Spera started out selling sandwiches and sodas at Sam's Steak House before deciding to give pizza a try in the late 1950s.
Pizza News
Mario Caputo, Owner of Bell’Italia Pizzeria, Dies at 64
Born in Tolve, Italy, pizzaiolo Mario Caputo and his family moved to Waterbury, Connecticut, when he was 11 years old, and he soon embarked on a life of entrepreneurship. When his sister, Evelina, and childhood friend Paola decided to find Caputo a wife, he surprised them both by asking Paola … More
Obituaries
Joseph Piscopo Jr. of Johnny’s Pizzeria Passes Away at 49
Johnny's Pizzeria has been a fixture in Mount Vernon, New York, since Piscopo's grandfather opened the shop in 1942.
Pizza News
Armando Pasetti of Volpi Foods Dies at 96
Armando Pasetti, the longtime leader of St. Louis-based Volpi Foods, died on Christmas Eve at the age of 96, the company announced. Volpi Foods is a fourth-generation family-owned and operated producer of specialty cured meats. It was founded in 1902 by John Volpi, Pasetti’s uncle. Pasetti came to St. Louis … More
Pizza News
Jim Connolly, Owner of 51-Year-Old Pizzeria in Texas, Dies from COVID-19
Jim Connolly, a Plano, Texas pizza legend with a pizzeria that bore his name, died from COVID-19 on December 5 at the age of 74. Connolly and his wife, Tina, moved to Plano in 1968 and opened Jim’s Pizza in McKinney, Texas, in 1969. It became a local culinary landmark, with … More
Pizza News
Tom ‘The Dough Doctor’ Lehmann Passes Away from COVID-19
Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann passed away on Saturday, December 12, after a lengthy battle with COVID-19. Recalling Tom’s life and unparalleled contributions to the pizza industry, a famous quote by Sir Isaac Newton springs to mind: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of … More
Pizza News
Detroit-Style Pizza Master Shawn Randazzo Passes Away at 44
Shawn Randazzo, the award-winning Detroit-style pizza maker and owner of Detroit Style Pizza Company in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, has passed away from brain cancer. He was 44 years old. A GoFundMe campaign for Randazzo’s family has been set up here. Randazzo was a beloved evangelist for the Detroit style of … More
Pizza News
Pizza Hut Cofounder Frank Carney Passes Away at 82
Carney, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, had recently recovered from COVID-19 only to be struck down by pneumonia.
News
Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain Dies of Coronavirus
Herman Cain, a 2012 presidential candidate and the former chairman and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza from 1986 to 1996, has died from the coronavirus at the age of 74. According to media reports, Cain was hospitalized earlier this month with COVID-19. “We knew when he was hospitalized … that this … More
Pizza News
Rosati’s Pizza CEO Rick Rosati Dies at 70
Rosati led efforts to franchise the Rosati’s Pizza concept in 1979 and went on to establish locations across the country.