WINDSOR, ONT. -- Windsor has a few claims to fame, but some may argue the city’s pizza is chief among them.

Whether it’s all in the shredded pepperoni, or it just is —  Windsor pizza has been lauded as one of the best. So Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island has launched the Windsor Pizza Club, a marketing program designed to showcase the “world-famous” Windsor-style pizza.

“The opportunity to celebrate our pizza and brag about it to locals and visitors alike excites us as we developed this product and now prepare to market it” Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex said in a news release. “We knew that our world-famous and unique style of pizza was worthy of the accolades. Because Windsor-style pizza is like a part of Windsor's DNA, and food and drink scene.”

The pizza club is free to join. Both locals and visitors can visit any of the eight participating locations and pick up a membership card. The card is the key to Windsor Pizza Club swag, the first being a commemorative t-shirt.

Club members can visit all locations and get their card stamped, once full it can be redeemed at the pizza club website to have the shirt delivered to their door.

The pizzerias participating include: Arcata Pizzeria, Antonino’s Original Pizza (Howard Ave), Armandos (Cabana Road), The Caboto Club, Capri Pizzeria (Dougall Ave.), Franco’s Restaurant, Oven 360 (Walker Road), Sam’s Pizzeria.

The pizza club program was partially funded by the Canadian Heritage Fund which supports culture and heritage programs across Canada.

“The opportunity to inform and educate on our unique style of pizza, and expand upon its heritage and the roots of so many within Windsor are connected to pizza,” the news release states. “Once social distancing measures are more relaxed, Windsor-style pizza experiences and tours will be created at our participating locations to help celebrate our culinary story.”

Tourism Windsor Essex was awarded the Culinary Leadership Award in Oct. 2018 from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario and Culinary Tourism Alliance for its leadership in culinary tourism, in part for its creation of programs like the Windsor Pizza Club.

Given that food and drink are among the top trip motivators to the region, Tourism Windsor-Essex says the pizza club will allow visitors to “live like a local” and enjoy one of the area’s most infamous foods.