Editor Letter: Pizza Perfection

Our cover subject this month is a perfect example of too much of a good thing never being enough—an exercise in excess that will have you jumping online to place your order, then speeding off to pick up your well-deserved reward.

Yes, pizza madness is here, and we take full responsibility, overloading your city magazine with photo after photo of appetizing pizzas, from simple slices to loaded pies. The competition came about when we decided to do a Pizza Challenge Bracket, picking 32 prime pizzerias to go one on one each week (think March Madness basketball format), with readers narrowing down the bracket and then voting one last time on the final two—Pizza Bruno and Prato. The winner is revealed in our 16-page special section, with profiles on all 32 contestants, the actual bracket, plus recognition for those pizza places we didn’t include in the original lineup (and we heard plenty about that from their loyal fans).

So consider this your guide to November because it’s going to be a stressful election month and you’ll likely need lots of exercise, rest and pizza (from all 32 places, of course) to take your mind off it all.

Elsewhere in this issue we look at Diversify the Classroom, a nonprofit started by two remarkable women, Maya Brooks and Kaylin Bergeson, who, despite being furloughed from their jobs, are striving to provide elementary classrooms with books that emphasize diverse leading characters. “Remarkable” also describes the dedication of Sharon Glover, a local poll worker profiled in our “Story of’’ feature. In Extra Pulp, columnist Laura Anders Lee remembers carefree times she spent in Italy (including gorging on pizza!) and dreams of returning whenever our world settles down. In Travel, we journey south to the spectacular Hawks Cay Resort, about halfway down the Florida Keys. Finally, our five-page Holiday Gift Guide offers 32 ideas (no, it’s not a bracket) for just about everyone on your list, along with some cool giveaways you can win by checking us out online at orlandomagazine.com

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Clarification: In our September issue, we mentioned Outpost Neighborhood Kitchen in College Park as one of several restaurants that had shuttered during the pandemic. Actually Outpost announced last year, well before COVID-19 struck, that it planned to close and move to a new location in Maitland. Good news: That spot is set to open soon in the Maitland City Centre as Outpost Kitchen, Bar, & Provisions. Leading the culinary team creating “elevated American classics’’ will be Nick Sierputowski, the former chef de cuisine at The Ravenous Pig. Follow Outpost’s progress at facebook.com/OutpostKitchens.