The best pizza in northern Indiana can be found at The Wooden Peel in Bremen.
The Marshall County pizzeria was voted the Pizza Wars champion by northern Indiana residents, according to Robby Bearss, marketing director for Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission, which ran the contest.
The Wooden Peel received 51 percent of the vote to narrowly defeat runner-up Cafe at the Bowling Alley in Warsaw, the Kosciusko County champion.
More than 100,000 votes were cast during the six-week contest. It began by pitting pizzerias against each other in seven northern Indiana counties. From there, the county champions and a wild card pick competed for the big crown.
The Wooden Peel isn’t the only winner. Iechyd Da Brewing Company won the Critic’s Choice Award, decided by Chicago-based travel guide author and food critic Kate Silver.
Silver traveled through northern Indiana on June 13 and 14 and tried pizzas that each restaurant owner thought best showcased their flavor.
Iechyd Da stood out because of its light crust, daring combination of ingredients and focus on local meats and vegetables, Silver said.
She gave the honorable mention to Cafe at the Bowling Alley in Warsaw.
Silver was chosen as the official Pizza Wars critic to give the contest more credibility and to prove that delicious pizza is available in the Midwest outside of Chicago, Bearss said.
Giannetto’s was the St. Joseph County Pizza Wars champion but didn’t make it past the first round of regional voting. Giannetto’s was also the favorite chosen by fans of The Casey Hendrickson Show on 95.3 MNC.
- RELATED: Listeners of The Casey Hendrickson Show taste test Pizza Wars finalists in St. Joseph County, June 5, 2015
