A brief history, on October 12, 1955 (Columbus Day), the City of Genoa, Italy became Columbus’ first Sister City. For almost 70-years now, the local “Greater Columbus Sister Cities International, Inc” (GCSCI) organization has established a long-standing cultural relationship with Genoa that includes one hallmark event, the local bi-annual Columbus Pesto Competition.

Columbus, the Capital City of Ohio is the largest city named after the renowned Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. On March 22, 2025, the Columbus Pesto Competition event was held at Mitchell Hall on the campus of Columbus State Community College (Columbus, Ohio). This exciting competitive event is inspired by the World Pesto Championship that takes place in Genoa.

This local event decides Columbus’ best pesto maker who will go on to represent Columbus, Ohio in Genoa. Competitors from all over the local Columbus, Ohio area competed for a chance to be named the Columbus Pesto Champion.

Classic Pesto is often noted as having its birthplace in Genoa, and includes just seven simple ingredients: basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and Pecorino (Fiore di Sardo) cheeses, garlic, coarse salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. Each contestant used these ingredients along with a mortar and pestle to prepare their pesto. Twelve contestants competed this year, the winner was chosen by a panel of local and international celebrity judges to include the acclaimed “King of Pesto” a renowned pesto expert, chef Roberto Panizza.

Jayme Staley, the Executive Director of Greater Columbus Sister Cities International, shared her remarks about the event.

“For our sister City Genoa, Pesto is as iconic to their culture as our Buckeyes are to Columbus. So, our participation in the World Pesto Championship is more than just a competition, it is part of our cultural connection with Genoa. Columbus turned out for this competition and our Italian American community made our qualifying round a great success. And we can’t thank Chef Roberto Panizza enough for making the event a great cultural success story.”

The 2025 Columbus Pesto Championship winner is Carmelo Cicero who is a member of the local “Columbus Italian Club.” Carmelo will now compete in the World Pesto Championship in Genoa, Italy in 2026.