As 2025 comes to an end, we’re digging back into our archives to revisit some of our favorite stories of the year. by Michael Wong As 2025 comes to an end, we’re digging back into our archives to revisit some of our favorite sto ries of the year. See them all here. What’s more personal than how you like your pizza? In a city like Seattle, where opinions can end friendships, what you think about pizza could matter nearly as much as whom you voted for. Which makes it all the more interesting that one of Seattle’s best pizza spots is named after the world’s most divisive pizza topping: Ananas, or “pineapple” in Italian (and over 40 other languages). At the helm is Khampaeng Panyathong, the Laotian chef whose claim to fame isn’t a viral noodle pull or reimagined laap, but instead, a cheeseburger—one so good it landed him on the cover of the New York Times food section. It’s the kind of culinary punchline you’d expect from a city that loves categories but rarely knows what to do with someone who sidesteps them. But through the ironies, nothing about Khampaeng’s ascent has been accidental. This is a calculated dude, after all, one who knows as much about self-defense as he does fermentation, and that’s a fucking lot. He’s a chef who takes a certain pleasure in surprising people, avoiding the “authenticity” traps, letting the food speak for itself. ...read more read less