5th annual PizzaFest celebrates pie artistry at Dough Daddy Brewery in West Deer

If there was only one food left in the world, Ross resident Janet Ramaeckers says it better be pizza.

She and her husband, Martin, were among many who would agree with them at the fifth annual PizzaFest, held this year at Dough Daddy Brewery in West Deer.

Ramaerckers said they had never been to a PizzaFest before, but got tickets as soon as they heard about it.

“We like Sicilian pizza,” she said. “He’s a mushroom person and I like pepperoni.”

PizzaFest brought nine pizzerias together for two sold-out afternoon sessions, said Dee Weinberg, owner of GoodTaste! Pittsburgh, which staged the event.

The pizzerias were Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Slice on Broadway, Rising Crust, Large Plain Pizza and Pints, Italian Village Pizza, Alta Via Pizzeria, Lelulo’s Pizzeria, Yellow Bridge Brewing and Mercurio’s.

All were invited because of their skill, Weinberg said.

“PizzaFest is a celebration of the variety in this region of pizza and the artistry of the pizza and the people who have honed the craft in making them,” Weinberg said.

It’s held at a brewery every year. “There’s no better marriage than beer and pizza,” she said.

That’s literally true for Nick and Angie Bogacz. Nick owns Caliente Pizza & Draft House while Angie owns Dough Daddy Brewery, which was hosting its first PizzaFest after marking its first year on Memorial Day.

Asked what’s most important in a good pizza, Nick Bogacz pointed to the three fundamentals — crust, sauce and cheese.

“When all three come together, you get a great pizza,” he said, saying it’s best to judge a cheese pizza unburdened by toppings. “The simplicity sometimes stands best,” he said.

One of the vendors the Ramaeckers visited was Slice on Broadway, which was serving their cheese pizza that won the title of world’s best cheese slice at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in March.

Tracy Dykeman, director of marketing, said their cheese pizza is topped with oregano, oil and Romano with their sweeter sauce and a cheese that blends mozzarella and provolone.

Jay Falk, of Caliente, said the key to a good pizza is the dough.

“It’s the only thing every pizza has in common,” he said.

Ed Stalewski, with Mercurio’s, agreed that the dough is very important, as are the sauce and quality ingredients.

“There’s no secret to that,” said Stalewski, known in social media circles as “Eddiespizza412.”

“This is right up my alley,” he said. “I love making pizzas for people.”

Bill Morgan, assistant general manager of Large Plain, likes his pizza thin with fresh dough, fresh sauce and extra cheese.

PizzaFest made for a wonderful, busy day. “Pizza life is a wonderful life,” he said.

A pizza box folding competition was judged by David Whisker, of Petoskey, Mich., who holds the record at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas by folding five 12-inch boxes in 17.038 seconds.

Brandon Serapiglia, of Aliquippa, won during PizzaFest’s first session. His prizes included $10 gift certificates to each of the participating pizzerias.

His favorite pizza was from Caliente. “It’s just reliable every time,” he said.

While he now works as a nurse, it was unclear if his teenage history of working at a pizza shop, Schooch’s in Hopewell, a decade ago may have given him an edge in the competition.

“It was the best job ever. I would go back in a heartbeat,” he said, then thought again. “If they paid nurse’s wages, I’d go back to making pizzas.”