Pizza lovers of Gloucester have spoken

Interact Club sponsored the ninth annual Pizza-Taste Off at the Cruiseport on Wednesday night.  More than two hundred community members sampled pizza from thirteen different pizza places throughout Essex, Rockport and Gloucester.

Captain Hooks took home the award for Best Crust, as well as Best Overall, with Sebastian’s, the previous holder of all three of the awards, winning Best Sauce.

The entry tickets were eight dollars, and all proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. To avoid bias the pizzas were labeled A-L, and tasters were allowed one vote per category.

“It’s a fundraiser that used to be for Relay for Life,” said Interact Adviser Michael Perreault. “But we can’t run that anymore because of the track, and now it just goes to the American Cancer Society. We make about two-thousand dollars when everything goes right, which is why the donations are important.”

Pizzas were donated by as Captain Hooks, Sebastian’s, 525, Dominos, Papa Gino’s, Seaside Pizza, Surfside Pizza and Subs, Poseidon’s, Rockport House of Pizza, East Gloucester Shaw’s, Cape Ann Pizza,

“It is a fun way to raise money,” said second year board member Karissa Murray. “It is good for families. I love pizza. Everyone loves pizza. Pizza is an easy thing to get from locations and we can cut the slices, so we have a lot. We try to use plates and paper products that are better for the environment because some of the people in interact are also in E-club.”

Plates, napkins, and drinks were also donated by local businesses.

Despite the Taste-Off being widely enjoyed by the public, there is uncertainty regarding the future of the event.

“The problem we have been running into is that, as the years go on, less places want to donate,” said Murray. “Some places don’t even hear us out.”

Pizza places are asked often for donations for various causes.

“If we don’t have enough pizza, we can’t run it,” said Perreault. “Some people get hit up for a lot of donations. Some people are tapped out.”

“The community really does like this event,” said Perreault. “We would like to thank all the pizza places that donated and the community members that supported.”