The man behind the mounds of mozzarella is Frank Baird, who, after snatching a food concessions contract at Classic Park, recently moved his Pizza Plus operation to Eastlake from Avon Lake and is making his mark among the top tiers of pizza chefs.

Transitioning from a wholesale business to a restaurant about three years ago proved beneficial to Baird after he participated in several competitions and won or placed among the top competitors in each one.

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His "pizza pie" won back-to-back People's Choice Awards in Lorain County contests.

"We refer to it as a pie because it's not cardboard and ketchup," Baird says.

He earned fourth place at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas last year and also has appeared on the Food Network.

Steve Lieber, director of the United States Pizza Team, a group of pizza makers and dough acrobats whose goal is to bring the world's attention to the talent and camaraderie of the pizza industry, has competed with Baird and attests to his talents.

"He's very passionate, and he's constantly improving his product," Lieber says. "He brings a great balance in building a taste profile, and he's very careful about the baking and technical side. He uses that special ingredient, which is the love of the pizza."

But there's more than love going into his award-winning pies.

While searching for the best sauce available he discovered Stanislaus Food Products in Modesto, Calif. The company uses only fresh tomatoes to create its product rather than starting with a concentrated base.

Baird also uses Flour 000, which is made in Italy and, he says, has a fine quality that doesn't burn and activates better with yeast.

Though prime ingredients are crucial to the taste of the pie, it's Baird's 30-step process that may boost it into a class of its own.

Here's part of the procedure.

After buttering the pan, crushed basil is sprinkled on for seasoning. Fresh dough then is spread and poked with small holes -- termed "docking" -- to prevent large air pockets from forming. Next, the edge of the crust is stuffed with pepperoni and asiago cheese and rolled.

For higher rising, Baird makes about two dozen small cuts into the edge of the crust so "it will jump out of the pan and be fuller," he says. Slices of pepperoni are slid into the snips for a bit of visual flair.

Finally, the entire pie is misted with olive oil, then water, to hinder the cheese from burning.

Those picking up takeout orders at his establishment will find the box lined with parchment paper and dusted with aged Romano cheese and fresh cinnamon basil. When the hot pizza is placed inside the seasoned box, an extra layer of flavor infuses the crust.

While the assembly may seem lengthy and labor-intensive to some, "Franko-American," as some of Baird's Italian competitors affectionately call him, quickly zips through it. Required to build a pair

of pies in a 10-minute period for some competitions, he has learned to work swiftly.

Cleveland "Iron Chef" Michael Symon is a friend and fan of Baird's and even has provided him with tips such as parblanching vegetables for better color.

Those craving to try a piece of the pie may do so at the pizzeria at 35560 Vine St.

Though not Sicilian-style deep-dish, other varieties of Pizza Plus fare are available at Classic Park, home of the Lake County Captains.

John Klein, director of concessions, says that after the previous pizza vendor's contract expired, his staff "searched quite a few pizza outlets looking for the right match for us."

Pizza Plus was chosen based on freshness, quality ingredients and taste. The menu offering has proved to be a home run with baseball fans.

Klein says pizza sales have doubled compared to last year and added that a contract renewal for 2011 is "a likely possibility."

While busy with many endeavors, including working on obtaining contracts to serve local schools, Baird is eager to participate in the American Pizza Championship semi-finals in Orlando, Fla., in September.

The personable man recalls a competition in which the pizza from his single-unit operation bested a version from a company boasting more than 300 locations nationwide.

The reaction from his competitor made him chuckle.

"She literally spit her martini out when she found out we only had one store," Baird said.