The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Andrew Vitelli

Scaling Back Smartphones through OK to Delay

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How a group of parents in Chappaqua and Armonk are fighting against smartphones and social media for their community’s young teens

When Chappaqua resident Mark Kornblau’s oldest daughter entered fifth grade, Kornblau did what he says most parents of middle school-age children did at the time. He gave her a smartphone.

Soon, he began to struggle with managing his daughter’s relationship with the technology. He found that monitoring her smartphone and constantly negotiating over screen time limits was a tougher task than anticipated.

He then read The Anxious Generation, a 2024 bestseller by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt that attributes a rise in childhood mental illness to the spread of smartphones and social media. Among Haidt’s arguments that resonated was the call for collective action, such as parents coming together and agreeing not to give their children a smartphone until a certain age.

“I’ve seen with my daughter that it is not that she wants to always be connected to her phone,” Kornblau, who also has two younger children, says. “And when she knows that her friends aren’t, it’s very easy for her to separate from it.”

Melanie Cohen, a mother in Chappaqua, was also motivated by Haidt’s book, which she read as her oldest child was in fourth grade.

“It just became this expectation for so many families that you were going to give your kids a smartphone when they are going into middle school,” she explains. “And I just felt so frustrated and angry that that is the expectation.”

It was then, in 2024, that Cohen discovered OK to Delay, a grassroots organization aimed at empowering parents to delay giving their children smartphones. Launched in 2019 by a pair of moms in Darien, Connecticut, the organization gives parents resources to organize in their communities to work collectively to hold off on giving kids smartphones.

“I felt like this was probably our best angle to bring this to our town, because we don’t have to re-invent the wheel,” Cohen recalls. “OK to Delay has all the language, they have the presentations. They have all the experience.”

Cohen connected with Kornblau through a mutual friend, and together last spring they launched a Chappaqua chapter of OK to Delay. In September, they organized their first event, where close to 100 people packed the New Castle Community Center. “It really got the ball rolling for this school year,” Cohen says. “So many people felt like, thank you so much for bringing this to our town.”

Armonk resident Brett Goldman, meanwhile, saw first-hand the perils of smartphone use in middle school when he gave his now 18-year-old daughter a phone in 2019, when she was in 6th or 7th grade.

“We didn’t know what we were doing. We didn’t know what kind of weapon we were handing her,” he recalls. “I watched what happened when I gave her a phone. It quickly became a race to maximize social media time, and I see that as, to some extent, a waste of time.”

Goldman wanted to approach things differently with his younger children, now 9 and 6 years old. Last year, he got in touch with the founder of OK to Delay and launched an Armonk chapter.

The first meeting, in September 2024, brought some 75 people to the Whippoorwill Theater at the North Castle Public Library, according to Goldman. Three months later, twice that number came to an event at the IBM Learning Center. Some signed up to volunteer, including co-chairs Jeff Sottolano and Jennifer Clark.

The aim of OK to Delay is to get as many parents as possible in a community on board to agree to delay giving their children smartphones. This way, a child without a smartphone in middle school is not an outlier, the only one of his or her friends not on Snapchat, Instagram, or TikTok.

“It really is true that kids are actually happier, and they will say it themselves, to be without phones constantly,” says Kornblau. “As long as they know that they are not missing out on everybody else being on them.”

The Anxious Generation

Concerns about teen cell phone use date back to multitap texting, but the rise of both smartphones and social media has accelerated these worries over the past decade. The 2020 Netflix docudrama The Social Dilemma described how social media manipulates and addicts users, spurring depression and anxiety in teenagers, particularly teen girls.

When The Anxious Generation was released in 2024, it came after more than a decade of increasing mental illness and distress among teens and adolescents. Haidt attributes this, at least in large part, to the rise of smartphones and social media, alongside otherwise overprotective parenting and the decline of traditional children’s play. Essentially, Haidt argues that parents are too risk-averse in the real world, where threats are often rare and exaggerated, and too lax in the virtual world, where children are more likely to be targeted by predators, exposed to inappropriate content, or sucked into the wormhole of social media.

Haidt is far from the first to warn of the harms of social media to children. Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, warned in 2017 that smartphones and social media were creating a crisis of depression, anxiety and loneliness for teens. By 2023, the data backing this conclusion had grown more robust.

This link has also become a public policy issue. This spring, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state would require schools from kindergarten to high school to ban smartphone use during school hours.

But the data is far from unanimous, as some research paints a nuanced picture or suggests potential benefits to smartphone use. A report published earlier this year by researchers at the University of South Florida found that smartphone use may benefit children and young teens, with 11 to 13-year-olds who owned smartphones found to be less likely to report depression and anxiety (the study was less sanguine on social media posting, finding it posed multiple harms).

Different Approaches

OK to Delay’s local chairs acknowledge multiple possible approaches to limiting middle schoolers’ access to social media. Cohen says she won’t give her children a cell phone until they are at an age when she sees the benefits as outweighing the risks. She believes that concerns about such an approach – such as not being able to track or contact your kid at all times – are overstated.

“It’s not probably going to be very dangerous for a child to walk from the middle school to Starbucks in the town of Chappaqua,” she explains. “It’s way more dangerous for them to be online and get connected to some sort of predator.”
“You’re kind of taking away from your kid the ability to build interpersonal skills and critical thinking skills,” she adds. “When we were growing up, we didn’t have a phone.”

But for parents who want to be able to reach their children without their kids having access to social media and the online world’s myriad evils, there are options like a “dumbphone” with basic functions like text messaging, a calculator, and an alarm.

Cohen, Goldman, and Kornblau all see support for their cause growing. Chappaqua’s chapter of OK to Delay has more than 400 subscribers, and Cohen believes the statewide cell phone ban has helped. The Armonk has a 1,000 person distribution list, and 110 local families have pledged to wait until at least eighth grade for social media or smartphones through the organization’s website, oktodelayarmonk.org.

“There is a good deal of momentum around this issue all around the country,” notes Kornblau. “It is very high on the list of topics of conversation among parents of kids from eight to fifteen. It’s one of the hardest things that I think our generation of parents is dealing with.”

In the longer term, the organizers hope to do more than expanding their organization. Cohen and Kornblau each have younger children still in elementary school.

“Our goal is that by the time those kids are going into middle school, they don’t even need OK to Delay anymore,” Cohen says. “This is like a topic of the past. That’s a goal for me.”

John Berman: A Father/CNN Anchor in Turbulent Times

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For most American news consumers, the past decade or so has felt like a never-ending rollercoaster ride. For a news anchor and correspondent like Armonk resident John Berman, who co-anchors CNN’s morning news program, it has made the last few years downright frenetic.

“I can’t remember the last time things were slow. Every time something unprecedented happens, as soon as that thing is over, something else unprecedented happens,” Berman tells Inside Armonk. “It’s tiring, but on the other hand, it’s exhilarating.”

Berman has been covering the news for roughly three decades – beginning his career with ABC News in 1995 and joining CNN in 2012. In 2011, Berman and his family – he and his wife have 18-year-old twin boys – moved to Armonk from New York City.

The news business has changed dramatically – and continuously – over Berman’s career. When he joined ABC News as a desk assistant in 1995, the network did not yet have a website. When he joined CNN in 2012, few had heard of a podcast. And even in 2018, when Berman appeared on the cover of this magazine, Substack was still an unknown newcomer to the industry.

Today, Berman resides in a media environment in which the options are endless, and consumers can always find a news source to support their views. This, Berman acknowledges, can make it harder to reach people.

“People do retreat to their silos much more quickly than they ever have before,” Berman says. “When they are there, they’re in a little bit of an echo chamber and they don’t hear any differing opinions.”

Berman, who co-anchors CNN News Central from 7-10 a.m. weekdays with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner, sees his job as mostly unchanged. While his network – and both cable news and linear television more broadly – have had to find ways to adjust to changing news habits, Berman’s job remains focused on the journalistic output.

“Our job is to try to just tell people what’s going on and present it as is, and then let them absorb it how they like,” he explains. “If I could hold down the fort with the news every day from 7 to 10, then it lets the people who are trying to figure out how to reach new audiences do that.”

‘Straight News Doesn’t Have to be Boring’

While news consumers’ shift towards news sources that reflect their worldview is a real trend, Berman believes it only tells part of the story.

“CNN’s bread and butter is breaking news,” Berman says. “When things really are happening and it is breaking, for better or worse, people do want to come to CNN still. No matter what Substack they read, no matter what newsletters they’re associated with, no matter which TikTok videos, if there’s something live-breaking, and we have cameras there, they will still come to us in big numbers.”

As a news journalist, Berman sees his role as simply to inform, not opine, on the topics of the day.

“One of the things that my show does well is focus on what’s new when people wake up in the morning without spending lots of time complaining about something that happened three or four days ago,” he says. “We’re trying to look forward as much as we can.”

But unopinionated does not mean uninteresting, he adds.

“Straight news doesn’t have to be boring,” he says. “I think news is inherently compelling, and our job is to present it in a compelling way.”

A New Perspective

When Berman’s family moved to Armonk, his twin sons were preparing to enter kindergarten. Both recently turned 18, and hearing how they process the news and world events has become another source of insight for Berman.

“It actually helps because I start seeing the world through their eyes more,” Berman says. “They give me a new perspective. They weren’t old enough to vote in the last election because they just turned 18, but I was very much interested in how they were seeing it and what they were hearing.”

Berman has no plans to leave Armonk once his boys have graduated. An avid runner, he enjoys being a bit removed from city life.

“I love the woods. I love the hills,” he says. “I should add, when I say I love the hills, I mostly love the concept of the hills. I live in Windmill, which is a beautiful, close-knit community, but it is like the Alps. I might be getting too old to run up and down the hills every day. Can’t there be somewhere flat around here?”

And professionally, Berman says he looks forward to continuing in the morning spot. The role has allowed him to cover history-changing events in recent years, from wars to elections.

“I was in Ukraine not long after Russia invaded, and I was in awe of the determination and the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” he says. “We’ve had some absolutely compelling elections and wild swings in politics, and that’s always thrilling.”

Berman was briefly moved from the morning timeslot after Chris Licht was named CEO of the network in February 2022. Licht’s tenure didn’t last long – he parted ways with the network in June 2023 – and Berman was returned to the 7 a.m. slot last year.

CNN News Central is now in one of its better stretches, Berman says, noting that his show beat MSNBC’s Morning Joe in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic in January and February.

“If you look at the cable news landscape, I think we are the one most committed to actually presenting the news and presenting the news in a fairly unvarnished way,” Berman says.

With a new administration in office this year, Berman says he is fascinated to see how the economy responds to a period of uncertainty. And he looks forward to covering the outcome of truce negotiations in Ukraine, as well as how both parties and the electorate respond to Trump’s presidency.

“I’m actually having one of the better times of my life right now,” says Berman. “So, I just want to hang on for dear life and savor the moment and keep it going as long as I can.”

Why Gross Motor Skills are the First Step to Lifelong Learning

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PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON

From infancy on, development of gross motor skills is essential for a child’s physical and mental growth. The directors of World Cup Schools which includes World Cup Gymnastics and World Cup Nursery School & Kindergarten in Chappaqua believe gymnastics is the best way to ensure success, and some experts in children’s development agree.

For parents wondering how long to wait before working on their child’s gross motor skills, the answer, experts say, is the length of the drive home from the hospital.

“Tummy time is the foundation for all future development,” says Hayley Apiscopa, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the co-owner of Developmental Steps. “Parents are encouraged to start tummy time right when they get home from the hospital, and that is to balance out the time these babies spend on their backs sleeping.”

From infancy to adolescence, gross motor skills play a major role in a child’s development, says Apiscopa, who teaches a class on tummy time three times a month. And a parent’s role in making sure their child is developing these skills and hitting the important milestones starts the baby’s first week.

“Every position is setting a child up for the next milestone that is to come,” says Dr. Dana Smith, the owner of Westchester Physical Therapy.

While there are many activities that can be helpful for gross motor skill development, both Apiscopa and Smith point to gymnastics and swimming as two of the best ways to promote this development.

“Both of those sports really help build core strength, balance, and coordination,” says Apiscopa.

Developing children’s gross motor skills is one major focus for Jason Hebert, director of World Cup Gymnastics and Roxanne Kaplan, director of World Cup Nursery School & Kindergarten. In their more than two decades each at World Cup, they have seen every level of athlete come through their doors, from future Olympians to kids struggling to keep up with their peers. But in one way, Hebert says, the focus remains the same.

“Whatever a child is capable of doing, we are here to let them reach their maximum potential,” he explained. “Whether this is just a fun thing for them to help them for later in life, or whether they aspire to be an Olympic gymnast.”

World Cup Schools, which has been at its current location just off the Saw Mill River Parkway for some 32 years, has both a preschool and a recreational afterschool program, as well as a competitive girls and boys team. There is a “Romperee” program for children four to 36 months, a preschool program for children two to five years, and a recreational program for children up to 12 years old. Olympians including artistic gymnast and 2012 US national champion John Orozco, have trained at its facilities.

For babies and toddlers, both the Romperee and preschool program provide ample opportunities for tykes to both test and improve their gross motor skills. The school has a different lesson plan for each age group, allowing children to progress at their own pace. Children as young as four months will start with sensory activities, where they are introduced to different colors, music, bubbles, and balls to hold. They then move on to mini trampolines, mini bars, and runs.

When they turn two, they graduate to the bigger gym, where they start working with custom preschool equipment and then move on to larger equipment. That includes adult-sized trampolines, bars, and rings. Kids are able to progress at a safe and comfortable pace.

PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON

“As students develop physically, building strength and enhancing their sensory skills, they are also learning to overcome obstacles and face their fears. Every activity is a building block,” says Hebert, who has worked at the gym for three decades. “Our approach isn’t one-dimensional; everything we do helps children grow in ways they’ll need in all aspects of life.”

While children are often nervous initially, it isn’t long before they are testing their skills, Hebert notes. He recalls introducing children to the foam pits. At first they are afraid of even the six-inch drop, but before long they are jumping from much higher platforms into the pit.

“Because everything is padded and soft, they could take those chances and not have to worry about the fear factor as much,” he says.

When it comes to developmental milestones, Kaplan agrees that parents should be focused on making sure their child is achieving them from Day 1.

“We have the unique advantage of observing child development and milestones on a daily basis, and with so many children to compare, we can identify when a child may be falling behind,” explains Kaplan, who has worked at World Cup for 23 years. “This puts us in a position to give them the extra attention they may need in their development or encourage parents to have their child evaluated, so they can receive the additional support they may need.”

Meeting the Milestones

For many parents, waiting for their child to take their first steps or begin crawling can be a cause of great anxiety. While every child is unique and parents should not panic if theirs takes a bit more time to reach each milestone, parents should consult their pediatrician if their child is skipping steps or falling significantly behind, outside of the range of what is normal.

“If they are a certain age and they are not doing something, then we start to say, ‘Maybe you should get evaluated for physical therapy. Something may be going awry,’” says Smith, whose center is also known as Sensory Jim and Friends. “Every position is setting a child up for the next milestone that is to come.”

For example, a baby who does not learn to crawl may not build up the core strength to walk confidently when he or she gets older.

“Frequent falling, lots of tripping and falling, that is not typical for a pre-school aged kid. That is usually a sign of core and hip weakness,” says Apiscopa. “Kids that are constantly up on their tiptoes, that is also a red flag.”

While parents may be tempted to wait and see whether problems correct themselves, intervening early quickens the road to success. Apiscopa recommends that parents with concerns about their child’s gross motor skills contact a physical therapist for a consultation.

Kids who fall behind physically could become socially distant as well.

“If you’re afraid to go to the playground, you may not want to go to birthday parties,” says Smith. “And unfortunately, if milestones are not met, or are not attended to or addressed, we start to see these kids bullied.”

Developmental Steps has a five-page checklist with an overview of milestones children should be meeting, from birth to seven years old. Westchester Physical Therapy has list of red flags for parents to look out for.

“Not all developmental needs require a physical therapist or gym facilities. It’s important to stay mindful of your child’s physical milestones and intentionally incorporate activities into their daily routine that support gross motor development, such as family walks, hikes, and playground climbing. If you notice areas where your child may need additional support or encouragement, consider enrolling them in activities like infant classes, gymnastics, or swimming to further enhance their motor skills. Should you observe any concerning signs, seek early intervention from professionals to ensure timely assistance. Most importantly, make sure to enjoy fun, active moments with your child,” added Kaplan.

Briarcliff’s Stopera Wins Senior National Curling Championship

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In recent years, Briarcliff’s Bill Stopera has been focused more on his children’s curling success than his own. But in April, the lifelong curler proved he wasn’t done adding to his own resumé.

Stopera’s Team USA finished second at the World Senior Curling Championships in Östersund, Sweden. Team USA – comprising Stopera, Mike Farbelow, Rich Ruohonen, and Darren Lehto – won the Senior Men’s Nationals championship in Mapleton, Minnesota two months earlier and earned a spot to represent the US in Sweden at the tournament, open to players 50 years and older.

“It’s just a great experience to play against the best guys in the world,” Stopera, who began curling when he was eight years old, tells Inside Press. “I’ve been playing against a lot of the old legends of the game, guys that have won world championships.”

Team USA came a whisker away from the gold, losing to Canada on the final shot by Canadian Paul Flemming.

“It was an incredible shot the guy made and unfortunately we were on the losing end,” says Stopera. “It sucks to lose, but it was a great shot.”

Winning the silver at the senior world championships is just the latest feat in Stopera’s long curling career. Stopera, 56, started curling as a child when his family in Schenectady joined a local curling club as a social activity. A casual curler throughout his youth, he rediscovered the sport when he moved to Westchester in 1997 and began training at Ardsley Curling Club.
Stopera won the US curling championships in 2012, and the next year nearly qualified for a spot in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

While Stopera was facing off against some of the game’s former greats, he said the tournament had a friendly environment despite the tough competition.

“You’re playing against former guys that you watched on the internet,” Stopera, an insurance broker in his day job, says. “It was neat to watch them play, to play against them, and to be competitive.”

“You get to wear the USA on the back, so it’s always cool,” he adds.

Stopera is open to competing in the senior national and world tournaments again in the future, though he says the nearly two-week trip to Sweden was a grind.

Stopera has passed his love of curling onto his two children. Andrew, now 27, has been on the ice nearly since birth, and is aiming to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Megan, an 18-year-old Briarcliff High School grad, took longer to embrace the sport but has also become a young star, winning the silver medal at the US Junior Curling Championships in April 2023.

“It still baffles my mind how fast she developed,” Bill Stopera told this magazine last year. “Once the switch flipped, Megan was ‘all in.’”

Despite his own recent success, Bill says his focus has been more on supporting the next generation of Stopera curlers than honing his own skills.

“They’ve got a lot of curling in front of them, so it’ll be more stress to deal with,” he notes.

For the Love of the Pie

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(L-R): Scott Fiore and Darin Feldman
Photos by EVAN TRAINOR

How One Facebook Group is Shaking up Westchester’s Pizza Scene

As a lifelong New Yorker and Queens native, New Rochelle’s Darin Feldman was always a big pizza fan. But until a few years ago, his family’s mindset was that “pizza is pizza,” and the slice shop around the corner would generally do.

“We always liked pizza a lot,” Feldman says. “But we never really differentiated between places.”

Then a few years back, Feldman and his son decided to take a ride to acclaimed Eastchester pizzeria Polpettina. He was impressed by the pie’s quality and unique style and began wondering what other noteworthy slices he was missing out on a short drive away.

Last summer, Feldman started Westchester Pizza Lovers, a Facebook group where members debate that very question. As of press time the group has nearly 7,600 members, who each day share pictures and rate their slices from across the county.

Westchester Pizza Lovers was not the first food group launched by Feldman. Two years prior he started NY EATS & TREATS, “a group for eaters, boozers, fine diners and late-night munchers.” That group has some 1,600 members. But he found that his posts about pizza were the ones with the most discussion and engagement.

“For better or worse, everyone in the food group was referencing me as the pizza guy,” he recalls.

Feldman then reached out to his friend Scott Fiore, a North Castle resident whom he met through another food group and proposed launching a page dedicated just to pizza in Westchester. “I said, ‘Yea, that sounds like a good idea,’” Fiore recalls.
“I didn’t expect it to be this big.”

Unlike Feldman, Fiore never questioned the difference between noteworthy and run-of-the-mill pizza.

“My father was very particular about his pizza,” the Bronx native says. “You couldn’t just bring him home any pizza. If it was too thick, he’d look at it and be like, ‘Oh that’s a wagon wheel. What are you bringing this stuff home for?’” he recalls. “It always had to be thin, well-done but not burnt.” So, Fiore always found himself searching for worthy pizza, including when he and his wife moved to Westchester.

“That’s how we started, just looking for good pizza and going to different restaurants and different pizza places,” he says. “It was just about a love of pizza and finding really good pizza. Not just finding pizza, but really good pizza.”

Feldman and Fiore weren’t the only ones. Once launched, Westchester Pizza Lovers took off, at times adding some 1,000 members in a month.

Some of the best

Westchester Pizza Lovers features a constant stream of posts of people sharing their pizza orders of the day, from pizzerias across the county. Posters sometimes rate their pies, often on a 1-10 scale, describing what they liked about the pizza and where it could be improved. Rules for the group are simple – be respectful and stick only to Westchester pizzas (Feldman has launched a separate page for pies across the Hudson Valley).

“Marios Pizza & Pasta, Mt. Kisco NY, great pizza!!” reads one typical post, along with photos. “Thin crust nice and crisp. 10/10!”

“Went for a grandma slice,” says another post, along with a picture of a sad-looking square corner slice from a local pizzeria. “There was no love put into this creation, lol!”

Members also often seek advice on where to get pizza in a given town, or with a certain dietary restriction.

“Are there any vegan pizza options in lower Westchester?” one commenter asked, in a post that received several responses. “Also, any places that have vegan cheese, not just sauce and toppings?”

While a wide range of pizzerias are shared on the page, several favorites have emerged. Johnny’s in Mount Vernon, an 82-year-old establishment which Feldman calls the best in the county “by leaps and bounds,” earns plenty of acclaim. But the most popular in terms of posts and enthusiasm is Pizza Fenice in Pelham, a relative newcomer to the pizza scene.

“Everything he puts out is just exceptional,” Feldman said of owner John Gristina.

There are plenty of places in Chappaqua, Briarcliff, Armonk, and Pleasantville – Inside Press’s coverage area – that are frequently touted in the group. One is Arthur Avenue Wood Fired Pizza in Pleasantville, a favorite of Feldman, whose owner, Brian Peroni, is a group member.

Peroni said he found the page and realized it could be a useful way to keep up on the Westchester pizza scene and promote his own business (restaurant owners are allowed to post promotional items only on Fridays).

“It was nice to see,” Peroni says. “It’s nice to see other places and hope that other businesses are doing well.”

Peroni says that posts in the group have occasionally brought in new customers.

“People come in and say they were on Westchester Pizza Lovers, and they saw it,” he recounts. “So, it’s been a positive. It’s been a plus.”

Another popular local spot is Donato’s Trattoria in Briarcliff, which Fiore says ranks in his personal top 15 or so pizzerias in the county. Amore in Armonk, a personal favorite of Feldman and Fiore, is also frequently shared. In Chappaqua, Feldman mentions Old Stone Trattoria as one of his favorites and says Pizza Station gets significant attention from group members.

And another relative newcomer – Margherita Pizza in Thornwood – has gained popularity.

Burbs or the boroughs?

So how does Westchester’s pizza scene stack up against pizza in New York City? On aggregate, Feldman says, it does not compare. “However, I do think there are quite a few individual pizzas throughout Westchester, and more than a handful, that can absolutely compete with any of the ones in New York City,” he notes.

He points to Johnnys and some of the slice shops in Yonkers – Dunwoodie Pizzeria, John’s Pizza on Devoe Street, Sophia’s on McLean – as just about as good as the best places in the boroughs.

“A lot of people ignorantly say, ‘Westchester pizza, there’s nothing here,’” he continues. “That’s really not true. You just have to do a little bit of homework and be willing to branch out of the comfort zone of your own backyard and maybe travel 15 to 20 minutes.”

For now, Westchester Pizza Lovers is a labor of love for Feldman, who co-owns A-Game Sports in New Rochelle. “At this point in time, I get zero income,” he says of his pizza group. “For now, this is just a fun hobby for me.”

But Feldman has thought about finding ways to turn the group into something bigger and hopes to do meetups, pizza crawls, and events in the future. And both Feldman and Fiore hope their group can help people discover their new favorite pizzeria in their own neighborhood or just beyond.

“Life is too short to eat [lackluster] pizza,” Feldman said in a May 30 post on the group, using a more colorful term. “Drive the extra 20 minutes to get a pie you are truly going to enjoy.”