Beecher's Handmade Cheese & Pagliacci Pizza

Buying locally has never been more important than it is now as we work to rebuild our local economy. Collaborating with local artisans has always been our chosen route to sourcing the best ingredients for our pizza, and we’re doubling down. We already use products from over 20 artisanal PNW suppliers, ranging from foraged mushrooms to fresh vegetables, cured meats and sausage, but we’re looking to add more. In addition to boosting local jobs and minimizing shipping distances, the PNW produces some of the best food anywhere.

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is our latest addition. It all started in our test kitchen, a creative playground for pizza lovers. We are always experimenting with new ingredients. While fiddling with our Bacon Leek, an upcoming seasonal favorite, we made one with Beecher’s Flagship cheese. Not every test works, and rarely are all tasters in accord, but when we are you can almost hear the pizza gods rejoice.

Photo by Alex Lau

Local cheesemonger, Kurt Beecher Dammeier, has been making some of the nation’s best cheese right in the heart of the Pike Place Market since 2003. Over the years, Beecher’s has won numerous top national and international awards for their cheeses, including for their Flagship. It’s a cheddar that melts beautifully, making it perfect for pizza. The flavor is sharp, but with a gentle sweetness, making it quite unique amongst its peers. A rich cow’s milk gives it a velvety texture and contributes to the taste that landed it on Bon Appetit’s list of “The 25 Most Important Cheeses in America.”

Our Bacon Leek pairs crisp bacon with Beecher’s Flagship, mozzarella and the pleasantly earthy flavor of roasted leeks. After baking, we sprinkle fresh peppery arugula over the top.

”I love local collaborations like this,” says Kurt. “Pagliacci is one of those iconic Seattle pizza brands I've been enjoying for decades, and as a customer, I am particularly proud. Both Beecher's and Pagliacci are known for big flavors, so combining Beecher's award-winning cheese with Pagliacci's award-winning pizza is an obvious match for deliciousness.”

Our Tomato Basil seasonal pizza has a secret ingredient: time. No, not thyme, but a low and slow roast of juicy Roma tomatoes that caramelizes the sugars and deepens their flavor and acidity. They retain just the right level of moisture and burst with the essence of tomato. Add a little garlic and some basil, and you’ve got perfection. This tomato lovers pie gets loaded with roasted tomatoes and mozzarella over an olive oil base. After baking, we top it with tender fresh basil.

And our seasonal gelato, Riso, is not only Gelatiamo’s most popular flavor of gelato, but also one that brings a sense of comfort to Maria Coassin, Gelatiamo’s owner. “My mom used to make us Riso al Latte for dinner,” Maria says. She created this gelato from the same pure ingredients— Arborio rice, cream, milk and sugar—to recreate that comfort food at a time when she needed some. It takes her back to those special occasions when she and her siblings got their favorite treat. “I almost like a celebration of times gone by,” she says. Riso’s delicate flavor and texture are similar to rice pudding or a creamy tapioca. To understand why it’s so popular, you need to taste it. And, really, is there a better time for comfort than now?