(COVINGTON, La.)  Pizza is something that is easy to make but can be impossible to perfect. But at 103 W. 30th Ave. in Covington, the impossible has been done. Norma’s Pizza Shack is exactly the thin crust pizza that Covington needed.

They have been open for a total of five years, but only three in this location. Chef and owner Norma studied under World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani at the International School of Pizza in California, and decided to bring her talent back to Louisiana.

As you walk into Norma’s you are hit by an instant feel of ‘50s nostalgia as you are surrounded by red booths, James Dean memorabilia and an arcade room. The smell of pungent garlic and crispy crust graciously greets your nose upon traveling back to the era of jukeboxes and white picket fences. As we seat ourselves, our waitress greets us with a smile, tells me her name is Ashley and starts to read out the specials. I already knew I had to get pizza so I asked her what their most popular item is and was told, “The shack is definitely our most popular.” The shack is basically Norma’s supreme pizza with ham, ground meat, sausage, artichoke hearts, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, black olives, garlic, mozzarella, with a pesto drizzle to top it off. I also ordered an appetizer of garlic knots.

As I see my waitress walk up with my garlic knots, I can smell them before they even arrive. She puts them down and they are three beautiful fluffy, golden brown knots sitting in a shallow reservoir of garlic-infused butter. As you bite into the soft knots, you can’t help dipping them in the garlic butter they came with.

Just as we finished our last garlic knot, our pizza is on the way out. We are almost overwhelmed by the surplus of toppings that were stacked on the pizza. I go to pull the first piece of pizza out of the pie, and the gooey cheese strings from the edges. Trying not to singe the top of my mouth, I take a huge bite out of the slice. The saltiness from the ham, the spice from the jalapenos, and the subtle pesto flavor all come together beautifully. All of this is topped off by a perfect combo of a crispy, yet soft, killer crust. There is no denying that Norma’s has perfected the art of pizza.

The atmosphere is great; the service is great; and above all, the pizza is great. Norma’s is very deserving of my rating of a 9.7 out of 10.

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