To most folks living in Columbus or anywhere in central Ohio, thin-crust, square-cut pizza is just pizza. The pies they grew up with don’t need to be defined or named, but for the sake of clarity, let’s call it “Columbus-style.” It may not be as well-known as pizzas from Chicago, New York, or even New Haven, but the local style has a fierce and loyal following. It routinely beats other cities on national top pizza lists, visitors can eat their way through a citywide pizza trail, and a long and storied history gives the city bona fides just as deep as its peers.
The local pizza is distinct in a few ways. Columbus pizza-makers roll their dough out thin and score it with a roller docker, which creates small holes that prevent the dough from bubbling in the oven. Most pies are dusted with cornmeal to keep from sticking to stone deck ovens; according to most pizza-makers in the city, the ovens’ stone bottoms are vital to evenly distribute heat, and the porous material absorbs moisture, delivering a crisp crust. The dough is topped with a sweet sauce and balanced by a provolone cheese mix that goes from edge to edge, along with, ideally, pepperoni. Pies arrive on the table cut into “squares,” though in reality they’re often closer to rectangles.
These factors combine into a look and feel that’s instantly recognizable. But Columbus-style pizza isn’t just popular because of its structure; it’s also relatively affordable. A pie is roughly $20, in contrast to pies that can easily start at $30 in cities like Los Angeles and New York. That makes Columbus pizza accessible to the city’s loyal student sports fans, who often cheer on nationally ranked and locally cherished teams like the Ohio State University’s Buckeyes with game day pizza sales. When the wildly popular team plays rival Michigan, it’s all hands on deck at pizzerias…