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It’s a new year, and this year that means a new tradition, the brainchild of my parents: The Rea Family Pizza Challenge. Each couple (the Parents, my brother Andy and his girlfriend, along with Kelly and me) prepares a pizza, then we chow down and judge the entries.

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As we ate, each family member was given a ballot and a pen – Andy came up with a weighted system where points were awarded for flavor, appearance and creativity. We munched, chatted and graded each-other’s pies, and then I headed for Dad’s office to compile the scores.

In the end, Andy and his girlfriend’s Muffuletta pizza – a New Orleans-style blend of olive salad, cured meat and provolone cheese – took first place. In second, the parents’ vegetarian Italian-style pie blended shiitake mushrooms with artichokes, olives and peppers. Kelly and I brought up the rear, with a blue-cheesy Buffalo chicken wing pizza. It won big points for flavor, but our low creativity scores were what ultimately did us in. Either way, times like this are a perfect example of how food and cooking can bring families together.

We’ve already dreamed up our next pizza challenge: everyone makes a pie based on the same theme, but each team offers a different interpretation. The big question is: what kind should it be? Nothing is off the table, so think about it: If you were going to be a judge at our next throwdown, what kind of pizza would you want?