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Apr 8 2009, 1:36 pm by Chris Good

Obama: Dissing Chicago Deep-Dish?

President Obama will have a pizza chef fly to DC to prepare lunch at the White House Friday--but not from his hometown of Chicago, birthplace of deep-dish and renowned for its pies. No: Ryan Mangialardo, partner in St. Louis's Pi restaurant, will be preparing what Obama has previously called "the best pizza I've ever eaten." (At least that's what Obama told Pi's owner over the phone after consuming Pi's delicacies in October, while in town for a rally that drew an estimated 100,000 spectators to the city's downtown area.) It is yet unclear precisely how betrayed Chicago's pizza chefs will feel.

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» For Obama, St. Louis Pizza Trumps Chicago from MenuPages Blog :: Chicago
The Atlantic calls foul on President Obama flying in a pizza chef from St. Louis to prepare lunch for the White House tomorrow. Not because of the plane's carbon footprint or the recession-defying economic burden of an 850-mile takeout call.... [Read More]

Tracked on April 9, 2009 11:17 AM

Comments (9)

Jon O.

There are 10 deep-dish pizzas being made per the article, and there's a picture of one there too. Even if it is in St. Louis, that's definitely a Chicago-style pizza.

That said, as a born-and-raised Chicago citizen from a pizza-making family, I feel it incumbent upon me to call for his impeachment.

ElectricMonk

It's a San Francisco style deep dish pizza. Originally done by Ruby’s Restaurant it involves adding cornmeal to the deep dish crust—this makes the pizza better able to handle the weight of toppings. Little Star in SF is getting the hype, currently, and Pi in St. Louis bought their crust recipe.

AlchemyToday

Gino's has a cornmeal crust! I looked into this Pi business and read that, "Also of note, the servers wear t-shirts some of which explicitly mock provel. I may have to buy one."

So folks in St. Louis should be just as angry as those in Chicago for this highly unwise decision. Provel is sacrosanct.

AngelaE8654

I've never heard of adding cornmeal to deep dish pizza. So let me see if I've got this straight (based on the comments here). It's Chicago style pizza that came from San Fransisco being served in St. Louis. What a "cosmopolitan" pizza that must be. LOL

Angela

Backlinks

Kathy K

I am from St. Louis originally. I now live in Los Angeles. I have flown back to St. Louis just to have the pizza. St. Louis style pizza has paper thin crust and does not use mozzarella cheese. They use provel cheese - not provolene. I read that the provel is made in Wisconsin and flown into St. Louis. The pizza melts in your mouth! Pre-Obama's pizza plans, it was the best kept secret in the country! I have searched all over L.A. - the pizza here is NY style and doesn't hold a candle to St. Louis style.

I've written a screenplay and novel that I'm now marketing for sale. If I get the big payoff on one of them, one of my dreams is to open up a pizza restaurant out here featuring St. Louis style pizza. I would fly the chef from Lou Boccardi's Restaurant on the St. Louis Hill (Italian district) to my restaurant which I could perhaps call Lou Boccardi's West to teach my chef how to make St. Louis style pizza. Now Obama sorta stole my idea! With Obama advertising St. Louis pizza, it will soon be all over the country - I hope so even if it preempts my restaurant plans.

Another thing in St. Louis on the Hill is toasted ravioli. No one else has that either. The legend is an Italian woman making ravioli accidentally dropped baked ravioli into hot cooking oil and thus the toasted version was born.

Bill Moseley

I guess it doesn't take that long for DC to change those that set out to change IT! Way to go Mr. Transparency and oversight! I guess the rules apply to the rest of us, not the White House!

Rebek

Bobby Flay just replicated a deep dish pizza with a corn meal crust in his Throw down show. The Chicago chef used cornmeal too. (Bobby lost to the bully). As a Native New Yorker, I can't wait to have my thin crust taste buds roughed up by crackly, oily corn gravel topped under a pizza. Bring it on!

john885

Seems like Obama really liked that pizza.
positive thinking

TanyaN

Funny article about Mr.Obama likes and dislikes.