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Columbus Style

A thin, crispy crust and a party cut are hallmarks of the pizza style that gained popularity in our capital city.

Massey’s Pizza refers to Columbus as the “pizza capital of the world” when it comes to the number of shops per capita, and we can certainly vouch for this pizza-maker’s role in pioneering and promoting a particular kind of pie throughout our capital city.

Columbus-style pizza has a circular thin crust with a bottom dusting of cornmeal and toppings that meet the edges. It is also served with a party cut — that’s a round pizza cut into rectangular strips instead of wedges.

Massey’s Pizza has set the standard for the style since the 1950s. Jim and Dan Massucci worked for Columbus pizza pioneer Romeo Siri, eventually launching

Massey’s Pizza and opening several stores across central Ohio. Guido Casa perfected the dough recipe that is still used. Current owners Dave and Jim

Pallone expanded the menu, but the signature Columbus-style pie is still the favorite. Pizzas are cooked directly on a revolving-shelf oven at a sizzling 525 degrees. The distinctive cornmeal bottom serves a few purposes: It adds taste and texture, keeps the pizza from burning and gives it some slideability when rotated in the oven. As chief marketing officer for Massey’s Pizza, Richard Folk can have his pick of pies, but he is a purist at heart.

“My family loves trying different things,” Folk explains. “But we come back to the large pepperoni. It’s our flagship.”

Pepperoni slices are meticulously placed by hand on each pie, with a slight overlap, over a mix of provolone and mozzarella cheeses.

“There will always be 155 pieces of pepperoni on a large Massey’s pizza,” Folk says. “Our pepperoni is made

Massey’s Pizza The Buckeye State’s distinctive pizza styles may not be as well known as the ones hailing from New York or Chicago, but these three have long histories. Here is where you can try them.