Sherman? Set the wayback machine for the early 1960s, north central Wisconsin, the town of Medford, the Tombstone Tap bar. That’s where brothers Joseph and Ronald Simek created what would become a giant in the frozen pizza industry. Much of the credit goes to brother Joseph (“Pep”) who devised the recipe to satisfy hungry bar patrons while he was laid up with a broken leg. Word spread, and other bars asked the boys if they could sell the pizzas, too, and that’s how it was originally done, Tombstone delivered frozen pies to bars and taverns, and furnished them with a shelf-top oven to bake the pies.
That was my first introduction to the concept, in a Minnesota bar, at about age 15; the pies were inexpensive, as I recall, $2 – $3.
The boys expanded, and eventually sold out to Kraft, maker of many other frozen pizzas; Kraft, in turn, decided to sell the division to Nestle one day, and there it sits today.
Apparently at some point, the (I imagine) non-compete ran out, and brother Pep started a new pizza company, branded with his own name. I have tried one of those.
As for Tombstone? Your basic frozen pie, with a rather distinctive sauce, slightly thicker than what I would define as thin crust, ultimately no better nor worse than most frozen pies. Not crazy that their pepperoni is a blend product which includes poultry. Best consumed when thoroughly intoxicated.
Often in Chicago, I have a preference for the local brands, there, and have done comparisons in the past. The front runner for me at current is Vito and Nick’s II, which is the closest I have experienced to actual pizza shop taste/texture. It’s goooooooooooooood.
Tombstone Pizza Review