Pittsburgh Pizza Makers Dominate California Pizza Games
Plus a smattering of pizza adventures to Driftwood Oven and Alberta's
Hi there!
Couple of fun things this week, including catching up on some recent pizza competitions that took place in California. Plus, I’ve been on a couple of pizza adventures I wanted to share with you.
A Precursor to Adding Pizza Making to the 2028 Olympics?
Rico of Slice On Broadway recently won third place at the California Pizza Challenge, a pizza competition taking place at the the California Restaurant Show facilitated by the Pizza Tomorrow Summit.
He competed in the traditional sauce division which had some very specific rules:
Best Traditional Sauce: Must make a traditional red sauce. Each competitor WILL BE GIVEN an 18 oz. dough ball, REAL California shredded Mozzarella and an oven. They may make any TRADITIONAL red sauce they wish. Sauce must only contain traditional ingredients and must be a spreadable, traditional pizza sauce. Small veggies, herbs, oils and cheeses are allowed IN THE SAUCE. No meat is allowed in the sauce. Pizzas must be round and yield at least 6 pieces. Sauces chunkier than a slightly chunky bowl of salsa will be DQ’d. (Salsa will be available onsite for comparison and verification. You bring the chips!) Recipes must be submitted a week before the competition or you will not be allowed to compete and the next on the waiting list will be slated. You will be moved to the back of the waiting list.
Slice On Broadway excels in executing the fundamentals of a pizza. If you want a consistently solid pizza, Slice always delivers. When I first met Rico he emphasized the importance of getting the basics right each and every time. All it takes is one bad pizza to get the yuck and sour a relationship. Getting on the podium for their sauce is a no-brainer. Congrats to Rico and the Slice On Broadway team for the award and proper recognition!
A few weeks ago while I was on hiatus, Eddie Stalewski competed in the Real California Pizza Contest. The purpose of this contest was to highlight how amazing Real California Cheese is by making pizzas that highlight the cheese. Ed competed in the protein category where he made a pizza featuring his signature pepperoni roses.
The Rose Bowl pizza kicks off with crunchy, cheesy Frico edges on a thin, tavern-style cornmeal crust. It’s topped with mild Giardiniera vegetables, handmade Calabrian sausage, and pepperoni roses. The cheeses include Real California Fresh Mozzarella, Provolone, White Cheddar and Dry Jack. The pizza is finished with a sprinkle of pickled Juanita peppers and a basil pesto drizzle.
This guy can’t lose!
Pizza Adventure Roundup
Driftwood Oven’s Peach and Corn Pizza
Christa, Charlie and I hit up Driftwood Oven one night last week to shake off the post-vacation blues. We needed some great pizza and one of our favorites is the peach and corn pizza. The pizza is juicy, savory and so very flavorful. I like it on the square slices to provide a little more support for the toppings. If you’re reading this on 8/30 I think today is the last day to grab this pizza from Driftwood Oven!
Alberta’s Pizza on the North Side
In the midst of the dog days of Summer, the family was yearning for something new. Something exciting. It was a hot Saturday and we were feeling listless. I said no, we will not succumb to the doldrums of summer. We will adventure out into the pizza wilds.
We hit up the Children’s Museum for a bit of fun then bounced over to Alberta’s new location on the North Side. Great vibes, cool location and very solid menu. I’m working on a larger writeup, but the pizza is as good as ever.
Italian Village Trattoria
Over in the waterworks is a solid movie theater that just so happened to be showing Coraline in 3D. Charlie loves scary things so this seemed like a perfect movie for her. Fun, cute characters going through horrifying / life changing experiences. Peril excited Charlie and after watching the trailer she was old.
I was feeling peckish before the movie so we stopped at the Italian Village Trattoria for a slice. I got a simple tomato pie slice. Got the job done. Fun selection of slices over there if you’re ever in a bind.
Summer is nearly over, but luckily for us pizza adventures happen all year round. Hope you’re grabbing a couple of extra slices this Labor Day weekend!
Pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist