Appreciating a pizza you’ve come to know and love is easy. And in the Queen City, whether you prefer a thick crust ringed with caramelized mozzarella, or one that is thin and charred; cheese stretching to the length of your arm, or in a rich, contained bite; toppings piled high or conserved for one special ingredient to shine — pizza makers in town are offering us a range of choices. So, too, do locals have their own personal preferences.

I look back on my pizza progression. A childhood friend, and still best, and I envisioned our artisanal pizza bagel empire all before the age of 12 — inspired by our favorite mid-afternoon snack. In my teen years, the arrival of the pizza delivery man on a weekday night meant Mom was too tired to cook or to argue for green vegetables at Morrison’s Cafeteria.