Southerners love their black-eyed peas and turnip greens. They’re pretty fond of pizza, too. But a pizza topped with black-eyed peas and turnip greens—well, that dog, as folks down South like to say, won’t hunt. Or so you might assume, until you try the Soul Pie at Slice Pizza & … More
Business & Marketing
Shield's Pizza
In 1940s Detroit, pizza was picking up steam as a favorite food. When a former employee of a local pizzeria brought his recipe to the Polish owners of Shield’s Bar, pies were quickly added to the menu to feed hungry patrons. The bar—opened in 1937—began to serve food in 1946 … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Luigi's Apizza
In 1956, Joseph Abate opened up Luigi’s Apizza (luigisapizza.com), named after his father, in North Haven, Connecticut; his oldest son, also named Joseph, was three years old. The business moved in 1960 to North Haven, then operated in East Haven for 35 years, until 2007, when the younger Joseph—who had … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Rock & Brews Wows the Family Crowd With Pizza, Craft Beers and Classic Rock
As the flamboyant co-founders of Kiss in the 1970s, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, notorious for their Kabuki makeup and R-rated stage antics, wanted to rock and roll all night and party every day. As sober-minded family men and entrepreneurs in 2013, they’ve got somewhat higher aspirations: They aim to … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
A pair of pint-sized pizzathletes are spinning their way to global fame.
He doesn’t sing or dance. He’s not an actor or a reality TV star. But Michael Testa may be one of the most famous 10-year-olds in the country. As the son of pizzaiolo Carmine Testa and first-born heir to the family business, Carmine’s Pizza Factory in Jersey City, New Jersey, … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Meet the pizza-making Elvis of the Italian Alps.
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
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
A pizza industry expert offers tips and tools for saucing a pizza right every time.
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
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
The U.S. Pizza Team earned global acclaim at the 2013 World Championship of Pizza.
Leonardo Giordano already had a lot on his mind when a stranger in stylish threads stepped up to his prep table at the recent World Championship of Pizza in Parma, Italy. As part of the Pizza for Two competition, Giordano, owner of Mona Lisa Pizzeria & Daniel Perea USPT competitor … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Venice Pizza House
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
Business & Marketing
Pizza X Uses Youth-Oriented Marketing Tactics to Dominate Delivery in Bloomington
Students at Indiana University (IU) love pizza almost as much as they love beer pong and basketball. And just as the Hoosier name is synonymous with college hoops, the locally owned Pizza X (pizzaxbloomington.com) has been synonymous with great pies in Bloomington for more than 30 years. With four stores … More
Business & Marketing
Connie's Pizza
On June 1, 1963, Jim Stolfe purchased a little food stand from Connie DeGrazia on Chicago’s South Side. He left the Connie’s name on the storefront and started serving up pizza from a dough recipe he developed, incorporating techniques learned from his grandmother and a local neighborhood baker. In less … More
Pizzerias & Pizzaioli
Nicolosi's Italian Restaurant
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