Happy National Deep Dish Day!
Pizza Taglio Pop-Up, Pittsburgh Street Pizza finds a home, the legend of Ed grows and the results of PTL's Pizza Bracket
Hi there!
One of the days this week was National Deep Dish Pizza day. Did you celebrate by hitting up your favorite deep dish pizza joint? Crunch into that thick crust where the dough is the star and everything else a mere supporting cast? I’m embarrassed to admit that I did not. I thought about deep dish pizza if that’s any consolation. I am going to Florida this weekend where I hope to taste some of Florida Man’s famous pizza. If you know how the pizza scene is in Naples hit me up.
Anyways, my trip out of town means I’m missing one of the more exciting pizza events to happen to the city in a while.
Pizza Taglio Pop-Up - Get in Line Now!
Maybe don’t get in line now, people might find that annoying. Or they’ll see you as heroic and passionate about pizza? Heck, Tony would name a pizza after you. Call it the “Patient Pie” and top it with an assortment of slowly aged cheese and forever-aged meats.
What you need to do is figure out how to get to La Tavola Italiana this Saturday to get a Taglio pie. Last time he had an event like this there was an astounding line prior to opening and pizzas evaporated like droplets of water on a hot sunny sidewalk.
Pittsburgh Street Pizza Finds a Home in Harrison City
In December of 2021 I interviewed Gavin of Pittsburgh Street Pizza. At the time, he was the newest entrant into the world of mobile pizza earning a reputation for selling out at the hottest breweries and creating pizzas that were beautiful as they were delicious.
Well today is Pittsburgh Street Pizza’s first day in their permanent location in Harrison City. Their Instagram post says:
We’re here, we’re parked, and we’re getting ready to make you some pizza!
We open the window for the first time at our new location (1115 Harrison City Export Rd) at 4pm this Friday, April 8th. Rain or shine! We’d prefer shine.
It’s exciting to see so many pizza entrepreneurs start with a few at-home ovens and slowly build enough of a following to open up their own permanent space. You’d think the market would be saturated with pizza at this point, but it goes to show we aren’t even close to hitting maximum pizza here
Speaking of pizza entrepreneurs…
The Legend of Pizza Ed Grows
There’s a very nice article about First Place Finisher in the North East Non-Traditional Division of the Pizza Challenge, Ed Stalewski, in the Post-Gazette. Ed’s story is an intriguing one as his incredible pizza journey started with a divine trip to Ross Park Mall. If your life hasn’t been changed by a visit to Ross Park Mall maybe you need to spend every Friday evening there for four years of your life like I did.
Out of many of the pizza makers I know, this guy respects the craft just as well as anyone else in the business. Who knows where this pizza geyser will take him next, but it’s exciting to watch!
Be sure to give him a follow on Instagram.
I’m Done Talking About the Pizza Bracket
PTL’s Pizza Bracket has come to an end and Police Station Pizza has emerged victorious. It was a close effort. Rockaway lost by a mere 30 votes, but the Facebook crowd swayed the contest towards Police Station Pizza.
I’m inspired by Rockaway’s performance and how they got behind the competition, seeing it as a sea change in the city. One of my readers replied to my emergency email to get out the vote with a question: why can’t the old and new co-exist?
My answer: they totally can, but the new spots are ones pushing the envelope, improving pizza and taking the craft to the next level. Walk into Spirit any week out of the year and you’re guaranteed to see topping combinations that you thought were illegal to put on pizza.
To me there’s more passion and care around the pizza making, they want to grow something unique. Start a new era of pizza that shines so bright they eclipses those institutions that we love by default.
What a great week of pizza news! Thanks for reading and extra thanks to you if you share the post. It would mean a lot.
Pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist