Some cities have pizza. Utica has pizza traditions, and strong opinions about who makes it best.
This Friday, October 23, 2026, Eat Local is bringing those traditions together for its first-ever Upside-Down Pizza Crawl with founder Gio Gump. The evening starts at Puff Theory in downtown Utica before heading out to celebrate three local favorites: Trio’s Pizza, O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria, and The Original Joe’s Pizza. It’s a night built around good food, good company, and the small businesses that give our area its personality.
Come hungry. Bring your hometown pride. We’re turning pizza night upside-down.
First Stop: The Pre-Party at Puff Theory
The evening begins from 5:00–6:00 p.m. in the event space at Puff Theory Cannabis, 221 Oriskany Street East, Utica, inside the historic Observer-Dispatch building.
We’ll have pizza provided by Slice Pizzeria, time to hang out with the Eat Local crew, and gift bags to help kick off the evening. At 6:00 p.m., the crawl heads out, with transportation provided by Adonis-Avanti. The published event announcement confirms the Friday pre-party and Slice’s participation.
Think of it as a proper local welcome before a night of discovering, or rediscovering, some Mohawk Valley favorites.
Check the Eat Local event page for attendance and ticket details.
Meet Gio Gump and Eat Local
Gio Gump, founder and president of Eat Local, has made sharing local food and the people behind it a central part of his work. His Eat Local show features restaurant visits, food reviews, and stories from Upstate New York, with production credits spanning producing, directing, and editing. He has also appeared on the Off the Record podcast to discuss Eat Local and Grown Locally TV.
He’s a food personality, content creator, and local promoter who knows that a restaurant is more than what arrives on the plate. There’s an owner’s story, a family tradition, and a neighborhood behind it.
This crawl takes that idea off the screen and puts people around the table.
Watch Eat Local and get to know the show.
What Makes Utica’s Upside-Down Pizza Special?
The name gives away the big difference: the cheese goes underneath, with the sauce on top. At O’Scugnizzo, toppings also sit below that finishing layer of sauce. It’s a style closely associated with Utica and a recognizable part of our local food identity.
It isn’t a style found exclusively here, but it is something this area has made its own. And the best way to understand why locals love it is to taste how different neighborhood pizzerias put their stamp on it.
Friday’s lineup gives you three excellent reasons to do exactly that.
Three Local Pizza Names Worth Celebrating
O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria: More Than a Century of Utica History
614 Bleecker Street, Utica, NY 13501
You can’t talk about Utica pizza without talking about O’Scugnizzo.
Founded in 1914 by Eugeno Burlino, the business began selling tomato pie for a nickel. Generations later, it remains a landmark in Utica’s pizza story and is widely recognized as one of America’s oldest pizzerias, not the first in New York or the country. Its upside-down pizza gives this crawl a direct connection to more than a century of local food history.eatlocal
Some places serve dinner. Places like this become part of a city’s identity.
The Original Joe’s Pizza: A Whitesboro Favorite
117 Main Street, Whitesboro, NY 13492
Ask around about upside-down pizza in the Mohawk Valley, and Joe’s is a name that keeps coming up. Local coverage identifies it alongside O’Scugnizzo as one of the area’s familiar destinations for the style.
Located on Main Street in Whitesboro, Joe’s brings another neighborhood and another local pizza tradition into the evening. That’s part of what makes this crawl special: it celebrates the wider community, not just one city block.joespizzaofwhitesboro
Trio’s Pizza: New York Mills’ Place at the Table
207 Main Street, New York Mills, NY 13417
Trio’s rounds out the crawl with a New York Mills favorite known for pizza, wings, and its own upside-down offering. Customer reviews regularly highlight its sauce and upside-down pizza, making it a fitting stop for an evening dedicated to this regional specialty.
Three shops. Three local identities. Plenty to talk about between bites.
The crawl includes these three pizzerias; confirm the final stop order with Eat Local.
The Local Businesses Helping Make It Happen
This event is a team effort, and the businesses behind it deserve a little love, too. The event artwork features the participating pizzerias alongside Puff Theory, Slice, Mohawk Valley Designs, and Adonis-Avanti Transportation.
Slice Pizzeria — Pre-Party Pizza
2007 Genesee Street, Utica, NY 13501
Slice is providing the pizza for the Puff Theory pre-party, giving guests a local bite before the crawl begins. It’s another independent Utica pizzeria helping make this a true community food night.facebook+1
Mohawk Valley Designs — Logos and Shirts
4 Riverside Drive, Utica, NY 13502
Mohawk Valley Designs is contributing the event logos and shirts. The local business specializes in screen printing, embroidery, and direct-to-film printing, helping businesses, organizations, and events bring their look to life.
Explore Mohawk Valley Designs.
Adonis-Avanti Transportation — The Ride Between Bites
Utica listing: 1240 Culver Avenue, Utica, NY 13501
Adonis-Avanti is providing transportation for the crawl, helping bring the evening’s stops together. The company offers transportation services in Central New York and is a named event sponsor.
See Adonis-Avanti’s transportation business listing.
Why Puff Theory Is Proud to Be Part of It
At Puff Theory, we’re a locally owned and operated small business. Supporting local isn’t just something we put in a caption—it’s something we want to help make happen.
That means opening our event space, welcoming people downtown, and helping shine a light on the restaurants, creators, designers, and service businesses that make Utica and Oneida County worth exploring.
These are our neighbors. They’re building businesses, creating jobs, carrying on traditions, and giving people reasons to come back. When local businesses work together, the whole area has more to offer.
Friday is a chance to enjoy that firsthand: meet someone new, try something great, and show a few hometown businesses that their work matters.
Looking for a “Dispensary Near Me” in Utica? Get to Know Puff Theory
If your search for the “best dispensary near me” brings you to Utica, put Puff Theory Cannabis on your list.
Voted number one by the community in the 2026 Mohawk Valley Best of the Best contest for dispensaries, we’re proud of the welcome our team has built. Our approach is best by design: great vibes, friendly staff, plenty of options, and a commitment to giving customers the best selection and value we can.pufftheorycannabis
Whether you’re a regular or visiting for the first time, we want you to feel comfortable asking questions and taking your time.
Find us at 221 Oriskany Street East in downtown Utica, inside the historic Observer-Dispatch building. Visit our website to explore Puff Theory, or plan your visit here.pufftheorycannabis
Friday’s Plan: Show Up Hungry and Support Local
- Date: Friday, October 23, 2026.
- Pre-party: 5:00–6:00 p.m. at Puff Theory’s event space.
- Meet-up address: 221 Oriskany Street East, Utica, NY.
- Crawl departure: 6:00 p.m.
- Featured stops: Trio’s Pizza, O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria, and The Original Joe’s Pizza.
- Transportation: Adonis-Avanti.
- Pre-party pizza: Slice Pizzeria.
- Logos and shirts: Mohawk Valley Designs.
Great pizza doesn’t need much of an introduction around here. But the people and businesses behind it deserve a night in the spotlight.
Let’s give them one.
Cannabis retail is for adults 21 and older with valid identification. Cannabis can be addictive. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Do not drive while impaired. Gift bags are not advertised here as containing cannabis. Event details and availability are subject to change; confirm participation requirements with Eat Local.
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#puffTheory #OScugnizzo #JoesPizza #TriosPizza #SliceUtica #MohawkValleyDesigns #AdonisAvanti
