When Dominic Zuppardi dreamt up his legendary West Haven, Connecticut, pizzeria in 1932, he could never have imagined that the business would one day be capable of shipping pizzas nationwide. That’s something Zuppardi’s Apizza achieved, via Goldbelly, in 2018: people in all 50 states could suddenly enjoy a top-notch New Haven-style pizza made by the family-owned, iconic brand.
The frozen pizza arm of Zuppardi’s Apizza has been so successful, in fact, that the company is eyeing a massive expansion. As first reported by the New Haven Register, the West Haven Planning and Zoning Commission approved a special permit that will allow Zuppardi’s to take over an 8,432 square foot building and use it as a manufacturing and distribution facility for its burgeoning business.
According to the Register, Cheri Pearce, head of the Zuppardi’s Apizza frozen foods division, spoke at the planning commission’s meeting. She said the new building would not be open to the public and would be a separate entity from the famous pizzeria, which is located at 179 Union Avenue in West Haven.
Related: After 90 Years, the Legend of Zuppardi’s Apizza Keeps Growing
Though the pizza company has not officially acquired the building yet, the special permit building clears the way for Zuppardi’s Apizza to expand its frozen-pizza business eightfold in terms of space. The Register reported that Zuppardi’s Apizza currently operates its frozen division out of a building close to the public-facing pizzeria that has just 1,075 square feet of space.
Zuppardi’s frozen offerings are some of the most respected in the U.S. In 2020, Jim Mirabelli of NEPA Pizza Review issued a glowing review of the product.
“Let’s face it,” Mirabelli wrote at the time. “Frozen pizza generally is edible at best and only serves as a convenience item reserved for times when you can’t get a fresh pie from your local pizzeria. I’ve had countless frozen pizzas over the years from a wide variety of brands and price points, and the only one that I thought was ever worth a review was Lou Malnati’s Chicago Deep Dish Pizza—UNTIL NOW!”
Mirabelli went on to praise how the frozen product very closely mimicked the New Haven apizza you can get straight out of the coal-fired oven in Connecticut. “As soon as I placed the frozen pizza in the oven the smoky aroma took me right back to my trip to New Haven,” Mirabelli wrote.
With endorsements like that, it’s no wonder Zuppardi’s is looking to up its manufacturing space. And that’s how, 91 years after launching, Zuppardi’s Apizza continues to grow its legend.
