Mixing Things Up, an Unexpected Pizza Adventure!

By Roz Allyson, CPA , Managing Partner

We all experience circumstances in our lives where our normal routine is disrupted.  We can approach those times in a variety of ways.  The following story is about creating an adventure out of a temporary change in my life.  During the process, my husband and I learned more than we expected about the big world of pizza.

My husband and I are currently going through a kitchen remodeling project in which we gutted our entire kitchen. We don’t eat out that often, but without a kitchen we needed some meal options. My husband loves pizza, so he suggested that each week we try a different pizza place that we either have never tried before or that we haven’t eaten at in a while. We tried ten different pizza places and found great variation in types of pizza! These three types stood out to me:

Pizza bowls – A pizza bowl seems to be a somewhat new concept. It is basically pizza without the crust. I have been eating less gluten so this was right up my alley. You get all the flavors of pizza and none of the carbs!

Chicago-style – It is reported that Chicago-style deep dish pizza was invented at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago in 1943. Chicago-style deep dish pizza uses a thick layer of dough (made with olive oil and cornmeal) that is formed to a deep round pan and pulled up the sides. The pizza crust is then parbaked before the toppings are added to give it greater spring. The end result is a pizza with a high edge, lots of cheese and chunky tomato sauce on top.

Detroit-style – Detroit-style pizza originated in 1946 at Buddy’s Rendezvous on Detroit’s eastside. I have heard that making Detroit-style pizza is all about using the right pan. Buddy’s pizza is baked in square forged-steel pans, seasoned over time. The pans were originally automotive part trays borrowed from local automotive plants. The crust is soft and airy with a crunchy exterior. The sauce is a key ingredient and Wisconsin brick cheese is the traditional cheese used. The crunchy, cheesy corner slices are the coveted pieces!

I first found out about Detroit-style pizza in 2020 from an article in the newspaper. This got my attention because my husband is from Detroit, and I was not familiar with Detroit-style pizza. I purchased the special steel pan and used the recipe from the newspaper article to make the pizza at home. Since making our own Detroit-style pizza, I have come across Detroit-style pizza a number of times and found each of them to be delicious. Most notable was our visit to Buddy’s on our recent trip to Michigan where we enjoyed a few pieces of their famous pizza.

After reflecting on how much fun this simple little pizza adventure has been, I am reminded that mixing things up a bit makes life more enjoyable to say the least. We all get caught up in our daily work and personal life routines. Trying new things when the opportunity arises can be really fun and you never know where it will lead!