Pizza lovers in Philadelphia can now enjoy a feast for both the soul and the stomach at the world’s first pizza museum.
Hundreds of fast food fanatics turned out this month for the grand opening of part art gallery, part eatery, ‘Pizza Brain’, which opened its doors in the Fishtown area of the Pennsylvanian city.
Brian Dwyer, the driving force behind Pizza Brain, is the Guinness World Record holder for the largest collection of pizza memorabilia, with 561 inimitable items in his possession.
Dwyer told the Associated Press: “We thought it was a funny idea and we started doing some research. And when we discovered that nowhere on earth was there a physical place, a monument built to pizza, we said, “This is going to be huge.”"
The walls of the gastronomic gallery are adorned with framed pizza photos, magazine covers, vinyl records and televisions showing pizza-related programmes. Figurines of famous pizza lovers are shown off in built-in display boxes and a giant pizza mural decorates the back patio.
The menu of the attached artisan pizzeria offers options ranging from classic favourites to gourmet grub and presents a number of unique and unusual toppings such as pulled pork, beef brisket and meatloaf.
True pizza fans can even sample a pizza flavoured dessert at the ice-cream parlour that shares a space with Pizza Brain.
Dwyer plans to rotate the exhibits on show, curating the gallery in order to keep the art installations fresh and interesting. Along with three partners, the ex-supermarket employee raised $16,500 (£10,100) through the public donation website ‘Kickstarter’ in order to fund the project.
The 28-year old was overwhelmed by the public response to the project, attributing the fundraising success to his belief that pizza is “the great equalizer”.
Talking to the Associated Press, Dwyer said: “I think that’s why pizza is so powerful – it’s inherently communal. Pizza is one of the few things that everyone can agree on.
“[It is] the only food synonymous with the word ‘party’.”
http://news.yahoo.com/philly-pizza-museum-serves-slices-memorabilia-144408488.html
