Elvis Presley loved pizza. Many pizza makers love Elvis. But a pizzaiolo in Recoaro Terme, Italy, probably loves Elvis more than most. Christened Vittorino Tessaro, he is better known to his friends as Elvito, the pizza making Elvis of the Italian Alps. He wears his hair like Elvis. He sports … More

Like the temperature of porridge in the Three Bears’ house, the amount of sauce on a pizza needs to be “just right.” To some extent, of course, this Goldilocks-worthy portion is a matter of personal taste, so different pizza makers have varying definitions of “just right.” But for the better … More

After Sicily native Salvatore “Sam” LoMedico emigrated to Detroit in 1939, he worked in the restaurant/bar biz with his brother—and knew immediately that he wanted to open his own place. Finally, after starting a family, serving in the military and migrating to sunny San Diego, he realized his dream in … More

In 1952, after operating a bakery in Massachusetts in the ’40s, Sicilian emigrant Salvatore Nicolosi brought his family to Southern California and opened Nicolosi’s Italian Restaurant (nicolosis.com) in San Diego, serving Old-World recipes handed down in his family. In 1958, only four years after moving his operation to a converted … More

In 1962, Angelo and Marie Genell partnered with Marie’s two brothers, Frank and Anthony Arcaro, to buy Laurenzi’s Restaurant in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, christening the new venture Arcaro & Genell. Though the Arcaros eventually struck out on their own, the Genells kept up the original restaurant and catering business—and today, … More