My taste test of the official pizza of Lambeau Field
Culinary team members Kevin Buttner and Ray Monroe engineered Pothole Pizza to fill the brewpub niche of Kwik Trip’s pizza lineup.
Going on to be the official pizza of Lambeau Field was an act of marketing.
Buttner and Monroe started kicking around the idea of a premium frozen pizza last summer, and after taste-testing 15 pizzas, they dove into development.
Using taste-test notes and noting which Kwik Trip Cheese Mountain pizzas were top sellers, the team worked with suppliers to assemble the Pothole pizzas.
Monroe said they spent two months finding the right blend of cheeses. They settled on a five-cheese blend that includes a sprinkle of cheddar and a larger shred of cheese to make the pies more eye-catching.
Initial Pothole Pizza topping options are sausage, pepperoni and a pepperoni-sausage combination.
Becoming the official pizza of Lambeau Field is part of the brand building effort. But that took a hit before the first coin flip with the announcement that games will be played without fans or with limited seating.
Mark Meisner, Kwik Trip marketing director, said the ongoing partnership with the Packers has benefits beyond the home of the Frozen Tundra. Pep Rally, the pepperoni-topped Pothole Pizza, includes the Packers “G” logo. The chain of convenience stores will go ahead with joint sweepstakes and other prize giveaways to push the new brand.
As far as naming the pizzas, Meisner acknowledges that pothole doesn’t have a positive connotation but is memorable.
As far as the names of the pizzas — Pep Rally, Sausage Palooza and Meat Sweats — Meisner said they drew inspiration from the craft beer industry and wanted to have some fun.
But how do these new pizzas stack
Three varieties of Pothole pizzas all promise “piles and piles (and piles) of Wisconsin cheese.”
up? Glad you asked.
I baked one of each — Pep Rally (pepperoni), Sausage Palooza (sausage) and the aforementioned Meat Sweats (pepperoni and sausage) — to find out. I hate to think those calories went to waste.
Three varieties of Pothole pizzas all promise “piles and piles (and piles) of Wisconsin cheese.” Each style is best described as meat-forward with Meat Sweats the meatiest of the trio.
Pizzas are prepared in the company’s La Crosse kitchens before being frozen and shipped out. Being sold in the convenience stores for $7.99 each places them in premium frozen pizza range.
There’s no shortage of gooey, melty cheese.. I couldn’t individually taste each of the five cheeses topping the pizza, but the overall effect satisfied my cheesetooth.
The sauce tilted to the spicy side. The pepperoni was good, with a smoky, slightly spicy flavor.
Meaty hunks of sausage deliver a blend of Italian seasoning and salty pork flavor.
If you’re looking for the most pizza for your $8, the combo weighs in at 26.5 ounces, sausage at 25 ounces and pepperoni at 22 ounces.
Here’s the breakdown for the calorie counters: Pep Rally 380 per serving pizza); Sausage Palooza 460 per serving
pizza) and Meat Sweats weighs in at an uff-da-inducing 510 calories per serving pizza).