Mary Wilson
(334) 612-5671

The competition for Bama’s Best Pizza got hotter than the inside of a pizza oven as the Edible Eight was whittled down to the Flavorful Four through an online vote. 

Restaurants that made it into the Flavorful Four are:

• Carpenetti’s Pizzeria in Moody
• Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant in Sylacauga
• Top-Notch Pizza & BBQ in Vernon
• Valentina’s Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Madison

Judges will visit each restaurant next week, taste-testing a pepperoni pizza and specialty pizzas to determine a winner. The overall winner will receive a plaque, cash prize, and features in Neighbors magazine and on “Simply Southern TV.”

Nominations for the contest were accepted on the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Facebook page Dec. 28-Jan. 11. Restaurants with the most nominations made it into the Edible Eight and were pitted against each other in daily, regional match-ups Jan. 18-21 on “Simply Southern TV’s” Facebook page. 

Other restaurants that made it into the Edible Eight were DiFilippo’s Pizza in Ozark, Geno’s Pizza and Grill in Scottsboro, Pizza & Pint in Sylacauga, and Vertillo Pizza and Grill in Sheffield.

Bama’s Best Pizza is sponsored by the Federation’s Dairy Division and Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association — whose members grow and produce products needed to make the perfect pizza.

Fun facts:

• 350 slices of pizza are eaten each second in the U.S.
• Every day, about 13% of Americans eat pizza.
• Thanks to pizza, Americans have increased their cheese consumption by about 41% since 1995.
• America’s favorite vegetable pizza toppings vary by region. Mushrooms, tomatoes and onions are top choices in the South.
• Every year, Americans consume 251.7 million pounds of pepperoni on pizzas.
• Pizza sales increase an average of 35% on Super Bowl Sunday.
• Pizza can be a very nutritious choice. A slice of cheese pizza contains 12.7 grams of protein and 1.8 grams of fiber as well as calcium, zinc, iron and other vitamins and minerals.

The Alabama Farmers Federation is the state’s largest farm organization with more than 350,000 member families. For more information about sponsoring organizations, visit AlfaFarmers.org. 

“Simply Southern TV” is a production of the Alabama Farmers Federation with major support from Alabama Farmers Cooperative. For more information, visit SimplySouthernTV.net.