RIO LINDA, CA — In a town where pizza loyalty can be as thick as a deep-dish crust, the results of a true neighborhood showdown are finally in. Delish Pizza has emerged as the definitive community favorite following the “Pizza Palooza” blind taste test held recently at the Rio Linda Grange.
The event, co-hosted by the Rio Linda/Elverta Chamber of Commerce and the Rio Linda Grange, wasn’t your typical popularity contest. It was a rigorous, double-blind study in sauce and cheese. Tasters didn’t know which brand they were biting into, and didn’t know who was competing!
The Ultimate Level Playing Field
To ensure total objectivity, organizers implemented a “no names, no logos, no bias” policy.
“This taste test proved what happens when labels are removed,” organizers noted. “The food truly speaks for itself.”
Each participant was served the equivalent of a half-pizza—eight slices total—color-coded to keep the identities a secret until the final ballot was cast.
The Scorecard: A Sweep for Delish
When the “Green” stickers were finally revealed to be Delish Pizza, the local shop walked away with the evening’s highest honor: a one-year membership to the Chamber of Commerce.
Delish dominated the scorecards, taking first place in Appearance, Cheese, and the coveted Overall category. They also secured a second-place finish in Taste and third in Sauce.
Other notable mentions included Papa John’s (Purple), which took the top spot for Taste, and Domino’s (Orange), which was voted as having the best Crust. Local favorite Liberty Pizza (Red) captured the title for best Sauce.
Final Rankings by Category
| Category | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
| Overall Winner | Delish Pizza | Papa John’s | Pizza Guys |
| Taste | Papa John’s | Delish Pizza | Costco |
| Appearance | Delish Pizza | Papa John’s | Costco |
| Crust | Domino’s | Papa John’s | Costco |
| Sauce | Liberty Pizza | Pizza Guys | Delish Pizza |
| Cheese | Delish Pizza | Papa John’s | Antelope Pizza |
A Community Celebration
The event featured more than just competition. The Rio Linda Country Leos were on hand to provide drinks and the essential side of ranch, while Meg’s Creamery rounded out the meal with free scoops of ice cream for those dining in. Ridgeway Construction also contributed to the festivities, sponsoring door prizes for the attendees.
For the residents of Rio Linda and Elverta, the day was a reminder that whether the pizza comes from a national powerhouse or the shop down the street, this community knows exactly what it likes once the box is out of sight.
🏆 The Category Breakdown
While the overall crown was the big prize, our community was asked to judge based on the specifics. From the crunch of the crust to the tang of the sauce, here is how the votes fell across the board:
| Category | First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
| Appearance | 🟢 Delish | 🟣 Papa John’s | 🔵 Costco |
| Crust | 🟠 Domino’s | 🟣 Papa John’s | 🔵 Costco |
| Sauce | 🔴 Liberty | ⚫ Pizza Guys | 🟢 Delish |
| Cheese | 🟢 Delish | 🟣 Papa John’s | 🟡 Antelope |
| Taste | 🟣 Papa John’s | 🟢 Delish | 🔵 Costco |
| OVERALL | 🟢 Delish | 🟣 Papa John’s | ⚫ Pizza Guys |
Congratulations to Delish Pizza for taking the overall top spot and earning a one-year Chamber of Commerce membership!
The Full Participant Key
Every shop brought their A-game to the Palooza. Here is the final breakdown of the color-coded slices:
- 🔴 Red: Liberty Pizza
- 🟠 Orange: Domino’s
- 🟡 Yellow: Antelope Pizza
- 🟢 Green: Delish Pizza
- 🔵 Blue: Costco
- 🟣 Purple: Papa John’s
- ⚫ Black: Pizza Guys
- ⚪ White: Champion Pizza
This event proved that when you remove the labels, the food truly speaks for itself. Whether it’s a national favorite or a local staple, Rio Linda knows a great slice when they taste one!
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