Taranto's. Photo courtesy of Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce
After years and years of debate as to who makes the best pizza in Pickerington, a community organization finally arranged a battle royale to crown a true champion.
This year, the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce accompanied its annual Restaurant Week, held in late August, with a first-time-ever event known simply as Pizza Wars. It took place Aug. 24 at American Legion Post 283.
Local restaurants were invited to compete in multiple pizza categories, with community members on hand to sample all of the culinary creations and cast votes for their favorites.
This year’s contenders were Pompeii’s Inferno, Cardo’s Pizza & Tavern, Rule 3 and Taranto’s Pizza Barn. Competitors were asked to prepare pizzas in three categories: best traditional pepperoni pizza, best specialty pizza and best dessert pizza.
Cardo's. Photo courtesy of Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce
More than 200 guests tested the pizzas and voted for the best one in each category. Cardo’s won the traditional pepperoni pizza category, while Taranto’s took home the victory in the specialty and dessert categories.
The winning specialty pizza was an Italian sub pizza that can be found on the regular menu at Taranto’s. This cheese pizza features onions, banana peppers and sub meats. It is then topped with fresh lettuce, tomato and Italian dressing.
Taranto’s also won over the crowd with its apple pie dessert pizza. It’s also available in cherry pie form at the restaurant.
“All pizza is good, but some is just better; we just happen to have two of the best,” says Dan Taranto, owner of Taranto’s.
Photo courtesy of Taranto's Pizza Barn
Taranto, a Pickerington resident, has been serving up pies at the family-owned restaurant for 25 years and counting. He and his mother, Suzanne, developed the basic recipe that has not only kept Taranto’s in business in Pickerington, but also made a separate restaurant – Taranto’s Pizzeria, owned by Dan’s sister, Debbie – a staple of the community in Orange Township.
These days, Taranto’s Pizza Barn is a full-service Italian restaurant featuring not just pizza, but also classic pasta dishes and frozen treats.
Though it did not take home any awards, Pompeii’s Inferno – a mobile wood-fired pizza oven that got its start in Pickerington in 2013 and has been a staple of the Pickerington Farmers’ Market since its beginning – nonetheless expressed gratitude for the chance to participate.
“We wanted to give free pizza to the community to show our appreciation (and) meet new customers,” says co-owner John Glavocich. “It also gave us a chance to test a couple of new pizzas that may be added to our Pickerington Farmers’ Market menu.”
Taranto’s and Cardo’s have won this year, but as the Chamber aims to make Pizza Wars an annual event, the battle may be far from over.
Jenny Wise is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Italian Sub Pizza
The dough recipe at Taranto’s Pizza Barn is a family secret, but this recipe is inspired by its proprietary counterpart at Taranto’s
Photo courtesy of Taranto's Pizza Barn
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 (¼ oz.) envelope active dry yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. shortening
Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 6 fluid oz. water
- ½ tsp. white sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. dried marjoram
- ¼ tsp. cumin
- ¼ tsp. chili powder
- ⅛ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Toppings
- Sliced salami and capicola ham
- Chopped onion
- Hot pepper rings
- Mozzarella, provolone and romano cheese blend
- 1 sliced tomato
- 4 cups shredded lettuce
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 3 Tbsp. Italian dressing (to taste)
Instructions
Photo courtesy of Taranto's Pizza Barn
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and shortening. Stir in the yeast mixture.
When the dough has pulled together, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough there and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, then sautee onion until tender. Stir in tomato paste and water. Season with sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano, marjoram, cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Divide dough in half and spread onto pizza pans. Cover with sauce, cheese blend, deli meats and hot pepper rings. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
When it comes out of the oven, add shredded lettuce and sliced tomato when it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and finish with a drizzle of Italian dressing.
Yields two 12-inch pizzas.
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