What do you do when you have so many pizzerias in one community? You send them into battle.
For the second year running, Niverville’s Pizza Wars week, which ran from May 1 to 8, was a big hit. And by the weekend, two winners were declared.
The Smokin’, eh! pizza by Papa Peppie’s Pizza and Deli took top honours in the Most Creativecategory.
Niverville’s Santa Lucia won the Best Overall category with the introduction of The Mennonite.
In total, seven restaurants competed in this year’s event, many of them pulling out all the stops to create a completely original and enticing pizza pie. They included the Pho-tastic pizza by Niakwa and Pizza Mac by Hespeler’s Cookhouse and Tavern.
Other entries were submitted by Pizza Hut, Pizza Pizza, and Domino’s.
Pizza Wars is an initiative of the Niverville Chamber of Commerce. Started in 2024, it falls on a week in May which coincides with Niverville’s annual townwide garage sale.
Sara Kindzierski, a board member of the Chamber of Commerce, helped organize the event.
“This year’s Pizza Wars was absolutely amazing,” Kindzierski says. “The engagement from the restaurants was unbelievable and from the community really strong.”
Buzz over the event could be heard all around town that week, she says, and the interaction on social media was exceptionally engaging.
Next year she hopes to simplify and streamline the online voting process in order to encourage more votes.
As well, she hopes this year’s event will encourage more Niverville restaurants to get their creative juices flowing in time for next year.
“I think some of [the restaurants] weren’t sure how creative they were allowed to be, but this year was a learning curve,” says Kindzierski. “They’re like, ‘You know what? We can be bold next year. We can go a little bit crazier.’”
Papa Peppie’s Pizza and Deli
Rose and Pete Friesen are the co-owners of Country Snacks, which they manage alongside their daughters Shana and Jessica. Their pizza restaurant, Papa Peppie’s Pizza and Deli, is one of Niverville’s original pizza joints. It’s been around for 20 years and is still a favourite spot for many locals.
This was Peppie’s first time as a contender in Pizza Wars.
Shana says that the inspiration for the Smokin’, eh! was a collaborative effort among the staff. In the end, it incorporated a thin crispy crust brushed with garlic-infused olive oil and loaded with two kinds of cheese, Montreal smoked meat, zesty pickles, and smoky barbecue sauce.
During Pizza Wars week, they offered it in two different sizes as well as a single slice option. It was so popular, they say, that it has since made its way onto the regular menu.
“One person said it was the best pizza they ever had,” Rose says. “I guess because it was quite different. We’re proud to have won the Most Creative [category] and we’re very thankful to our customers and our staff who put in the effort.”
The Papa Peppie’s brand is not a franchise. It was created by the Friesens back in 2005 in collaboration with a couple of other business owners. There is currently only one other Papa Peppie’s in Landmark.
A few years later, the Friesens added Rosa’s Homemade to broaden their menu offerings. Now diners can find fresh soups, sandwiches, cheesecakes, cinnamon buns, waffles, and more in their store, all made in-house.
“We make waffles from scratch here, all day long,” Rose adds. “And they come with a nice white sauce like the traditional Mennonite sauce, as well as a strawberry sauce.”
Country Snacks is a family-owned business spanning 35 years and four generations. The building was passed down from Rose’s parents, who once ran an automotive shop and hair salon from this location.
Since its inception, Rose is proud to say that she’s employed thousands of Niverville’s youth. For many, it was their very first workplace experience.
Santa Lucia Niverville
Dean Delorme is the manager of Santa Lucia’s Niverville and is thrilled with his company’s win in this year’s Pizza Wars.
At this point, he can’t confirm whether his pizza creation, The Mennonite, will make a permanent appearance on their menu, at least not until corporate heads get their chance to sample it later this month.
What makes the pizza culturally relevant and undeniably delicious are some of the key ingredients, like Manitoba farmer sausage, perogies, and schmaundt fat (cream gravy).
During Pizza Wars, the pizza was available in a variety of sizes and by individual slice.
“Garage sale weekend helped get us out there,” Delorme says. “We could barely keep up [with demand]. I bought what I thought would be too many [topping ingredients] and it turns out it was just enough.”
Delorme credits his 18 staff members for their creativity in the kitchen and willingness to experiment with new flavours and textures. They’ve already masterminded two exciting new pizza creations for next year’s Pizza Wars event.
Delorme was one of the young people who gained his early work experience at a Santa Lucia location. This was followed by about 30 years in construction before he found his way back to the pizza franchise as a manager.
He takes great pride in the dough, which is made fresh at his store every morning. The rest of the ingredients for his ever-expanding menu are also made in-house from scratch.
In recent weeks, Santa Lucia introduced daily menu specials, which include Mexican Monday, Fat Boy Tuesday, Wienie Wednesday, and a three-pound chicken wing special every Thursday.
As for the annual Pizza Wars event, Delorme just can’t say enough.
“I love that everybody gets involved. It’s good for all of us. Winner [or not], you get your food out there and people get to try something different.”