A New Pizza, and Other Local Delicacies

Once a month, Pagliacci’s food team gets together to test new pizzas. We operate with an open mind—there are no bad ideas. We expect to miss the mark. The goal is to fail better. “Most new pizzas don’t go anywhere,” says John Clifford, Pagliacci’s Senior Director of Training and Development, and the head of our food team. But every so often, a dreamy pizza idea makes it into the real world. Our new seasonal Calabrian Kale is one of those. 

The new pie, a variation on our Tuscan Kale pizza, features a house-made Calabrian Cream Sauce. The tangy cream-based sauce gets a kick from Calabrian chiles. The chiles are grown in Calabria, the “toe” of Italy’s boot. They have a complex taste, both smoky and gently piquant. With the Calabrian Cream Sauce as a base, we top the pie with Tuscan kale, dollops of soft ricotta cheese, and preserved lemons made by Pioneer Square’s The London Plane. We think it’s a winner. Order one and judge for yourself. 

Our second seasonal, the Prosciutto Fig, features ripe farm-fresh figs. In Italy, luscious, ripe figs and delicate, salty prosciutto are a prized flavor combination—one of those perfect salty-sweet mixes. We layer generous portions of the figs and premium prosciutto over mozzarella on an olive oil base. Out of the oven, we finish the pizza with minced basil. This seasonal pizza has been a customer favorite for years. 

Our seasonal gelato is Marionberry Vanilla Cream, made by Gelatiamo. It’s made with Oregon marionberries, whose bright, complex flavor has won the hearts of many a blackberry lover across the nation. Juicy berries are swirled into a custardy gelato loaded with rich vanilla bean flavor. The result is a silky-smooth blend of sweet cream and tart, flavorful berries.