Arthur Milnes and Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 16/98) - Moma mia, how Northerners love their pizza.

From the Deh Cho to the Keewatin and beyond, Italian-America's famous food creation has taken hold in the rugged lands North of 60.

"Elders are in the store all the time," says Lindy Marsh, Quick Stop manager at Baker Lake's Northern Store. "Everything is baked fresh here."

For three years now, the Nuanvut community of more than 1,200 has been feasting on pizza.

The Pizza Hut brand, flown up from Winnipeg, sells like hot-cakes and pepperoni is by far the most popular topping, Marsh says.

In Fort Simpson, the Northern Store's Kim Myers agrees.

"The 12-inch pepperoni," Myers says when asked what topping is tops among Fort Simpson residents.

About 40 large pizzas are taken home from the Northern's Quick Stop each Friday, Myer's says. Besides pepperoni, the store also sells vegetarian, Hawaiian, a special offering for meat lovers and the bacon packed Canadian style pizza.

"The busiest time is between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (on Fridays)," Myers says. "We have four staff in there working hard."

Both Northern Store workers -- though separated by thousands of kilometres -- agree Kentucky Fried Chicken is also extremely popular.

In Nahanni Butte, local teacher Wayne Ingarfield and his students at Charles Yohin school have created a different twist in the pizza saga.

Every two weeks, in assembly line fashion, the students prepare pizza for their tiny community. They use the funds raised to help pay for year end school trips.

These eager chefs even deliver their pizzas, on foot, throughout the Butte.

"We average about 17 pizzas (sold) each week," Ingarfield says. "We deliver them, but we don't cook them because we don't have enough ovens at the school."

"We deliver them fresh, right to everyone's door. Then they (customers) cook them whenever they want after work."

It appears the students in Nahanni Butte could be onto something.

The big pizza joints might take note.