Bushra Griffith
Cecil Whittaker's Pizza is a St. Louis-based pizzeria that has been serving its community for nearly 40 years. They are known for their St. Louis-style pizza, which features a cracker-thin crust topped with a blend of Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzarella cheeses. While some people love this unique style of pizza, others find it odd, especially due to the use of Provel cheese, which is considered a processed cheese food. In addition to their signature pizzas, Cecil Whittaker's also offers a range of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes, making it a popular choice for many in the St. Louis area.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Cheese | Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Mozzarella, Provel |
| Crust | Crispy, cracker-thin, yeastless unleavened |
| Sauce | Sweet tomato sauce |
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St. Louis-style pizza
Cecil Whittaker's Pizza, a popular pizzeria in St. Louis, has been serving the community for nearly 40 years. They have established themselves as a favourite among locals, offering St. Louis-style pizza with their special blend of cheeses. Their pizzas feature a crispy, cracker-thin crust topped with cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and mozzarella cheeses.
While Cecil Whittaker's maintains its position as a beloved St. Louis staple, some people prefer other pizzerias, such as Imo's, due to personal preferences in sauce flavour. Cecil Whittaker's sauce is often described as sweet, while competitors like Imo's offer a tangier alternative.
In addition to their signature pizzas, Cecil Whittaker's offers a range of appetisers, including the St. Louis favourite, toasted ravioli, and Buffalo-style chicken wings. Their menu also includes salads, sandwiches, and pastas, ensuring a diverse dining experience for their customers.
With their long-standing presence in the community and dedication to serving St. Louis-style pizza, Cecil Whittaker's has become an integral part of the local culture and traditions, earning a special place in the hearts of many St. Louis residents.
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Provel cheese
Provel was purportedly invented for St. Louis–style pizza in the 1940s by Costa Grocery (now Roma Grocery) in collaboration with Hoffman Dairy of Wisconsin (now part of Kraft Foods). The cheese was developed to meet the demand for a pizza cheese that melted well and broke off nicely when cut or bitten. While it is not technically considered a cheese due to its processed nature, Provel has become a beloved staple in St. Louis and is used in various dishes beyond pizza, including pasta sauces, cheese soup, salads, and sandwiches.
One of the key popularisers of Provel cheese is Imo's Pizza, founded by Ed Imo. Imo first tasted Provel in the 1960s and made it his signature cheese when he and his wife, Margie, opened their first location in 1964. Today, Imo's Pizza has over a hundred stores across Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas, and Imo's Food is the exclusive distributor of Provel.
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Cheese blend
Cecil Whittaker's Pizza, a St. Louis-based pizzeria, has been serving its community for nearly 40 years. Their St. Louis-style pizza is made with a cracker-thin, unleavened crust, a sweet tomato sauce, and a blend of cheeses that go all the way to the edge, leaving no crust.
The cheese blend used by Cecil Whittaker's is a combination of Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzarella cheeses. This blend of cheeses is a key component of the St. Louis-style pizza, which has gained a somewhat controversial reputation due to its unique characteristics.
The blend of Cheddar, Colby, and Swiss cheeses provides a mix of sharp, nutty, and creamy flavours, while the Mozzarella adds a stringy, stretchy texture to the pizza. This combination creates a distinctive taste and mouthfeel that sets St. Louis-style pizza apart from other varieties.
While some people love the unique flavour profile of St. Louis-style pizza, others find it odd or even abominable, as one source jokingly describes it. This polarising opinion may be due in part to the use of Provel cheese, a processed cheese product that is often used in St. Louis-style pizza, including at Cecil Whittaker's. Provel cheese is a key ingredient in achieving the desired flavour and texture of the pizza. It is worth noting that Provel cheese is not technically considered a "real" cheese by some, as it falls into the category of "processed cheese food."
In addition to their signature St. Louis-style pizza, Cecil Whittaker's also offers a variety of other menu items, including sandwiches, pasta, salads, appetizers, and more. Their pasta dishes, in particular, showcase the use of other types of cheese, such as Romano cheese, which is grated over shell-shaped pasta and stuffed tubular noodles.
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Sweet sauce
While I can't provide four to six paragraphs on the topic, here is some information on the sweet sauce used by Cecil Whittaker's.
Cecil Whittaker's is known for its St. Louis-style pizza, which features a sweet tomato sauce. While some consider this sauce to be a defining feature of authentic St. Louis-style pizza, others find it too sweet. The sauce is described as "short on tangy and heavy on sweet," and some customers have stated that they prefer the sauce of competitor Imo's for this reason.
The St. Louis-style pizza at Cecil Whittaker's consists of a cracker-thin crust loaded with a blend of Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzarella cheeses. The sauce and toppings go to the edge of the pizza, leaving no crust.
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Other menu items
Cecil Whittaker's Pizza, a St. Louis staple, offers a variety of menu items beyond its famous pizzas. The restaurant's menu includes a range of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes.
The appetizers include the St. Louis favourite toasted ravioli, as well as Buffalo-style chicken wings. The salads are described as fresh and crisp, and can be paired with any of the menu items. Cecil Whittaker's also offers a range of sandwiches, including the classic combination of ham, roast beef, salami, and cheese with all the trimmings. This sandwich can be served hot or cold and is charbroiled with sautéed green peppers, mushrooms, and onions on the side.
The pasta menu is extensive and rivals any Italian restaurant in taste and quality. The pasta options include shell-shaped pasta prepared in a rich cream sauce with grated Romano cheese and seasoned with garlic. There is also a vegetarian option with fresh mushrooms and broccoli. For meat lovers, there are small noodles stuffed with meat and chicken, topped with a choice of red sauce or a rich white cream sauce. Another unique offering is a blend of Italian cheeses stuffed into two tubular noodles, topped with a rich meat sauce and more cheese.
In addition to these menu items, Cecil Whittaker's also offers a Smokehouse menu, which includes items such as boneless chicken strips topped with meat sauce and cheese over spaghetti.
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Frequently asked questions
Cecil Whittaker's uses a blend of Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, and Mozzarella cheeses on their St. Louis-style pizzas.
St. Louis-style pizza typically features a thin, cracker-like crust, a sweet tomato sauce, and toppings that go all the way to the edge, leaving no crust.
Provel cheese, a processed cheese food that comes in a thin, rope-like form, is traditionally used on St. Louis-style pizza.
Yes, Cecil Whittaker's offers a variety of dishes, including appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and burgers.
