April Pizza Adventures Part I: Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza

The pizza party has begun! On Tuesday, April 3, Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza in Columbia Heights generously agreed to donate 25% of their proceeds for the day from anyone who mentioned YPT. An all-day fundraiser? Perfect excuse for a staff lunch!

So on Tuesday, we headed out into the beautiful day to grab lunch at Pete’s. Now the YPT staff is not an easy group to feed.  Dietary restrictions range from vegetarian to dairy-free to no gluten. A big thumbs up to Pete’s for managing to satisfy everyone with a variety of delicious options. We sampled everything from the paninis to gluten-free crust to a good old-fashioned slice of cheese pizza.  The overwhelming consensus: everything was delicious.

Highlights from YPT’s first pizza adventure:

• Pizza with fried eggplant. Amazingly good!

• Vegan and gluten-free options. The YPT staff will definitely be back.

• The huge Sorbillo (a rectangular shaped pizza turnover filled with sopressata, ricotta, mozzarella) Yum!

• Veggie pizza.  After being decidedly anti-vegetable for most of my childhood, I have recently embraced veggie pizza. My slice of Pete’s veggie pizza, topped with broccolini, onion and tomato, did not disappoint.

• The crust! We all agreed it was the perfect combination between crisp and chewy. How do they do it?

• The giant Pete’s Apizza carry-out boxes.

• Pete’s commitment to give back to the community by supporting our New Play Festival and helping bring our students’ plays to life on April 23 and 24.

Did you stop by Pete’s on Tuesday to support YPT? Share your experience on this blog or on Facebook. And don’t forget about our Pizza Photo Contest! For inspiration, check out our staff photo shoot from Pete’s. Join the contest by snapping a picture of yourself eating a pizza at one of our next fundraiser events and share it on our Facebook page. Our fans will vote for their favorite with “likes” and the winner will receive a special prize at the New Play Festival.

Up next: The pizza party continues! Join YPT at Flippin’ Pizza in Dupont Circle on Thursday, April 12 from 5-9pm. On April 12, Flippin’ Pizza is generously donating 50% of their proceeds from YPT supporters from the evening. Don’t forget to mention that you’re there to support YPT!

So until next time … stay hungry!

Alison
Development and Producing Associate

Ready, set, eat!

How much pizza can one YPT staff member eat in a month?

Let’s find out!

As YPT gets ready for the 2012 New Play Festival, we are excited to be participating in several fundraising events. Four generous local pizza restaurants will be hosting fundraisers for YPT throughout April, with a portion of proceeds from each event going to support the Festival.

Now I like pizza as much as the next person, but I wouldn’t consider it one of my major food groups. However, as a dedicated YPT staff member, I have courageously volunteered myself for the task of eating pizza at all four fundraising events. After all, it’s for a good cause.

So throughout April, follow my adventures as I eat pizza from Columbia Heights, to 14^th Street, to Dupont Circle, and chronicle my experiences on this blog. Who has the best pizza?  The most unusual toppings? Can we finally settle the age-old debate: regular vs. thin crust?  How many hours on the treadmill will I have to clock in May to work off all this pizza? (hah)

And if you’re feeling inspired, take on the challenge! Attend all our events and share your experiences. Snap a picture of yourself eating pizza at one of our events, share it on our Facebook page, and our fans will vote for their favorite with “likes”. The winner will receive a special prize at the New Play Festival.

So mark your calendars now and follow our giant pizza party throughout April as we celebrate the 2012 New Play Festival and raise money to support our amazing students.

The itinerary:

Tuesday, April 3, 11am-10pm: Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza
1400 Irving Street, NW (right next to the Columbia Heights metro)

On April 3, Pete’s will donate 25% of proceeds from YPT supporters for the entire day. Don’t forget to mention that you are there to support YPT!

Thursday, April 12, 5-9pm: Flippin’ Pizza
1745 Connecticut Avenue, NW (near the Dupont Circle Metro)

On April 12, Flippin’ Pizza will donate 50% of proceeds from YPT supporters from 5-9pm. Don’t forget to mention that you are there to support YPT!

Tuesday, April 17, 1-10pm: HomeMade Pizza Company
1522 14th Street, NW (a few blocks from the U Street Metro)

On April 17, HomeMade Pizza will donate a portion of all sales from pizza, salad, bread sticks and gift cards to YPT.

Wednesday, April 18, 5-8pm – RedRocks Pizzeria
1036 Park Road, NW (a few blocks from the Columbia Heights metro)

On April 18, RedRocks will donate 30% of their happy hour proceeds to YPT. This will be a fun, celebratory event and we hope to see many of you there! (Friends 21 and older, please)

The journey begins!

Alison
Development and Producing Associate