I’m from Chicago and while deep dish/pan/stuffed pizza is the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of people when Chicago and pizza are mentioned. I didn’t have or was even very aware of deep dish until my mid teens when I got my first job and a group went to Nancy’s pizza (the stuffed version) one night after work. Shortly after that we found our way to the original Pequod’s back when Burt Katz was the owner. It was a weird and magical place- eating a one of a kind pizza in someone’s living room done up in a naval theme while you could hear him being grumpy in the kitchen. Up until then it was always thin crust square cut like the header. To this day when I hear pizza that is the very first thing that comes to mind for me and my go-to is Barnaby’s (the interior and recipe are still what they were in the ’70s) or when I’m in the north ‘burbs Piero’s. These days I’m into a lot of different styles and they all have their charms. It mostly depends on what I’m in the mood for.

Do you have a Platonic ideal of pizza? What is it and where does it come from?