Regina-style pizza becomes a symbol of Saskatchewan’s capital

Regina-style pizza, a thick, square-cut pie loaded with tomato sauce, vegetables, deli meat and cheese, has become an official symbol of Saskatchewan’s capital city.

The style dates back about half a century. In 1970, Greek immigrant brothers George, Gus, John and Tony Kolitsas opened their first Houston Pizza restaurant on Hill Avenue. While thinner pizzas were common at the time, they created a pie built on fluffy dough with a substantial layer of toppings and cheese.

Jim Baiton, owner of Tumblers Pizza, said the pizzas should be baked golden brown and served in square pieces so the filling does not fall out. His staff make hundreds of frozen pizzas each week for grocery stores around the province, while also producing fresh pizzas for pickup and local delivery.

Baiton began working at Houston Pizza at 14, later became a Western Pizza franchisee and opened Tumblers Pizza in 1979. He acknowledged the pizza has critics who find it cumbersome or soggy, but said it is meant to be eaten with two hands.

Western Pizza president Spiro Bonis, whose father is a first cousin of the Kolitsas brothers, said the pizza’s heft may reflect Greek family culture, Saskatchewan’s agricultural roots and its cold winters. Tourism Regina recently introduced key chains and T-shirts featuring the four-sided pizza slice, calling it a natural civic fit.

The dish has also become part of the rivalry between the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Blue Bombers recently mocked Regina pizza on social media ahead of the teams’ Labour Day weekend matchup in Regina and next week’s Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg. Roughriders head coach Corey Mace said he did not understand how anyone could hate pizza.