2 Illinois Food Icons Unite for a Wild New Snack Collab

I should’ve known Illinois was about to throw me a curveball. Just this afternoon, my wife and I sat down at Giordano’s for a proper deep-dish lunch, because sometimes salad just won’t cut it. Hours later, I stumble on this news: Illinois just mashed pizza and popcorn into one bag. Clearly, the universe is testing me.

MORE: Giordanos or Lou Malnati’s? Rockford’s Top Deep Dish Revealed

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Popcorn, but Make It Pizza

This isn’t your average “dust some cheese powder on it and call it a day” kind of snack. Nope. We’re talking full-on Chicago pizza vibes in crunchy popcorn form. Imagine buttery kernels coated with the flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, oregano, Parmesan, basically everything but the tavern-style crust. It’s pizza night without the delivery guy.

Why This Collab Works in Illinois

Popcorn is already practically a food group around here. Garrett’s put Chicago-style popcorn on the map, and pizza? Well, we all know the endless deep-dish vs. tavern-style debate. Smash those two legacies together, and suddenly Illinois has birthed its most chaotic, and possibly genius, snack yet with the help of Home Run Inn Pizza, according to allrecipes.com.

My Popcorn Street Cred

I take popcorn seriously. Never microwave. Never air-pop. Give me a seasoned pot, a splash of peanut oil, and I’m happier than a Cubs fan in October (rare, I know). So when I hear there’s a pizza-flavored version hitting shelves, I’m intrigued but also skeptical, because you don’t mess with the classics lightly.

Spotters Needed

Here’s where you come in: have you spotted this pizza popcorn in Rockford or anywhere else in Illinois yet? Jewel? World Market? Some random gas station off I-90? Drop me a note, I’ll be the guy with deep dish crumbs still on my shirt, hunting for a bag.

MORE: Chefs Agree, Illinois Pizza Joint Serves Best Slice in America