Kokomo Pizza Returns

 If you are a returning reader of this blog, you might be wondering, “What the hell?” And I don’t blame you. If you are a new reader, a quick scan down your screen and you will find that April 28th, 2017 was the last time a post went up on A Slice of Kokomo. It is now October 11th, 2021. Whoever you may be, a former fan or a foodie looking for a good read, you’ve gotta ask, why such a gap? This place was pretty much forgotten in the archives of Blogger, and was soon destined to be shunted off into the annals of the Blogspot graveyard, deleted in order to open up the URL to the next schmuck to come along and nab it. Why bring back what was already long gone?

Well, a lot has changed since 2017. We’ve gone through an enormously stressful 2020, battled back the rages of a pandemic (sort of), watched the country undergo a litany of inner strifes including racial injustice protests, highly-contested electoral results, a raid of the Capitol, witnessing the return of the Taliban, and SO many other era-defining events that are destined to make the history books. This wild ebb and flow of the world has affected our hometown, as well. And while you may not immediately be able to make that connection to your local pizza place, but even Kokomo pizza joints have been touched by the tumultuous undercurrent of the world around them.

Given the state of the world, who wouldn’t go for a hot, cheesy slice right about now? One of the best unifiers I know is food. It brings together families every holiday, it is the central focus point of many awkward parties, and, most importantly, it gives you a break from the chaos around you.  Food, in particular pizza, is such a great way to look through the doom and gloom of our current state of affairs and find some light in this perpetual tunnel. It might only be lunch break-sized reprieve, but I, myself, could sure go for a 30 minute escape from the world to chow down on some marinara-soaked globs of mozzarella.

Maybe that is why I have decided to revive A Slice of Kokomo. As a former reader of the Slice, and a student of Paul Cook, the mastermind behind the original entries and unofficial Premiere Kokomo Pizza Guru, I felt I could bring this place back to what it once was for so many; an entertaining and joyous exploration of smalltown Indiana, as viewed through the scope of a pizza aficionado. And, most importantly, I figured we could all share that hypothetical lunch break together once in a while to find those hidden gems of central Indiana, where the pizza just hits home and brings you back to a much more peaceful time. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug, after all.

So, what we want to do here is this: We are going to revisit some of the pizza that started it all.  I intend to take a look back at what the world has done to some of our favorite pizza joints in the past few years, as well as hit up our newest establishments that call this area their home. Throw in a few hijinks, a couple interviews, and plenty of mouth-watering photos, and you’ve got yourself an old-fashion foodie blog. But, what we really want to do is assuage your worries and woes in a world driven mad by modern problems. What we need right now is a release, a reason to celebrate, and a tasty meal.

More than ever before, Kokomo, Indiana needs pizza. 

Thank you all for reading. Welcome back.

P.S.--Returning readers, do not fear! Paul isn’t gone. He will be taking a backseat role for now, and potentially headlining some big add-ons coming for A Slice of Kokomo in the future (maybe).