Barile's Chicago Pizza heads to International Challenge; Yucaipa

Attention Pizza Lovers: A.J. Barile's Chicago Pizza of Yucaipa will be closed from Monday, March 31, to Friday, April 4, while the family-owned pizzeria heads off to the International Pizza Challenge at the World Pizza Expo being held in Las Vegas.

Already known for making some of the best pizzas in the Inland Empire, just competing in this contest ranks the pizzeria among the top 75 pizza restaurants internationally.

For Inland Empire pizza lovers, this is a big deal, and the secret is about to be let out of the bag (or box if you will have it). For those of you who have already tried the Chicago Stockyards pizza, you be the judge. That is the pizza Barile's Top Chef Paul Duran has been perfecting just for this year's international competition.

The top seven competitors out of 75 go to the final cook-off on day three for regional and world titles. If he wins or places you get to say you tried it first.

AJ's passion for pizza and to make the best pizza has taken owner Al Piser and his daughter, Joleen, to Naples, Italy, last May on tour with the US Pizza Team. This is the kind of passion that makes great pizza even greater, traveling abroad in the motherland of pizza with some of the world's best pizzaolios (Italian for pizza maker).

Al, wife Tina, Joleen and Duran say they are loaded up and ready to capture the title, one thin crust at a time.

For those of you not familiar with Yucaipa's little secret of Best Pizza Barile's Chicago Pizza, it is located at 32999 Yucaipa Blvd., in the little retail center across from Sizzler. Don't let the small size fool you, because it's the taste that's BIG here.

According to Piser, the seams are exploding and he is in escrow on a new, larger pizzeria to open sometime this summer - still on Yucaipa Boulevard. Watch for future news as to the new location and address.

And if you're in the area before March 31, stop in and wish them luck; after April 5, they hope you can express congratulations.