Taste the spirit of St. Louis

BELLEVUE — Many locals know St. Louis as a city home to Anheuser-Busch beers, the Cardinals baseball team and its iconic Gateway Arch. It's also a major place praised for big-league pizza similar to Chicago, Detroit and New York. But here's how the Missouri metropolis separates itself from others as explained by Jeremey Adams, who lived in St. Louis and now calls Bellevue home. "It's thin crust with a semi-sweet sauce and a secret three-blend cheese," Jeremey said. Added Jeremey's wife, Mallie: "The cheese is very creamy and smokey, so it's very unique in flavor." Combining their supreme love for St. Louis and its style of slices, the spouses recently debuted Archie's Pizza Truck. The mobile business sets up shop in various places around north-central Ohio, including for public events on Jackson Street Pier in downtown Sandusky. While foreign to most locals, both promised people would enjoy eating these specialty pies. "Yes, there are a lot of pizza places around here, but the St. Louis style is not available anywhere around here. It's completely different, and we wanted to recreate it for people here," said Jeremey, noting he and Mallie: • Blend their own cheese mix "that you can't get anywhere other than in St. Louis" • Make their own sauce • Create a one-of-a-kind sausage recipe The two outfitted a 1964 Ford F-600 grain vehicle into a fully functional pizza truck with a pair of propane brick ovens embedded on its side. The oven temperatures can reach up to 800 degrees. Regarding the actual vehicle, its shade of cardinal red pays homage to the St. Louis Cardinals, winners of 11 World Series championships. "Part of the reason why we sell so well is because it has to do with the truck," Jeremey said. "It's the overall aesthetic: It's something different, and it's something new." Yet it's the actual taste that really sells people on Archie's, according to the spouses. No matter what option someone orders off the menu, Archie's eight pizzas range from dill pickle to Flamin' Hot Cheeto, cook times range between 3 minutes and 5 minutes. It also offers several dessert foldover options, including s'mores and apple crisp. "The flavor is so unique," Mallie said. "At first, people aren't sure about it, but our outpouring of support and returning customers have proven that it's something that is liked." Jeremey then chimed in: "When I make it, people walk by it, turn around and get in line because they want what they are smelling. It truly feels like home." People can visit facebook.com/archiespizzatruck to find out future locations and event dates for the business. What's in a name? Here's an explanation of the meaning behind Archie's Pizza Truck: • Archie's for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, which, at 630 feet tall, represents the world's tallest arch. • Pizza truck for the business making and selling St. Louis-style pizza