There are two things that I have missed since I moved from Chicago when I was a teen, Italian Beef Sandwiches and Chicago style pizza. I’m not a huge fan of Italian food normally. Oh sure I like some good lasagna now and then or spaghetti with Italian Sausage but pizza or Italian beef’s with sweet peppers and you have my attention.

Since moving here to central Florida I think we have tried just about every pizza joint within driving distance. I have found a few to be decent but most are adequate at best. A Chicago pizza would normally require an hour long drive to Orlando and the mandatory wait in line at Uno’s, the only place I know of that serves the traditional pizza I grew up on. The thing is Uno’s just doesn’t do it for me. Now don’t get me wrong there pizzas are better than what most of the places around here try to pass off as a pie, it just doesn’t have something and I have never been able to put my finger on it.

You’re probably wondering what I’m getting at here and wishing I would get to the point already. Well here you are - I spent the evening setting up a website called ChicagolandPizza.com. I’m using Drupal as the Content Management System and got it installed along with the optional modules I want to use. I also configured just about everything I needed to and setup the menus the way I want. But back to the story…

ChicagolandPizza.com was something that I registered a couple of years ago when I had considered opening a pizzeria. This was right after I retired and was looking for something to do with my time. I did a ton of research, drafted a business plan, and even started looking for a shop or location that could be converted. Then when I was out one day picking up a truck load of lava rocks for landscaping the front of my house I noticed this little pie joint and decided to stop in and grab some lunch. The place was manned by a couple of young men in their late teens. They seemed to be having a good time but as I waited on my order I started looking around and realized just how much work is involved in running a pizzeria. After talking to one of the young men I learned that he was the owner’s son and the place was going to be put up for sale.

I went back a few days later to meet with the owner himself and discussion the opportunity that I had stumbled across. When we started talking about gross sales, net profit, outstanding debt and the number of hours he was putting in I realized that place just wasn’t for me. After nearly twenty years in the same location he had barely built up just four thousand dollars a year in equity. Now granted I saw numerous things he could have done to immediately increase business and reduce food expenses while still maintaining a quality product. Another thing I discovered is standing next to a 550 degree oven for eight to twelve hours a day six or seven days a week wasn’t for me. Call me spoiled but I guess the years of sitting in a comfortable chair in an air conditioned office had got to me. Besides I had just left the computer industry and wasn’t by any means ready to return to that type of schedule. This was supposed to be my time to relax and enjoy my life and time with my son.

So anyway I have hung on to this domain thinking that maybe I could open a little pie shop and just sort of play general manager or something along those lines. But today I woke up inspired to take that domain and turn it into a resource for Chicago Style Pizza and put up some recipes that have been passed to me, do a little section on the history of pizza, put together a page of trivia and most importantly, a listing of restaurants that serve that deep dish, cheese filled, gooey pizza I was spoiled with as a kid. I’m also going to ad a section for users to review and rate their favorite or not so favorite pie shops. I’m thinking something along the lines of the way Amazon does with their books.

Now this is something I’m doing more for the entertainment value than anything so it is going to be low on my list of priorities. I know all of us transplanted Chicagoans and even a bunch of you Midwesterners and visitors to the windy city who have had a chance to try a real Chicago Pizza will enjoy the site. Go check it out and send me any suggestions you might have for the place.

It’s going to be my virtual pizza hangout with the best pizza recipe's on the web.