Southwestern pizza enthusiasts dove into the saucy culture of one of Italy’s most iconic foods at Las Cruces’ 2nd annual Pizza Festival Oct. 11.
The event offered live music, drinks, entertainment, and pizza from a variety of establishments. The event organizers held competitions for the best pizza slices as well as two pizza-eating competitions for adults and children. At the end of the night, there was one restaurant that came out on top, winning all three awards for the best slice.
Brothers and NMSU alumni Edward and Dennis Harty opened Road Runner Pizza 16 years ago, after purchasing the establishment from an existing business.
“We were just kids,” Edward Harty said. “We put our money together and we bought it.”
When they attended the festival last year they won second place. This year, Road Runner Pizza earned third place for their pepperoni pizza, second for their pepperoni-green chile, and first place for their Hawaiian pizza.
Edward said he and his brother will be back next year to add more trophies to their collection. He expressed what set them apart from the rest of the competition (or something like that to transition to the quote)
“[What] stands out is that we make our dough from scratch, our sauce from scratch, and we even roast our Hatch chile on our oven,” Edward Harty said. “Not only that, we’re a mom-and-pop shop, we’re two brothers.”
Judges crowned another winner during the festival’s adult pizza-eating competition. Gabriel Quezada attended the festival for the first time ever and left with a medal. Although Quezada said he knew he was going to win, he also experienced a moment of fear before the competition.
“So, I was kind of scared. I saw the guy right next to me said he won last year, so I knew I had to, you know, get my water and all that,” Quezada said.
Quezada said his strategy for success involved sandwiching two pieces and eating them at once, and he won after eating four slices. He hopes to return next year to defend his title.
Bailey Brooks and Alex Carpenter came together, with company, to this year’s Pizza Festival to support local businesses.
The festival featured multiple styles of music from mariachi bands to country groups, and even a special performance from Gadsden High School’s band. Brooks and Carpenter felt there was something for everyone at this event.
“Oh, the mariachi band, I loved them, they were so live and powerful,” Brooks said. “You can, like, jam out their music depending on the songs they play.”
Brooks heard about the festival on Facebook and came from El Paso to enjoy the festivities and live performances.
“I would recommend this to people,” Brooks said. “It’s nice to get out with the family [and] enjoy a few shows.”
The combination of delicious pizza and great music not only left Brooks endorsing the event. Carpenter added that she felt it even offered a sense of peace.
“It’s like a stress reliever,” Carpenter said “You can see, like, all of these different types of stuff. You get to try new food if you haven’t tried it, and then, you get to, like, see what’s new and other stuff.”
