A delegation of more than 100 Connecticut pizza makers, legislators, veterans and community leaders will gather on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on May 22 to make a little pizza history. But New Yorkers say they’re just kidding themselves.
The delegation will join U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who will enter a statement into the Congressional Record declaring New Haven the “pizza capital of the U.S.” DeLauro represents Connecticut’s Third District, which includes New Haven, home of some of the country’s most legendary pizzerias, including Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Modern Apizza, Sally’s Apizza, Ernie’s Pizzeria and others.
“New Haven has the best pizza in the country—and it is not even close,” DeLauro said in a statement. “Ask anyone from Connecticut, and they will tell you Connecticut pizza, or ‘apizza,’ as we call it, is hands down—no contest—the best pizza in America. I am looking forward to dropping the hammer on this debate and formally declaring in the Congressional Record that New Haven is the pizza capital of the United States.”
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Supporters say the official proclamation will settle the long-standing debate over where the country’s best pizza is made while honoring the thousands of families and workers who have devoted their lives to crafting the city’s legendary pies.
Not surprisingly, New Yorkers aren’t buying it. As the New York Post reports, Mayor Eric Adams addressed the debate in a recent press briefing. “That’s a real cheesy opportunity to take away the real claim,” Adams said. “Everyone knows who’s the king of pizza. It’s alright for them to be No. 2…but No. 1 is ruled by this great, amazing city.”
According to Colin Caplan, organizer of the D.C. event, founder of Taste of New Haven and author of Pizza in New Haven, the city’s pizza shops draw about 2 million customers a year. Caplan also co-produced the documentary, Pizza: A Love Story, about New Haven-style apizza, and hosts The Pizza Files, a segment that airs during CT Morning Buzz, a lifestyle show on WTNH.
“New Haven and Connecticut have been an epicenter of expert pizza making for more than a century, and recognizing these pizza makers, families and workers who have fed generations of loyal customers is a noble task,” Caplan said. “Top chefs, celebrities, politicians and food critics have been raving over New Haven pizza for decades because there’s a level of pizza alchemy taking place in this area surpassed by nowhere else.”
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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued his own proclamation on February 9, declaring New Haven the “Pizza Capital of America.” Reacting to the May 22 event in D.C., Lamont said, “The best pizza in the United States is made in Connecticut. We have one of the highest concentrations of pizzerias around, many of which have been operated and passed down by families for generations. I love that this message is being confirmed at our nation’s capital.”
Just about everyone in Connecticut seems to agree that New Haven-style apizza deserves official recognition. The exception: Connecticut lawmakers, who have considered but never passed a bill that would make pizza the state food.
Justin Elicker, mayor of New Haven, certainly has his mind made up. “Many things are debated in the halls of Congress and Washington, D.C., but one thing that’s not up for debate is that New Haven has the best pizza in the country,” he said. “Our local pizzerias are local, national and international destinations, and New Haven-style pizzerias are being established and shipping their pizza products all over the globe. However, there’s nothing like going to the actual source, and I encourage everyone to come visit New Haven, enjoy our pizza and all our city has to offer.”
He added that the Capitol Hill rally will let “the country know that New Haven ah-beetz is where it’s at.”
Back in New York, however, an unidentified “City Hall rep” told the New York Post, “New York City doesn’t have to declare itself the ‘pizza capital of the United States’ because people across the country already know it to be true. More than a century of satisfied customers, the residents of the five boroughs and nearly 62 million visitors to New York City each year have already settled what was never really a debate.”
The Connecticut pizza delegation flew to D.C. on Wednesday morning aboard a chartered jet. After arriving, the delegation planned to visit the Vietnam Memorial, attend the congressional proclamation ceremony, and conclude the visit with lunch at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana’s location in Alexandria, Virginia.Also making the trip will be representatives from several New Haven pizza restaurants, including Frank Pepe’s, Sally’s Apizza, Modern Apizza, Pizza at The Brick Oven, Next Door, Big Green Truck Pizza, BAR and Est Est Est Pizza.
