Chicago-style pizza, New York-style pizza, Detroit-style pizza... but what about Cleveland?
It wouldn't be surprising if this is the first time you've ever heard of Cleveland-style pizza, but there is a movement out there to solidify just what in the world that style of pizza might even be.
So is Cleveland-style pizza real? Like most things, it depends on who you ask. While everyone can identify, say, the deep-dish style of Chicago pizza, it's hard to exactly pinpoint what might make a pizza inherently Cleveland-style.
But let's take a look at what constitutes a potential Cleveland style of pizza.
A Look at Cleveland-Style Pizza: What Is It?
There are elements of Northeast Ohio pizza that give the region some sort of identifiable style. Dating back to 1985, Cleveland pizza has often been defined as "backwards pizza," meaning you start with cheese, toppings, and then sauce to preserve a crispy crust.
However, there are other local pizza places and chains that have implemented a sauce-first approach to their Cleveland pizza. And Master Pizza, a popular local chain, maintains what they call a Cleveland-style crust, which is known as a soft and pillowy bread-like crust that has the "Cleveland Crimp" which won Master Pizza Hulu's Best in Dough award.
Renowned local chef Michael Symon also weighed in on Cleveland-style pizza in a 2011 Facebook post, describing Cleveland pizza as a "middle-of-the-road thickness" with "a decent amount of sauce and cheese."
Though there appears to be some agreement over the perfect crust, even the sauce and cheese used in Cleveland pizza leaves plenty of room for improvisation and experimentation. Toss in the fact that Mama Roberto's in Mentor owns the trademark on "Cleveland Style Pizza" and things only get more confusing.
So really, Cleveland-style pizza is still in its infant stages without an easily identifiable, distinct look or even process. We can't even decide what should go first between the cheese and sauce. At the end of the day, though, Cleveland makes great pizza, and that's more than enough to go on.