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Photo by Cathy Pinsky
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I don’t know about you but, to me, pizza is the perfect food. It’s got everything one could want: bread, cheese, and tomatoes, a wonderfully convenient dish that is every kid’s mix-’em-up dream food.
And so simple. Just three major ingredients. Sure, your slice might have some pepperoni or white mushrooms on it but, really, who needs to gild something so perfect as a slightly charred, doughy triangle covered with melted cheese and some fresh tomato sauce?
It turns out, we pizza lovers do. Pizza has gone gourmet. And food lovers are all the better for it. Yes, of course, we foodies can appreciate, indeed love, a slice from a corner pizza joint (it’s a perfect food, after all), and many classic pizzerias are worth driving miles and miles to (or, if you’re lucky and happen to live near one, perhaps a late-night stroll for takeout or, better still, a call for delivery). But today, thanks to a slew of creative chefs, we can also indulge in artisanal slices with black truffles, French goat cheese, sweet figs, or even caviar. Hey, I’ve even had pizza with duck on it. There is seemingly no end to what innovative chefs can dream up to lavish onto that old standard slice. And, I say, dream on, please.
We sent food writer Julia Sexton, who proudly admits to having a lifelong love affair with pizza, to sample her way through Westchester’s pizzerias and restaurants. Turn to page 53 for her yummy report.
And, yes, we want to hear from you, too. We know that most everyone has strong opinions about pizza, that is, which pizza is the best. So, here is your opportunity to tell us what is your No. 1 pie. Visit our website, westchestermagazine.com, and take our Pizza Poll. Julia is very, very good, but there is always a chance she missed a gold-medal dough twirler or two.
There was a time, not so long ago, when it seemed every other couple I knew was getting divorced. It got so worrisome that I feared answering the phone, lest another couple call to tell me they were splitting up. Divorce is terribly tough on everyone—the couple, of course; their kids, for sure; but it can also be tough on friends. One good friend refuses to talk to or see my husband and me because we’re still friends with her ex. I understand. Still, I miss her.
However, sometimes (not often, goodness knows), couples who divorce not only remain on good terms but remain really, really good friends. Writer Mary Lynn Mitcham Strom found five couples in Westchester who have done just that. Indeed, one ex-couple has even vacationed together, without their respective new mates. The secret to their civil break-ups and beyond? Turn to page 70 to find out.
