Photo by Johnathan Dowling. Pictured: Warrior’s Pizza.

We all like Pizza. Unless you’re a weirdo– or potentially lactose intolerant. But even then, it’s a phenomenon that’s put the world in the palms of countless restaurants and franchises worldwide. From places like Domino’s or Pizza Hut to even the frozen varieties of Digiornos or even homemade types, it’s something that lives up to and meets all the hype! 

And, as of Sept. 29, the Lehigh Valley’s decided to dive into the love of the food with ArtsQuest’s first-ever PizzaFest!I had the luxury of going to this event (despite the looming threat of rain) and experienced it all in full throttle! Several trucks were out and about selling their pies, be it personal or wood-fired, and for the not-so-adventurous folk, the food options were accompanied by a handful of casual vendors such as Kona-Ice. 

I wasn’t able to try all of them, but one I found impressive was Il Forno a Legna from Rahway, New Jersey. They seasoned the sauce of all things, and biting into the dough with fresh, melted Mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top was to die for. There was also Warrior’s Pizza from Mount Pocono, and they made a deep-dish Sicilian pie, thick bricks of slices that had my appetite immediately taken aback by the sheer crunch that resided in every. Single. Bite. 

Apart from the culinary pursuits, one could find themselves participating in several rounds of trivia, topics from Italian history to even things as straightforward as Super Mario, the winners of which being able to participate in various Mario Party minigames on the big screen (I tried my best and failed miserably, moving on).

 Included in the festivities was the Tomato Toss, a twist on the classic water-balloon catch, and even the Pizza Box Relay, which my brother could only describe as the “Double-Dare Obstacle course while carrying precious cargo,” as you’d have to barrel through several obstacles while balancing up to 10 boxes in your hands like that one level of the 2004 Spider-Man 2 Game– which, considering the backing accordion music from one-man-band, Glenn Miller, makes this a more than apt comparison. 

All in all, this was a wonderful experience! Could it improve? Most definitely– my biggest issue was probably the lack of free samples, as I basically burned through over 30 bucks in an attempt to try slices from each truck. Even then, the lines from other foodies made it a bit of a pain for me to get them before the festivities ended at around 6:30. Keeping that in mind, I’m sure ArtsQuest can take in the comments from the people who attended to make it something that hopefully happens next September. As for now, though, I’m feeling a sandwich more than anything.