October is National Pizza Month and there is no better way to celebrate it than by picking up a great book or movie about pizza. Pizza is my favorite food with so many different toppings and crusts to choose from. The list of pizza types is endless with a never-ending list of styles. Some popular styles include New York, Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis, which are all named after cities. More specifically there is thin crusted, flat bread, deep dish, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Greek, and also California styles to choose from. Westlake Porter Public Library has a vast number of books and movies relating to pizza in our collection. There is even a fun card game you can check out from our non-traditional materials collection that has pizza in the title. It’s called Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. It is one of my favorite card games to play with friends.
Pizzapedia by Dan Bransfield
Pizza is a food that lends itself to legend and obsession, spanning geography, generations, and gender. In lavish illustrations and hand-lettered text, Pizzapedia celebrates all the stories behind its origin and the delectable ingredients. The pizza saver is even mentioned which prevents the delivery box top from drooping into the pie. The differences between Sicilian, New York, Chicago, and Detroit styles are outlined. Like the universally beloved food, this art-driven book of miscellany is inviting, colorful, and a delicious gift to give and get.
Mystic Pizza
This coming of age movie starring Julia Roberts is about three women working at a pizza parlor in Mystic, Connecticut. Two of the women are sisters and the other woman is their friend. They spend the summer serving pizza together, growing together, and discovering romance.
Mastering Pizza: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pizza, Focaccia, and Calzone by Marc Vetri
Pizza remains America’s favorite food, but one that many people hesitate to make at home. In Mastering Pizza, award-winning chef Marc Vetri tackles the topic with his trademark precision, making perfect pizza available to anyone. The recipes were developed after years spent researching recipes in Italy and perfecting them in America. The book covers popular standards like Margherita and Carbonara, while also featuring unexpected toppings such as mussels and truffles. The recipe for a dessert pizza made with Nutella is included. With transporting imagery from Italy and hardworking step-by-step photos to demystify the process, Mastering Pizza will help you make pizza as delicious as you find in Italy.
Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley
Newly single pizzeria owner Delilah O’Leary is determined to keep her restaurant afloat in the picturesque resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. To boost her bottom line, she sets her sights on winning the hefty cash prize in the town’s annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. In her corner, she’s got her strong-willed cat Butterball, her wisecracking BFF, her great-aunt, and a nearly-flawless recipe for Pretzel Crust Deep-Dish Bratwurst Pizza. But while Delilah and her team have been focused on pumping out perfect pizza pies, her ex-fiancé has cozied up to a new squeeze, juice bar owner Jordan Watts-Delilah’s contest rival. When one of Jordan’s juice bar customers is poisoned by a tainted smoothie, Delilah lands deep in the sauce. Accusations fly, suspects abound, and a menacing stranger turns up with a beef over some missing dough. Between kale-juicing hipsters and grudge-bearing celebrity chefs, Delilah must act quickly before another one bites the crust.
The Essential Wood-Fired Pizza Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques From My Wood Fired Oven by Anthony Tassinello
Take pizza night to the next level with this essential guide to wood-fired cooking from Anthony Tassinello, chef at Berkeley, California’s famed Chez Panisse restaurant. Tassinello’s own love for cooking with fire is contagious and his knowledge about wood-fired pizza is all encompassing. From classics like Margherita Pizza to more elevated fare like Stinging Nettle and Chanterelle Mushroom Pizza, Tassinello walks you through the time-tested tradition of preparing-and savoring-the perfect pizza. Included is more than eighty-five recipes. This is a great book for learning the basics. This book helps offer tips and techniques for mastering your oven and taking advantage of everything wood-fired cooking has to offer.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
This fun card game is as unique as its name. It’s a power packed quick and simple party game that can be played with 2-8 players. Race against each other to SLAP a match between a card and spoken word. But – watch out! – your mind will play tricks on you. This game was engineered for maximum fun and best of all, it includes pizza in the title. This is the perfect game to play if you want to throw a game night/ pizza party with friends.
Pizza, A Love Story
This documentary was released in 2020 and will make viewers both laugh and leave them hungry. Marinara sauce runs red through the streets of New Haven in this surprising, delectable documentary which profiles three pizza restaurants — Pepe, Sally’s, and Modern. Together they stand as the cornerstone of the town’s Italian-American heritage and connoisseurs of the tastiest incarnations of America’s favorite comfort food.
