Ace-high
Lompoc’s Wild West Pizza selected as finalist for National Real California Cheese Pizza Competition, honored for dedication to community service
REAL CHEESE, REAL INGREDIENTS: Wild West Pizza was selected as a finalist for the National Real California Cheese Pizza Competition, hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board at Napa’s Culinary Institute of America at Copia from July 28 to 30. Located at 1137 N H St. Suite W, Lompoc’s beloved mom-and-pop pizza shop is known for its unique and enticing pie combinations. Wild West Pizza is open from 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It can be found on Instagram @wildwestpizza and online at pizzapasswildwest.online/home. For more information, call 805-735-4000 or email david@wildwestpizzaoflompoc.com.
Fresh mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, red onions, black olives, and green peppers are served up in the best-selling combination known as the Sacajawea Pizza. Bacon and mac and cheese animate the City Slicker, and two layers of pepperoni spark the Snake Eyes, as chicken, pineapple, ham, barbecue sauce, jalapeños, and red and green onions breathe life into the Haole.
Lompoc’s Wild West Pizza was selected as a finalist for this month’s California Milk Advisory Board’s National Real California Cheese Pizza Competition. The beloved mom-and-pop shop has been filling customers’ stomachs for a decade now.
“You can go to any pizza place in America and get a pepperoni pizza,” Owner David Goldy said. “We have a menu that offers things you can’t find at other pizzerias.”
The Annie Oakley Pizza includes fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and country gravy.
Consisting of mozzarella and cheddar cheese on a thick layer of cream cheese with jalapeños, bacon, and a secret seasoning blend, the Jalapeño Popper Pizza is more for customers with daring taste buds.
Calling the featured Smoke Signals and Sweet Talk Pizza loaded would be an understatement. Raspberry chipotle cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, smoked brisket, roasted jalapeños, red onions, a raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce drizzled on top, and fresh cilantro join forces to form this one-of-a-kind flavor combination.
Named after the Central Coast DJ, Wild West’s Jay Turner Pizza is made of marinated chicken breast, Monkey Spit BBQ sauce1, bacon, ranch dressing, and red onions. Goldy said this one is his personal favorite.
“I can get a pepperoni or a Hawaiian [pizza] anywhere,” Turner said. “But I can’t get a Jay Turner Pizza anywhere. Whenever I go out to Lompoc, I always order it.”
Turner said he’s been eating Goldy’s pizza for 20 years, even before Wild West existed.
“He has the best crust, and he makes it fresh every day,” Turner said. “I’ve seen him do it.”
Along with the artisanal sourdough made from scratch, Wild West also offers thin, crispy crust and pan pizzas, Goldy said.
“We shred our own cheese and cut our own vegetables and pineapple every day,” he said. “We’re the only place I know of that actually roasts our jalapeños fresh every day, instead of using jalapeños from a can.”
Turner said the quality of Wild West’s pizzas separates them from their competitors.
“All pizzas are not created equally,” he said. “I just love their toppings-to-sauce ratio and style of pizza. It's crunchy on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside.”
Last month, Wild West Pizza was named the 2025 Hillshire Farm Great Pizza Give Back Contest’s grand prize winner in honor of Goldy’s dedication to community service.
Some might organize fundraisers for Shadow’s Fund animal rescue service and the Children’s Montessori School and call it a day. Goldy also hosted an anti-bullying contest in 2018 and gave Lompoc police ticket vouchers for free personal pizzas to give to residents they found doing positive things.
“If you were to run the numbers and figure out what member of the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce gives back that most of the community, I’d bet a week's pay that David Goldy and Wild West Pizza would come out on top,” Turner said. “I've never seen philanthropy from a private business as much as him. I know it’s hard to do. People are trying to stay open, let alone give away free product. But, [Goldy] always seems to do it.”
The National Real California Cheese Pizza Competition will take place between July 28 and 30 at Napa’s Culinary Institute of America at Copia. Goldy will compete in the On the Menu category against Edward Stalewski from Pittsburgh’s Mercurio’s Artisan Gelato and Neopolitan Pizza, Sean Dempsey from South Dakota’s Dempsey’s Brewery Pub and Restaurant, and Sergio Balderas from Dana Point’s Truly Pizza, according to the California Ag Network. If he wins, he’ll receive $5,000 and compete against the other two category winners for a shot at an additional $5,000.
“If I ever have an occasion to go to Lompoc, I always eat at Wild West,” Turner said. “Sometimes, I look for a reason to go out.”
*This story was originally published July 10, 2025, at https://www.santamariasun.com/food/lompocs-wild-west-pizza-selected-as-finalist-for-national-real-california-cheese-pizza-competition-honored-for-dedication-to-community-servi-16659319
Monkey Spit BBQ recalled its Monkey Mop BBQ Sauce, Swamp Mob BBQ Sauce, and Atomic Mop BBQ Sauce in January for containing undeclared milk, wheat, and soy, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which added that no illnesses were reported by consuming Monkey Spit BBQ sauce.
Unfortunately, I would not eat any of the pizza described in this article. But this article is beautifully written and informative.