The North Shore Dish Pizza on the North Shore By Chuck Viren
Flatbreads were known to have been eaten in ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. It didn’t take long for people to add toppings to these flatbreads. Not until after tomatoes were brought to Europe from the Americas, though, did the people around Naples, Italy begin creating what we now think of as pizza. Italian immigrants brought this dish back over the Atlantic, and throughout the 20th century, the popularity of this dish grew into the craze we know it to be today. In all that time, people have continued to tinker with pizza recipes. Innovation and attention to quality seem to be the hallmarks of successful pizza restaurants today. We see those qualities at Eat Local Pizza in Thunder Bay, My Sister’s Place in Grand Marais, and Jimmy’s Pizza in Silver Bay. At Eat Local Pizza in Thunder Bay, their commitment to quality is highlighted by the use of local ingredients in their pizzas whenever possible. Their list of local growers and producers is long and includes flour and canola oil from Brule Creek Farms, cheese from Thunder Oak Cheese Farm, meat from Bogdala’s Smoked Meats, and produce from local farms. CEO Jim Stadey grew up on a farm and worked in pizza place as a kid. His dream of a pizza shop using local products came to fruition 10 years ago. He had previous relationships with local growers, and those relationships have become the mainstay of how they do business. Innovation has also been prominent in their business. Those who innovated to add tomato to their pizzas hundreds of years ago would probably have difficulty contextualizing Eat Local’s best seller, the perogie pizza. Made from George’s Market cream sauce, caramelized onions, Bogdala’s bacon, Brule Creek flour, Lucy Q Perogies, and Thunder Oak extra old gouda, and with two sour cream dips, this pizza certainly fits their business model. And it’s a big hit. “When you taste how the sweet, dark caramelized onions and smooth rose cream sauce pair with the salty sliced bacon and the cheesy perogies, and then you get hooked by the punchy extra old Gouda... we’ve got you hooked,” says Stadey. Another big seller is their cheeseburger pizza. For the beef topping, they mix local beef with horseradish and mustard, press it flat, and blast it at 500 degrees to duplicate 22
FEBRUARY 2021
The best sellers at Eat Local Pizza in Thunder Bay includes their cheeseburger pizza (top left) and perogie pizza (top right). | EAT LOCAL PIZZA The Sister’s House Special pizza (bottom left) is a best seller at My Sister’s Place in Grand Marais. Another favorite is the basil pesto margherita pizza. | MY SISTER’S PLACE
NORTHERN WILDS
