With my new-found neighborhood pizza pride, I’ve had to put on my pizza detective hat to unravel some mild South Park confusion.
PIZZA THEORIES
Fellow fans of both Factory and Tavern have shared conflicting “facts” about the connections between the two pizza shops.
Some argued both sold the same pizza recipe using the same ingredients.
Others were certain the South Park district was just that lucky to have two distinct and tasty go-to pizza stops, and the two had nothing to do with each other.
One experience with Factory’s Seafood Blanc pizza and I thought I had found my go-to... until I sank my teeth into my first Tavern Chicken Cordon Bleu pizza.
As it turns out, the two gems have the same roots, and even the same dough. However, the recipe and pizza chefs are different. But that’s only as of recently.
Credit: JAN UNDERWOOD
Credit: JAN UNDERWOOD
PIZZA FACTS
Bill Daniels, co-founder and president of Dayton’s Original Pizza Factory, confirmed the Factory does supply the Tavern with its dough. The foundation of each pizza tossed in the neighborhood is, in fact, spun and kneaded inside Daniels’ shop.
However, the history between the two establishments is baked deeper than just the dough’s thick, crispy crust.
Since 2007 and until selling the Tavern to new owners in February 2017, Daniels owned and operated both shops.
MYSTERY SOLVED
“Just the pizza dough. That’s all we make for them,” Daniels said. “They’re obviously free to do whatever they want on top of it. That’s the beauty of pizza. It’s like having a canvas you can do whatever you want to.”
DO YOU HAVE A DAYTON MYTH YOU WANT US TO INVESTIGATE? Contact this reporter at sarah.franks@coxinc.com.
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