Earlier this month, Melrose took top honors at the competition sponsored by PMQ pizza magazine and held at the FHC China food trade show in the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Its creation was realized by melding the baked dough and molten cheese of traditional pizza with some mouth-watering Beijing duck. And the judges were quacking for more.

Melrose faced piping-hot competition from a group that included some high-profile brands. At the end of the day, however, it was this local underdog that brought home the gold thanks to the culinary efforts of chef Da Fan, who whipped up a Beijing duck pizza with peppers fashioned as the Olympic symbol.

Established by Shanghai entrepreneur Jack Liu and his American partner, Melrose opened its first restaurant on Hengshan Road in 1998. The pizzeria quickly became something of a haven for expats hungering for a slice of home.

Since then, Melrose has served up consistently delicious and authentic pies, satisfying the homesick palates of expats and winning over curious locals to this Western favorite - once so rare in China it was considered "exotic."

Now a fixture throughout the city, Melrose is spreading the gospel of pizza to the far-flung corners of the country with shops in Suzhou and Kunshan, and plans to expand to Beijing next year.

Melrose will represent China in the World Pizza Championships in New York in March. It has cemented its status as a leading pizza chain in Shanghai, not merely by imitating an all-time favorite, but by fusing and innovating pizza; it has taken pies to the people at sporting and entertainment events and by believing that with a combination of hard work and creativity, the little guy can triumph over the colonel and the clown. That's a goal - and a victory - worth savoring.

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