This summer has been one of my favorites so far for food. Between barbecues, fresh veggies and herbs from the garden, and dinners with friends, I have been lucky enough to enjoy plenty of delicious meals. One of the best eats I’ve had throughout summer has been pizza. This blog is dedicated to some of the best slices I’ve enjoyed thus far.

One not-so-classic slice that made its way into my summer tradition is Hawai‘ian pizza from Piccini in Ocean City, New Jersey. My best friend and I have split one of these pizzas on my weekend trips to visit her at the shore for years. It comes with a mascarpone cheese spread, pineapple, ham, Gouda and coconut flakes, topped with green onion and maraschino cherries. It’s far from traditional and has convinced me pineapple does, in fact, belong on pizza. This year we enjoyed it on her porch with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, enjoying the early summer evening chill and catching up after not seeing each other for a while.

Another awesome slice (or two) I enjoyed was from Pizza Shackamaxon in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. After spending the past few weekends moving into my new apartment in Philly, I needed to head to one of my favorite pizza spots in the city for dinner. My friend and I ordered their plain slice, which never fails, topped with fresh Parm and the perfect sauce-to-cheese ratio. One cool thing about Pizza Shackamaxon is that they have one special per week; this week’s was summer squash and red onion on a corn and tarragon cream. As odd as they always sound, they have yet to disappoint. We took our pizza to go and headed back to our place to enjoy a rainy evening indoors watching a movie.

— Aly Evans, administrative assistant