It’s official –– Williams Lake has one of the most popular pizza parlours in Canada.
Red Tomato Pies was announced as the Canadian winner of the 2013 Saputo Pizza Hall of Fame title in January and now they have the trophy to prove it.
This week their award, a bronze trophy of a pizza man, was delivered personally by a Saputo rep and owners Amber and Jason Akeson couldn’t be happier.
“It’s pretty cool,” says Jason, noting they learned Red Tomato Pies and another small town pizza parlour on Prince Edward Island were neck-in-neck for first place.
In the end though it was Red Tomato Pies unwavering support from customers who kept voting that made the difference.
“It’s exciting that someone from out west, and a small town, won the award.”
In addition to the trophy, Red Tomato Pies will receive $10,000 worth of Saputo mozzarella cheese. That’s about enough cheese to last about three weeks, Amber says. The prize for the cheese will be given in credits spaced throughout the year.
Ten voters from across Canada will also be rewarded with free pizza for a year.
The couple say they have learned four of those voters were ones who voted for Red Tomato Pies.
“Without the people voting, we wouldn’t have won,” says Jason. “We are just kind of taking it in right now. We are speechless.”
On-line voting for Saputo’s hall of fame people’s choice award in all of Canada took place last fall through an online voting contest.
Besides the Saputo Pizza Hall of Fame title, Red Tomato Pies is also one of several businesses nominated in the food services category for the 19th annual 2014 Business Excellence Awards coming up this Saturday evening, March 8 at the Elks Hall.
Sponsored by the Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce, the theme for the evening is That’s Amore.
Awards will be presented in eight different categories.