Every year, Calgary pizza lovers dream about YYC Pizza Week, when some of the top restaurants in the city offer a signature pizza, with partial proceeds going toward charity. As a passionate pizza fan, I can’t imagine a more perfect situation…the excuse to indulge in delectable pizza for a good cause is just too good to be true. And this year, when YYC Pizza Week kicked off, pizza fans were ready to leap into the streets of YYC in the name of pizza and charity!
The charity supported this year was Calgary Meals on Wheels, the same as last year. Over 40 restaurants around town offered yummy signature pizza pies during the event and pizza eaters were able to vote for their favourites.
Here are the top voter results from the 2015 YYC Pizza Week:
Best Thick Crust Pizza:
Gordo’s Pizza
· BBQ Beef Pizza
o Slow roasted BBQ Beef with caramelized onions and candy bacon.
Gordo Pizza's BBQ Beef Pizza. Photo courtesy of YYC Pizza Week.
Best Thin Crust Pizza:
500 Cucina
- Triple Pig 2: The Sequel
- Smoked and stuffed pork belly, smoked boar bacon, house-made spicy sausage, roasted red pepper and finished with arugula.
500 Cucina's Triple Pig 2: The Sequel
Best Unique Pizza:
Beer Revolution
- Banh Mi
- Vietnamese braised short rib, pickled carrots & daikon, slivered jalapeno, mozzarella, fontina, sriracha mayo and cilantro.
Beer Revolution's Manh Mi
Best Gluen-Free Pizza:
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
- · Patate Pancetta Pizza
o Crème Fraîche, Fior di latte, Roasted Potato Slices, Pancetta, Egg, Caramelized Onions, Rosemary, Basil and Reggiano Parmesan.
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria's Patate Pancetta Pizza
This year, I only had time for one pizza outing during the week, and I chose to visit one of my favourite pizza joints, UNA Pizza & Wine. Their signature pizza was a meatball pizza. How did I like it? Ummm….it wasn’t the best I’ve seen from UNA. I’m not convinced meatballs really belong on pizza. The meatballs weighed down the pizza and made it floppy. Sauce was spilling everywhere. And overall it was pretty blah. I usually love UNA, but this wasn’t their finest moment. It’s a good thing my friend and I also orered the 4-maggi, which is to die for! It’s quite exquisite.
Last but not least, there was also a category titled the Food Blogger Challenge. Top food bloggers in Calgary were invited to participate by creating their own specialty pizza at home, using at least two out of the following four ingredients supplied by Scarpones/The Italian Store: ricotta, fig jam, housemade pesto and pitted assorted olives.
The winning entry was from Lindsay, who publicized her amazing pizza on her blog, Girl In Love With Food, and it looks and sounds absolutely heavenly!!!! Please check it out! One of my bucket list items now is to make this extraordinary pizza. It has a stuffed crust with fresh ricotta cheese, pesto, chopped garlic/garlic oil, seasoning salt, basil & parsley. Are you kidding me? This sounds orgasmic!!!
Lindsay's No Vampires pizza, the winnter of the Food Blogger Challenge for 2015. Photo courtesy of Girl In Love With Food.
Overall fundraising results for Calgary Meals on Wheels have not been announced yet. Stay updated by visiting the official YYC Pizza Week page. Last year, $10,000 was raised.
Alright pizza lovers…let’s now turn our attention to turkey! Happy thanksgiving!