If you had to decide which restaurant has the best pizza in the city, which restaurant would you pick? Luckily for Justin Tanada, he’s doing the research for you.
Tanada is looking for the best slice of pizza that Hamilton has to offer. As a local photographer, Tanada decided to document his quest for the perfect slice of pizza on an Instagram account known as Pizzatography.
Pizzatography features photos and videos of various pizza dishes from Hamilton and the greater area. From gooey cheese pulls, pizza memes, or to slices loaded with deluxe toppings, it’s no wonder that the account has gained nearly 27,800 followers since its November 2016 inception, most of whom love pizza as much as he does.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkK7ZATD3KD/?taken-by=pizzatography
“If I had to choose only one thing I could eat for the rest of my life it would probably be pizza,” said Tanada. “I get tired of eating at the same pizza place more than once in a row though. I gotta switch it up.”
The idea behind Pizzatography came out of Tanada’s love for pizza. Growing up, he says, his friends would call him Pizza Boy because of his love for the pie. Out of that passion, in addition to some knowledge of digital marketing, Pizzatography came to life.
“I’ve always had hundreds of photos of pizzas in my phone throughout the years so I decided to create a photo album for them on Instagram,” said Tanada. “I studied up on how to build an organic following on social media and plugged my knowledge of that into Pizzatography.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiNFwF9Dbhn/?taken-by=pizzatography
From asking his followers’ opinions, replying to and liking their comments or working with local pizzerias to share a slice of Hamilton, Tanada is constantly interacting with his followers. Tanada also features photos of pizza from around the world through the account, asking his followers to share their favourite slice in their own cities.
More recently, Tanada has been working with local pizzerias to host giveaways on the account. He recently hosted a giveaway in celebration of having his account featured in Canadian Pizza Magazine that saw two gift cards to Hamilton’s own Original Pizza, one of Tanada’s “absolute favourite pizzerias in Hamilton”.
“I’m actually not that surprised,” Tanada mentioned about his following. “Everyone loves pizza! It’s just such a beautiful food and brings together so many people. That, being paired with being social on social media goes a long way.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh_pvxsDOdr/?taken-by=pizzatography
Hamilton is chock-full of pizza options. From smaller mom-and-pop restaurants, to corporate chains or to formal dining experiences, the city definitely has a whole pie of options. With so many places to choose from, Tanada says he still hasn’t found the best slice, but he definitely has a few favourite options.
“I haven’t been to every pizza place in town yet, so I’m still on the search. There are some really great places though,” said Tanada. “As for a favourite, that’s super tough to pick. I really like Knead and Marinos for slices and NaRoma, Earth to Table or Bronzies for special occasions.”
You can follow Tanada’s quest for the perfect slice on Instagram through @Pizzatography and can have your photo featured on the account by sending Tanada a message, or by tagging him in your pizza pics.
