Schools

Santarpio's Wins By A Crust in Pizza War

The war was close and a big crowd enlisted.

 

Pizza War 2012 had all the right ingredients.

It had variety.

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It had competition.

It had pizza.

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And it had people.

"We had a huge turnout, over 750 people attended the event," said sophomore class adviser Joseph Bennett.

Santarpio's won Best Pizza on the North Shore, but it was a tight race with Tony Lena's in Swampscott coming in second and Plum Tomatoes Brick Oven Pizza in Peabody coming in third, he said.

More than 20 pizza shops from throughout the North Shore served almost 5,000 slices, filling stomachs and the cafeteria with aromas of tomato, cheese, sausage, onions, peppers and mushrooms.

The pizzas included standards: cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and veggies.

But the pies also included nontraditional toppings.

There were sweet and sour, cherry peppers and pineapple, picante, Big Mac, and bacon and French fry pizzas.

Visitors tried them all.

The idea grew out of A Taste of Swampscott, a food tasting event the sophomore class held in October. 

Last week, when class members were reviewing their organization of the event with their adviser he asked a question.

What if 800 people show up?

About 800 people did show up, and the kids' planning and organization made it a festive fast-moving celebration without lines or complaints.

It had the makings of an annual tradition.


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