed with a mission to save the future—one impressive toss at a time.

At its core, pizza acrobatics are tricks performed with pizza dough—where one spins and tosses the weapon of choice around their backs, across the shoulders, through the leg, two at a time, laying on the ground, standing with one foot on a wobbly chair, and so forth. With costumes and blindfolds adding an edge to the sport, the possibilities are endless and the vibes are always immaculate.

Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Diesslin first discovered his interest in pizza acrobatics at the tender age of 13 following his fascination with juggling. “When I was learning, there were only a few videos online so I would study them and try to imitate what others would do,” he reminisced.

Competing at the yearly Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, where participants have a chance to woo judges in the World Pizza Games’ freestyle dough tossing event based on creativity, dexterity, difficulty, drops, and transitions, Diesslin went on to be featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Appearing on its talent show segment called Show Me Something Good, the enthusiast instantly floored audiences with his flawless routine which included juggling two pizza doughs alternately between his legs, and the same across his shoulders simultaneously.

In 2021, Diesslin auditioned for the one and only America’s Got Talent (AGT). Starring on season 16 of the iconic TV show alongside 21 competitors, his audition saw him performing to Dead Or Alive’s ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’. The pizza man received “four slices” of “yes” from the panel of judges, including Earth’s harshest critic, Simon Cowell—sending him to the next round.

 

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A post shared by America’s Got Talent – AGT (@agt)

During his appearance on AGT, Diesslin also mentioned that he’s a full-time web developer-turned-pizza acrobat by night—which practically begged me to query him about his work-life balance.

“Juggling a career and hobby is difficult, but when you like something enough, it’s fun!” he admitted, adding that if you find a skill that sparks joy, it feels like a dream rather than work. “Pursuing a hobby I enjoy gives me purpose. I have had to give up a lot of social events, but to me, it’s not giving up—it’s investing in myself and what makes me happy.”

While Diesslin has since been featured on The Jason Show, Twin Cities Live, CBS Weekend News, and even Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the intergalactic time traveller ultimately plans on saving the world together with the audience he has drawn with his skills. When asked about his plans, he explained: “In all seriousness, this is the best thing I have: to spread happiness and joy in the world. I want people to understand there is someone who cares about them and believes in them. Sometimes, we don’t hear this enough from the people we look up to.”

@pizzamannickdiesslin

💫 Can I come spin pizza at your house?? #pizzatricks #dance #pizzadance #fypシ

♬ Dusk - Tobu & Syndec

As noted by Slurrp, the birth of pizza acrobatics as an awe-inspiring sport can be traced back to the mid-1980s, when TV shows and games involving pizza gripped hearts and appetites alike. Typically, most experts in the industry are pizza makers first and only after nailing the art of dough making do they graduate into seasoned pizza acrobats.

While this norm was born out of the necessity and importance of dough in the craft, it’s safe to say that the advent of the space-age technology called the internet has redefined the list of prerequisites. While juggling with dough is an art that needs constant practice in itself, the knowledge of creating the matter was considered fundamental in order to be a ‘qualified’ pizza acrobat.

In 2022, however, a plethora of video-sharing platforms now educate enthusiasts about the different manoeuvres and routines they can pull off mess-free in their living rooms. Diesslin himself has a YouTube channel, rightly dubbed The Doughjo, where you can train in pizza acrobatics as he delves deeper into the supplies and tossing techniques one can master. A black belt in pizza gymnastics? Sign me up.

That being said, it’s important to note that pizza acrobatics is not all ‘Slice, Slice Baby’ at the end of the day. Juggling with pizza dough is tricky, as every single time it’s tossed into the air, it comes back in a different shape. Considering the fact that the dynamic and elastic nature of the dough makes the task difficult, acrobats require enormous self-control to keep it from ripping.

“It can be tough to prevent the dough from ripping,” Diesslin admitted. “When I do large pizza acrobatic performances, I make a particular dough recipe that has flour, water, and salt. The hydration of my dough is very tough compared to regular pizza dough. This means there is less water in the mixture, making the dough much more firm.”

At the same time, the expert shared that having strong dough doesn’t mean that it’s the best dough. “Sometimes, I adjust my recipes to have more hydrated dough that stretches out farther. More hydrated dough can look more beautiful in the air, but you can’t be as assertive with it. It also does take a lot of practice to understand how to work with the dough to give your best performance with it.”

@pizzamannickdiesslin

Which pizza trick will you pick?? Sometimes I change my mind on which trick I like better, it’s like pizza toppings sometimes you prefer one over the other and then one day you decide to dip your pizza in ranch and you’re like what the heck I never dip my pizza in ranch, why did I decide to do this today? And then you make your way through your ranch dipped pizza like wow that was a bad move for me. Then suddenly you look down after eating your ranch dipped pizza and you are like oh hey that’s a $20 bill, I can buy a new pizza now! And your day went from 0-10 and now you are feeling like a real champion. You did it you made it here and you are a champion!

♬ original sound - Emilio Asstevez

Diesslin further acknowledged the presence of rubber pizza dough. “I’m a big fan of using these for videos and smaller performances!” he said. “Rubber dough saves a lot of time so you don’t have to always be making dough to perform. They are great for focusing on practice and performing for much longer durations. With rubber dough, I can perform for hours instead of minutes!”

In fact, a quick Google search would enlighten you about countless unique doughs available in the market, including some that glow in the dark. What’s more is that, once you get a grasp on the techniques, you can experiment with absolutely any flat, flexible product in your room like tufted rugs. The possibilities are endless here, remember?

During his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Diesslin essentially performed his routine set to “pizza tossing music” played by in-house band, The Roots. But is there a specific genre of music that is preferred for the choreographies in question?

“I love music with a good beat and pace,” the enthusiast explained. “My favourite genre to use currently is Italo Disco—it’s unique and combines well with how I perform!” Diesslin also confirmed that he has some new moves in the works. “Sometimes, while I am livestreaming, I will create new combinations and moves. Practising allows me to come up with new ideas.”

@pizzamannickdiesslin

Replying to @crizfranco5 #CapCut I’m still training 🙋‍♂️ #spin #pizzatricks #pizzaman

♬ Spectre - Alan Walker

If you’ve been a chronic TikTok or Instagram scroller, you’d have undoubtedly seen viral videos of chefs impressing diners gathered around an open kitchen. Be it experts plating aesthetic omurice or juggling eggs with fire, the clips go on to prove that entertainment remains a critical factor in defining what we look for in remarkable dining experiences. In the case of pizza acrobats, their entire craft seeks to evoke emotions with choreographies they spend years perfecting.

“Pizza acrobatics is complex, but making it an art means making it expressive,” Diesslin explained. “Performing and adding emotion is always something I have been good at and care about.” When asked about the factors that push pizza acrobatics as a full-blown art form, the enthusiast mentioned that his efforts go into planning his brand and sets, designing outfits with his mom, and allowing himself to make mistakes.

“Mistakes are important—they help us learn and give us ideas on what to do next! I have so much fun performing that it almost always makes me express joy. A lot of people can see this and appreciate it!”

If you scroll through Diesslin’s TikTok profile all the way back to 2021, you’ll notice the enthusiast’s mind-blowing edits themed around pizza acrobatics. With CapCut sketches gripping our feeds now in 2022, Diesslin was undoubtedly ahead of his time.

In most of his videos, he is also seen donning an iconic red cape that flutters behind him while he carries out his flawless and mouth-watering routines. Bingeing on a series of clips that featured the cape in question, I eventually gave into my intrusive thoughts and hit Diesslin up with a hypothetical scenario. Let’s say, if Marvel had a hero called ‘Intergalactic Pizza Man’, what would his superpower and catchphrase be?

“Intergalactic Pizza Man has the power of time travel, but he can only travel forward in time,” Diesslin theorised. “This means he cannot predict what’s next and his knowledge is obsolete. It makes him a relatable character because everyone is a time traveller who moves into the future.” In terms of the catchphrase, keep your eyes peeled for some “It’s dough time! 😎” Look! Up in the sky! It’s a rubber dough! It’s a frisbee! It’s Intergalactic Pizza Man!

Given the lessons gathered from his personal experiences and the rollercoaster of a ride to becoming a pizza acrobat, Diesslin concluded: “No one should limit themselves. If you have a dream, make it long-term and keep trying. Things don’t happen overnight, and a lot of people won’t believe in you. Believe in yourself and enjoy your journey!”

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and cheese the day. After all, pizza truly is the circle of life.

@pizzamannickdiesslin

Uh oh... the pizza men are back 🙀 look out for the space burritos! #Pizza

♬ I want some pizza. Pizza Man Nick Diesslin - Pizza Man Nick

If you’ve never had dreams of dating one of those incredibly cool and skilled chefs who have the most perfectly curated Instagram feed you’ll ever set your eyes on—the likes of Laila Gohar and Jonah Reider—then it’s simple: you’re either lying to yourself or lying to me.

As Disney+’s The Bear continues to garner rave reviews for its portrayal of day-to-day life in the kitchen, and following the success of 2021’s relentless yet accurate single-take movie Boiling Point, it’s safe to say that cooking is in and Deliveroo-ing all your troubles away is very much out.

But like with all things on the internet, rule 34—you know, the infamous claim that if something exists, it will inevitably end up getting sexualised online—has already made its mark on the comeback chefs and cooking in general are currently having.

In other words, while Gohar, Reider, and other Instagram-famous culinary artists are keeping it PG 13 due to the nature of their social media platform of choice, our friends over on TikTok have decided to spice things up after spotting a rather tasty gap in the bottomless pool that is the video-sharing app’s creative content.

Enter Cedrik Lorenzen, TikTok’s sexiest chef who, since January 2020, has managed to bring a whole different meaning to ‘food porn’ through mouth-watering cuisine and, well, other things too… In an attempt to dissect the rise of #WetTikTok—which has 22.7 million views at the time of writing—and shed some light on the creative process behind the trend, I reached out to the naughty, finger-sucking pro himself. Buckle up everyone, because it’s about to get hot in here.

@cedriklorenzen

What you can’t see makes you want more #foodporn #saucybuns #eggsbenedict #naughtysalmon #fyp #netflixandeats

♬ Too Deep - dvsn

For those of you out there who are interested in learning more about exactly what it takes to become a sexy chef, it’s important we first take a moment to look back on Lorenzen’s life and career. Though the 30-year-old content creator grew up in Switzerland, he moved to Australia during his teens. From then on, he moved a fair bit between his new home, Indonesia, and Europe.

“My professional background consists of over ten years of hospitality experience,” Lorenzen told SCREENSHOT. It might come as a surprise to some that none of his experience related to the kitchen, instead focusing on the front-of-house. “I have always aimed to work for the best in the industry. During my time, I did a lot of fine dining (Michelin-level and Hatted-level restaurants) but also cafes and bars.”

Some people step into a classroom and shine—their performance is consistently stellar in all academic subjects. Others are just as bright and capable, but they seem to struggle with listening to a teacher and focusing on their work. In a way, Lorenzen considered himself part of that second group. “I got into this industry initially because I did poorly in college and lacked the overall motivation to study. I was also unsure what I wanted to do in the long run, and with university fees being so expensive in Australia, it did not make sense to continue straight into uni (like most others),” he explained.

But further along the line, aged 25, Lorenzen decided to start studying again—and he was ready for something more challenging this time around. Though he first applied for the #2 business hospitality university (at the time) in the world located in Switzerland (and is now ranked #1), unfortunately, he shared that his Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) grades from Australia were not high enough.

In order to get in, he had to redo his Year 12, which he then got the required grades for after a year, entered as a direct entry student and eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Hospitality Business Management. Speaking about the specificities of his experience, Lorenzen added, “Again, to avoid confusion, I did not do any cookery classes at this university. It was purely theoretical, not related to food or cooking, with a six-month administrative internship.”

@cedriklorenzen

I think about you a little more than I should #dessertsofdessert #desserttok #storyofdessert #feedher #eatherouttillshebusts #saucyfyp #dessertmaker #fyp

♬ original sound - ⋆ ˚｡ ⋆ʚ❤︎ɞ⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

It was also during his “university stint,” as he called it, that the creator started focusing on TikTok and Instagram to practise his craft, “with the idea of eventually using these platforms to jump into the next idea or business.” As you can imagine, having to work to pay his living costs while passing his modules successfully and cooking weekly was challenging to say the least. “Perhaps it was for this reason that I completed my studies in four years instead of three,” Lorenzen added.

“In the beginning, it was tough because many of the dishes I made took me three to five attempts before I considered even uploading them, each taking anywhere between eight to ten hours. It was only after two years that I started to manage it in one or two attempts. And then, one year before completing my studies, I started having my first viral videos, and my plan started to click. The last year of studies was also quite intense, working almost day and night with little to zero free time between studying, cooking, and working outside of university. The pressure to keep up content while continuously improving was challenging (and is still now).”

It’s funny that he mentioned when his “plan started to click” because, when asked about what exactly inspired him to ‘sensualise’ his skills and video content on TikTok, Lorenzen first explained that “there wasn’t, per se, a plan of action”—at least not to the extent that it is now.

That being said, there definitely was a vision, a goal to keep his content on-brand when it comes to the “storyline of creating beautiful desserts for your significant other.” As time passed and his skills improved (both in video editing and cooking), Lorenzen continued to expand on this sexy food approach. “However, ultimately, the goal has always been to open up my own business eventually. Making content, in part, has been a strategic move towards that goal,” he told SCREENSHOT.

@cedriklorenzen

Let me use my tongue to write you a love letter between your legs #naughtyman #saucydessert #desserttiktok #foodgasm #feedme #fyp #wetandwild

♬ оригинальный звук - Multiverse

It’s a tough world out there, and looking at Lorenzen’s tender dough-kneading and provocative drip-licking in slo-mo, I couldn’t help but worry that the sexual side of his content would ultimately distract viewers from the culinary talent he also clearly showcases.

To this, the creator replied that, even though it is a risk he’s fully aware of, he prefers to see it as a challenge rather than a threat, “I always knew when I started to compete in this 15-second content space that I had to bring something interesting to the table to capture the short attention span of my audience while also showcasing my craft.” 

“It is a fine balance between creating something perfect and slightly triggering,” Lorenzen observed. “In short, as long as my skills continuously improve, I don’t think my approach takes away anything from my talent. But then again, ultimately, my followers and viewers who watch my content can be the judge of that,” he concluded.

I have to say, more often than not, the chef’s answers to my questions surprised me. As shameful as it is to admit, perhaps I had subconsciously let my perception of Lorenzen’s content influence my expectations. It’s safe to say that, when I mentioned his go-to moves of “being shirtless or spitting in a dish,” I didn’t hate the fact that he put me back in my place, saying: “For clarification’s sake, I don’t spit in my food—it’s my sink.”

@cedriklorenzen

When you tell me how wet you are #dessert101 #dessertstory #cakeandbake #saucysanta #wetlips #foodporn #chillanddessert #fyp

♬ I kissed a girl sped up - Sped sounds

Not only is Lorenzen incredibly skilled when it comes to making his audience drool—and very down to earth about it, might I add—but he also learnt to take it on the chin when it comes to the range of feedback his content receives.

“It is what it is. There are always people criticising what I do—the spit, the fingering of food, me being shirtless, not wearing gloves, my captions about gender equality, and so on. All I can say is that there are bigger things to worry about than commenting on whether I should be wearing gloves or not, for instance. While it may be annoying, I’ve learnt over time to take everything with a grain of salt and ‘kill em with kindness’ when replying to shitty comments,” the creator explained.

If you consider yourself as part of the netizens who aren’t completely down with the chef’s sultry ways—“thirst traps balanced with artistry,” as he described his videos himself—then I hope you find comfort in the fact that, prior to speaking with Lorenzen, I did spare a thought for you.

It is my incredible thoughtfulness—nothing more, and certainly nothing less—that led me to ask the creator whether the character he had built on social media was actually supposed to be arousing or if there was another side to it, one poking fun at what ‘sexy’ is expected to look online.

Alas, it appears I went too meta with this one, because Lorenzen simply told me, “It is meant to be arousing. Does it always work? Maybe not.” You win some, you lose some, heh?

I guess this is my cue to leave then—you’ve probably had enough of my inner ramblings and are eager to swiftly close this tab, in search of more of Lorenzen’s mouth-watering content. I don’t blame you. Bon appétit!

You can also check out Cedrik Lorenzen’s website here.