The annual Jersey Pizza Joints Pizza Bowl competition, now in its sixth year, only happens in the Meadowlands at Redd’s in Carlstadt, but the ultimate winner can come from anywhere in New Jersey.
So, if the champion from Saturday’s competition on Jan. 31, Domenick Calise from Bucky’s Pizza, doesn’t immediately ring up your olfactory senses or taste buds, there’s a reason or two.
Not only is Bucky’s new to the North Jersey pizza scene, but the pizzaiolo and his restaurant are also based in northwestern New Jersey. Those of us from Meadowlandia often forget that North West, New Jersey, is still North Jersey. But thanks to pizza, we see you, Chatham, a mere 20-ish miles away! We see you and your award-winning pizza.
Intersection of Panic, Pandemic, Passion, Time
Calise opened Bucky’s, which specializes in sourdough and Detroit-style square pies, after trying his hand at making pizza during the pandemic. He spent a year perfecting his naturally-leavened dough and makes all ingredients from scratch in-house.
After his advertising job ended, he explored his passion for pizza, learned from online videos, launched a pizza food truck, and experimented with pop-ups. When a lease came up for an out-of-business pizzeria for $28,000, he and his wife Jessica went for it, according to pmq.com and other reports.
They officially opened their Chatham storefront at 465 Main St. in October 2024 and pulled in over $1 million in sales in their first year, according to pmq.com. According to data from the pizza delivery app Slice and PMQ, independent pizzerias, which account for roughly 45%-60% of the pizza market, typically average around $658,548 in annual sales.
Not Just Pizza, But Meatballs Too
The winner in the meatball competition is right in Clifton, at Lucci’s, on 590 NJ-3 West. Known for their pizza — they were also a Pizza Bowl VI finalist — but they also receive rave reviews on social media and Yelp for their food options, especially their meatballs.
Read more: Pizza Smack Down: Warm Up With Blue-Ribbon Slices at Pizza Bowl VI
Pizza Bowl VI
Besides Bucky’s, the other competitors in the final round included Vinnie’s Mootz of Lyndhurst, Sun Tavern of Roselle Park, Lucci’s of Clifton, and Casa D’Amici of North Arlington.
This year, North Jersey vs. South Jersey vied for the top slice and balls. Funds raised from the event go to Tunnels for Towers, a 9/11 charity. Pizzia Bowl has raised lamost $100,000 in six years for the nonprofit.
Pizza Bowl was cooked up by Guy Madsen, founder of Jersey Pizza Joints on Facebook (with close to 100K followers). Now in its fourth year, Pizza Bowl is bigger than ever and expanding its dual mission to elevate small businesses and raise funds for Tunnel to Towers, an organization Madsen is passionate about.
