October Is the Month to Celebrate Homemade Pizza!

Did you know that it’s National Pizza Month this month? And no, it doesn’t have to be just homemade pizza either. Restaurants, pizzerias, and cafeterias around the country use this month of the year to run specials on their menu items; and it can be a great way to use your commercial pizza dough to try out a new item. But customers might ask you what the history behind the special is – so what is it?

National Pizza Month has been celebrated in the United States and other parts of the world since 1984. This was when Gerry Durnell of a small town named Santa Claus, Indiana, realized there was no national holiday to celebrate his livelihood – wholesome and delicious pizza! Wanting to do something about this lack of attention paid to pizza, Durnell decided to do something about it. And so, he declared the month of October National Pizza Month, and people still recognize the uniqueness of the month today. But, Durnell did more than just declare a holiday; he also founded Pizza Today magazine.

But having just one month dedicated to celebrating pizza just wasn’t enough. At some point after this holiday was established, National Pizza Week was also commemorated. This is also a holiday that still runs today, and it begins on the second week of January. The history behind National Pizza Week is not well-known. But we think it was derived simply as another excuse to show how much everyone loves pizza!