Frozen pizza is a staple in most freezers across the US. But today we are trying out some strange strange pizza that popped up in the grocery store. If you have it in your heart, consider becoming a producer of our wonderful Quest for the Best podcast! By becoming a producer, you are helping us with the production costs of our show (this doesn’t happen with nothing!). We really appreciate your support! Help us sustain our podcast and keep us trying foods like these! Which Frozen Pizzas are we trying today? * Tombstone Chili Cheese French Fry Crust Pizza * Tombstone Loaded Bacon Cheddar French Fry Crust Pizza * DiGiorno Thanksgiving Pizza Who is on this seasonal quest? * Randi, did not consent to cannibalism. * Nate, did someone say beans? * Matt, hold me! * Amy, in a fugue state. And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE! The History of Frozen Pizza The simple act of turning on the oven, grabbing a frozen pizza out of the freezer, and baking it until the cheese melts, the toppings are hot, and the crust has a nice crunch, is actually something that has not been around very long. Sure, pizza made it’s way to the United States in the early 1900s thanks to Italian immigrants, but there wasn’t even the ability to preserve a pizza until freezers were made and home freezers became a regular thing, which wasn’t until the 40s and 50s. But with the popularity of pizza taking off after World War II, pizza restaurant owners in the U.S. started offering take-and-bake pizzas, and soon after, frozen pizzas were common in the grocery store. In the 50s, frozen pizza started taking off, with many regional companies raking in the dough. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that a brand rose to national fame. Rose and Jim Totino began mass-producing frozen pizzas in St. Louis Park, Minnesota in 1962 and by the 1970s, Totino’s became the country’s top-selling frozen pizza, with sales reaching $50 million by 1974. Totino’s was not a the only company reaching great pizza heights, however. In the 1960’s, Mama Celeste came onto the scene. Also, in 1966, the Simek brothers went from selling pizza in their bar, called The Tombstone Tap, to selling their frozen pizzas to other taverns. And by 1984, Tombstone Pizza was one of the top frozen pizza distributors. Who rolls on the scene next? Schwan’s of course, with the purchase of Kansas-based pizza manufacturer Tony’s. And in 1976, Schwan’s expanded their pizza business further by launching Red Baron, which is now one of the country’s leading pizza brands. By the 1980s, the market was worth $1 billion Today the top frozen pizza brands in the U.S. are… * Di Giorno - $319.28 million in annual sales * Red Baron - $255.73 million in annual sales * Totino’s Party Pizza - 104.22 million in annual sales * Jack’s - 91.48 million in annual sales * Tombstone - 57.43 million in annual sales The Results **SPOILER ALERT!** Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet! Tombstone Loaded Bacon Cheddar French Fry Crust Pizza * Randi - It tastes like a loaded baked potato. - 7 * Nate - I was expecting to be underwhelmed. I’m slightly whelmed. - 7 * Matt - It’s not bad - it’s just really salty. - 5 * Amy - It’s giving me a Casey’s pizza breakfast pizza sauce vibe. - 5 Tombstone Chili Cheese French Fry Crust Pizza * Randi - Reminds me of chili cheese Fritos. - 5 * Nate - I’m not getting too much of the potato element. - 6 * Matt - It was okay. - 5 * Amy - This reminds me of a frozen burrito. - 6 DiGiorno Thanksgiving Pizza * Randi - I hate it so much. - 3 * Nate - There is too much gravy. - 4 * Matt - The turkey is somehow moist. - 5 * Amy - This is a very good crust. - 5 There you have it. Tombstone Pizza receives the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Which is your favorite frozen pizza? We would love to hear your rating! Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next. And of course, remember to subscribe to hear the latest episodes. And chip in on the podcast! Whatever value you get out of this entertainment, send it back our way. We thank you for the support! Show Notes: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/02/the-history-of-frozen-pizza-from-totinos-to-digiorno.html https://www.statista.com/statistics/915572/leading-frozen-pizza-brands-us-dollar-sales/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questforthebestpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
