Blaze Pizza now open in the Brea Mall

Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founders of Wetzel’s Pretzels) opened the first Blaze Pizza on August 6, 2012 in Irvine, CA. It was probably the best location decision they ever made. The location is right across the street from UCI (University of California, Irvine). With so many students on a budget and being able to get a pizza just the way they want it for under $8, how could they resist.

On September 5, 2014, Blaze Pizza opened its 17^th Southern California location inside the Brea Mall’s food court. Grand opening day equals FREE pizzas for the public. This is a win-win for everyone. Blaze Pizza employees get intense training, customers get free pizza, and the social buzz is just crazy!

 To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/review/blaze-pizza-now-open-the-brea-mall

97 teams battled it out at the Dana Point State BBQ Championship

2014 Dana Point State BBQ Championship brought 97 teams to the breezy and sunny Dana Point, CA. This was a KCBS  (Kansas City BBQ Society) sanctioned event and the largest BBQ competition on the west coast. Teams from California, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona competed for a share of $30,000 in prize money.

This event is so large that it took up three fields in Sea Terrace Park. Field A housed BBQ Teams and a tent to purchase BBQ Tasting Tickets. Field B housed BBQ Teams, a tent to purchase BBQ Tasting Tickets, Beverage Area, Judging Area, and Public Tasting Area. Field C housed BBQ Teams, a tent to purchase BBQ Tasting Tickets, Beverage Area, Entertainment, Food Court, Public Tasting Area, and Vendor Area.

Here’s a sampling of teams that you might encounter at the next KCBS event:

SmokyDoky Barbecue, from Torrance, CA, served up brisket for the public tasting. The brisket was Texas style with a meaty flavor and tender. The peppery sauce was pretty good for Texas style. Rating: 3.5/5

• KCBS Brisket Category – placed 71 out of 97 (Score 156.5028)
• KCBS Overall – placed 86 out of 97 (Score 621.5768)

 
To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/article/97-teams-battled-it-out-at-the-dana-point-state-bbq-championship

Old Town Baking Company in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Donald Bishop started Old Town Baking Company over 16 years ago and it’s still going strong. His crew sells bread and baked goods at farmers markets around the Southland, but you can also visit their store. The store not only sells breads, pastries, desserts, and other baked goods, they also have a deli where you can get made-to-order sandwiches with the fresh bread baked right on premises.

Build your own sandwich and a bag of chips for $7. What a deal! Here are the items you have to build with:

• Choose your bread: Sourdough, Whole Wheat & Honey, Squaw, Country White, Rye, Ciabatta, or French Roll
• Choose your meat: Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Pastrami, Salami, or Tuna
• Choose your cheese: Provolone, Cheddar, or Swiss
• Choose your spread: Mayonnaise, Mustard, and/or Spicy Mustard
• Choose your toppings: Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Onion, Green Peppers, Olives, Cucumbers, Banana Peppers, Pepperoccinis, Sprouts, Vinegar, Oil, and/or Salt/Pepper

A possible combination is tuna on squaw bread with pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and olives. The tuna salad is like just homemade and is a generous helping at that with lots of tuna. The vegetables are fresh and crisp. The deliciously fresh squaw bread holds up to the tuna and the slightly sweet flavor of the bread works well to encompass the sandwich. Rating: 5/5 

To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/review/old-town-baking-company-rancho-cucamonga-ca