You can find Old Forge-style pizza in Vail -- which is a lot closer than Pennsylvania

Pizza has many geographic variations: authentic New York slices, Chicago deep-dish, New Haven-style, Colorado creative. Last week, Arch Pizza brought its version of St. Louis-style to East Colfax Avenue. Exploring the map, we found Detroit-style in Telluride, which is a little closer than Michigan. And now it turns out you...

By Isa Jones

November 1, 2013

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Pizza has many geographic variations: authentic New York slices, Chicago deep-dish, New Haven-style, Colorado creative. Last week, Arch Pizza brought its version of St. Louis-style to East Colfax Avenue. Exploring the map, we found Detroit-style in Telluride, which is a little closer than Michigan. And now it turns out you don't have to travel to Old Forge, Pennsylvania, to enjoy Old Forge-style pizza. Just drive up I-70 to Vail.

One of the few restaurants outside of Pennsylvania that claims to make Old Forge-style style pizza, Old Forge Pizza Co. has three locations around Vail: in Edwards, West Vail and Vail. The restaurant's menu says all three use the original Old Forge recipe to make "a pizza that's rectangular in shape with a light, crispy crust, tangy red sauce, and a spicy cheese blend."

Here's Old Forge Pizza Co.'s description of the origins of this unique pizza style:

Old Forge is a small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania, settled primarily by Italian immigrants who worked in the anathrcite coal mines around the turn of the century. As the mining era came to an end, Old Forge found another thriving industry..."Making A Good Tray of Pizza"...that's right "A Tray"! Inspired by their Old World recipes and made with only fresh, all natural ingredients, the settlers of the New World created a irresistible style of pizza in this valley town. Rectangular in shape, it resembles a Sicilian pizza, but has a crust that is light and crispy, and is neither thick nor thin. Now the hard working people of Old Forge focus their energy, enthusiasm and dedication to maintaining the tradition of this excellent and unique style of pizza.

It is with the same energy, enthusiasm and dedication that Old Forge Pizza Company is forging a new beginning for the Tray of Pizza in the West. Here in Colorado, the founders of OFPC strive to uphold the tradition set forth in Old Forge, PA by making people happy with a good Tray of Pizza! We work hard to make sure you, your family and friends always enjoy the fresh, homemade quality that is Old Forge Pizza.

And you can dine in, as well as get your pizza to take-and-bake. Either way, you'll get that distinctive crust that's definitely Old Forge, not thick and not thin. "Our Old Forge crust is the result of combining good, simple ingredients with hours of patience and hard work," the restaurant menu reports. "Our dough rises slowly everyday to give us the 'light and crispy' pizza crust known as Old Forge."

Do you know where else to get regional pizza across the Front Range? Let us know below.

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