P-j photo by Michael Zabrodsky Wicked Warren’s Kitchen Manager Misty Sandagata places a beer cheese pizza in a wood-fired brick pizza oven.

WARREN, Pa. — Mandy Sandagata was surprised the first time she found out that her recipe for beer cheese pizza had chosen as one of 13 finalists.

So now she is just as amazed to learn that Wicked Warren’s Beer Cheese Pizza has made it to the final round of two in the JTM Beer Cheese Throwdown.

She said she received the call at about 2:30 p.m. Monday, and found out that she will be heading to Chicago with an invite to participate in the finals at the National Restaurant Show May 19-23.

“I am really overwhelmed. I’m super excited. It’s an honor (to be chosen). Hopefully this will bring a little more of spotlight onto Warren and our community. This way it benefits the whole community,” Sandagata said.

Sandagata is the kitchen manager at Wicked Warren’s. She started at the brewery in June 2022.

When making the beer cheese pizza, she takes her time with the ingredients, making sure all have their spaces. The dough is made from srcratch as well as other food items. The beer cheese mixture is more like a base and it’s the first ingredient placed on the dough. The JTM cheese comes as a thick mixture in a 3-pound bag. It is poured into a sauce pan and 8 ounces of beer is added. The pan is placed in a wood-fired pizza oven to give it its signature smokey flavor.

Sandagata said the beer adds to the flavor as well as the wood.

Wicked Warren’s was founded in January of 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, owner Rob Roth said. He added that the brewery struggled, like many others, to keep the doors open all of 2021, and in 2022 brought about staff and managerial changes that really turned the brewery around for the better.

“One constant has been the beer. Drew Erlandson, brewer, came from Southern Tier Brewery with commercial experience as well as multiple years of home brewing experience. He has been with the company since day one. Drew maintains our 14 taps with a diverse selection of beer, seltzer and homemade pop,” Roth noted.

Roth also noted that Sandagata has added many new menu items such as pizza chips, panuzzos, salads, personal pizzas, stromboli, pepperoni balls, chicken wing rolls, bruschetta, and homestyle meatloaf sandwiches.

“With her in the lead we have been able to diversify the restaurant for special nights. Namely, Steak Night, when the brewery is transformed into a high-end steak house with white linens, candle light, jazzy music and black tie servers,” Roth said.

The brewery is located at 330 Pennsylvania Ave. W.

“Since Misty started running the kitchen, the food quality, and the menu selections have greatly improved. People have told me that they used to come here for the beer, but now they come for the beer and the food,” said Jason Bussman, a brewery bartender.

Sandagata said the pizza is a big seller.

It may just become an even bigger seller.