The worst pizza I ever had was in Rome, Italy. It was square, cold, mushy and tasteless. I thought I was going to have the best slice ever after traveling to what I thought was the capital of pizzadom. But, nope. I never found a great slice there, although our cover story writer Christina Waters has.

Here in Santa Cruz, there are so many choices and twists on what used to be a simple triangle of cheese, tomato sauce and dough.Waters found toppings such as coconut, banana, kiwi, potato and sour cream, arugula, ranch dressing, even pickles.

Sorry, yuck. Keep mine more simple.

My first taste of pesto pizza was from Pizza My Heart and I was hooked. It became my go-to and a standard by which all future slices were measured.

Speaking of slices: my first time in San Jose I went to a pizza shop and ordered a slice. The guy brought out a can of the soda named Slice. “No, a slice of pizza,” I said, feeling like I’d landed on another planet.

“Oh, you have to buy a whole pie,” he explained. “We don’t sell it by the slice.”

That was a bizarre concept for someone raised in New York, where the slice is king: a meal, a snack, and sustenance for a student. I was just about ready to get on a plane and head back East. Luckily local pizza shops have advanced.

Waters’ story is a revelation for a foodie. She tracks our local pies and their history. And during our Pizza Week, you have a chance to splurge, get deals and try so many tasty offerings. This should be a national holiday.

 Visit SantaCruzPizzaWeek.com to view the full list of restaurants. And download the Pizza Week App to rate pies, post photos and win gift certificates.

Also: how do you eat your pizza? There’s nothing more creepy to me than watching someone eat it with a knife and fork. My routine involves folding it in half and eating it with my hands.

If you go back to ancient times, you know, back in the 6th Century B.C. and B.I. (before the Internet) a variant of pizza was eaten in Persia, where soldiers made pies on their shields with flatbread, cheese and dates.

I’m kind of surprised that recipe and serving platter hasn’t been picked up here. But, give it time.

Thanks for reading

Brad Kava | Editor

PHOTO CONTEST

ROMANCE BY THE WAVES Couples out for a stroll on the Santa Cruz main beach after the storm. Shot on an iPhone. Photograph by Brian Caulfield

GOOD IDEA

The City of Santa Cruz is now accepting applications for its 2025 Master Recycler Volunteer Training Program. Over the course of eight weeks in February and March, participants will attend eight training sessions to become “Master Recycler Volunteers” in areas related to waste reduction and recycling. Session topics include Food Waste Prevention; Diversion, Collection and Processing of Food Waste; Rethink Your Habits; Green Businesses; and Zero Waste. Field trips go to the city’s Recycling Center, where 30-50 tons of material is recycled every day, and to the Grey Bears campus. Applications are at cityofsantacruz.com/recycleright.

GOOD WORK

Yvette Lopez Brooks, the new CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz, recently stepped down as mayor of Capitola after serving on the council from 2018 to 2025.

“While stepping down from the City Council was not an easy decision, I am excited to embrace this new opportunity to serve the entire county. United Way’s mission to ignite our community to give, advocate, and volunteer resonates deeply with me, and I look forward to dedicating my efforts to ensuring our youth succeed in school and life, our residents are healthy, and our families achieve financial independence,” she said.

Brooks has spent over 15 years at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Schools should be a place of safety and learning…
the threat of ICE has turned them into places of fear.”

–Gabriel Medina, PVUSD trustee.