Las Vegas Pizza Festival

Las Vegas is a culinary capital, and has turned its most recent attentions toward an American favorite. Though there are many fine establishments bringing quality and variety to the dining options of locals and tourists alike, the newly envisioned Pizza Festival plans to take things up a notch.

“We’ve proven to the outside world that this is a good pizza city,” said John Arena, co-owner of Metro Pizza, “but the locals don’t see that.”

Cities like New York and Chicago dominate the idea of what pizza is, and they accept no substitute. People have their own preferences, their own ideas. They want the nostalgia of their first pie. But is Las Vegas a place where they can find it?

“Whatever kind of pizza you’re looking for, it’s in this city somewhere,” Arena said.

The inaugural Las Vegas Pizza Festival on Nov. 16 plans to test that. Bringing together an alliance of pizza pushers from across the valley, it hopes to bring something special to the events calendar.

Located at the Industrial Events Space on 2230 Industrial Road, more than 20 restaurateurs will be putting on a family-friendly food festival.