KINGSTON TWP. — The making of a square pizza at Pizza Perfect is a laborious process.

A ball of fresh dough is placed on a peanut oil-greased pan. The dough must be gradually stretched three times to fit the rectangular pan before it is topped with homemade sauce, onion and cheddar cheese.

“It takes an hour-and-a-half. It’s exactly the same all these years, and we’re in our 41st year,” said Tammy Lemelin, who owns the eatery with her sister, Janine Hudak.

The familiar blend has garnered the square pizza’s third first-place win in the Times Leader Readers’ Choice contest.

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Pizza Perfect’s wings also received the most votes in that category in this year’s contest.

The eatery’s mild wings are the most popular, the sisters said.

Other wings on the menu: butter-and-garlic, sweet-and-tangy BBQ and “hot but bearable.”

The daring can try a variety dubbed “fireman’s friends,” which come with this warning: “You’re on your own!”

The sisters believe their wings stand out because they are fresh, cooked in peanut oil and coated in sauces created by their father, Richard Adamchick, and his longtime friend and business partner Myron Mickiewicz, who opened the pizzeria in 1975.

“Our father would invite his firefighter friends to try his concoctions,” Hudak recalled. “He and Myron tried different recipes.”

The wings were added in 1988.

Lemelin and Hudak have worked at the Carverton Road pizzeria since they were young and became owners in November 2015.

Lemelin dabbed her eyes with a tissue contemplating what the win would have meant to her father, who died in April at the age of 72 after a lengthy battle with liver cancer.

“He did this for his family. We worked with him side-by-side,” she said.

Their mother, Louise, still works at the business, they said.

The women are thankful people continue to embrace their unchanging staples, including regular customers who have been coming for decades and now bring their grandchildren.

Their food has been part of countless community meetings, celebrations, awards ceremonies and other gatherings.

“We’ve met a lot of nice people along the way. We have great customers, loyal customers,” Hudak said.

“A heartfelt thank you to our customers and employees for helping us grow through the years,” Lemelin said.

The wings at Pizza Perfect in Kingston Township, which won the Times Leader Readers’ Choice, are fresh and cooked in peanut oil.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL-0322016-best-pizza-wings-2.jpg.optimal.jpgThe wings at Pizza Perfect in Kingston Township, which won the Times Leader Readers’ Choice, are fresh and cooked in peanut oil. Charlotte Bartizek | For Times Leader

It takes an hour-and-a-half to make the square pizza at Pizza Perfect in Kingston Township, which won the Times Leader Readers’ Choice three years in a row.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL-03262016-Best-pizza-wings-3-.jpg.optimal.jpgIt takes an hour-and-a-half to make the square pizza at Pizza Perfect in Kingston Township, which won the Times Leader Readers’ Choice three years in a row. Charlotte Bartizek | For Times Leader

Janine Hudak, left, and Tammy Lemelin spend much of their time behind the counter at Pizza Perfect in Kingston Township serving up the Times Leader Readers’ Choice most popular pizza and wings.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL-03262016-best-pizza-wings-1-.jpg.optimal.jpgJanine Hudak, left, and Tammy Lemelin spend much of their time behind the counter at Pizza Perfect in Kingston Township serving up the Times Leader Readers’ Choice most popular pizza and wings. Charlotte Bartizek | For Times Leader

By Jennifer Learn-Andes

jandes@timesleader.com

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.