Part II - Pizza and Pizzerias in America

The first American pizzeria opened in Spring Street, New York in 1905. The enterprising owner was Gennaro Lombardi and Lombardi’s is still in operation today. Lombardi was an immigrant from Naples in 1897 and he brought the recipe with him. He cooked the pizzas in a coal burning oven. He did not add tables and chairs until the 1930s. The pizzeria was a great success and by the 1920’s there were pizza restaurants throughout the north east of America. Pizza was introduced to Chicago by a peddler. He carried the pizzas in a metal washtub and walked up and down Taylor Street selling slices for 2 cents. Many Italians were brought up with pizza, back in their home country, and would use a little left over dough and tomato sauce to make a snack. Pizza was considered peasant food for a long time.

Italian bakeries offered pizza to their patrons and for a long time Italian neighborhoods were the only areas serving pizza. It was called Tomato Pie by the Italian-Americans. It was considered ‘underground’ food for a long time, but this all changed after World War II. Soldiers returned from Europe and the demand for pizzas grew. Smart entrepreneurs began opening pizzeria restaurants and demand grew for the new food. Pizza Pie, as it was sometimes called, soon spread throughout America during the 1950s and 60s. More and more towns had pizza restaurants, usually opened by Italians and today pizza is on every Italian menu. Some of the best known pizza restaurants are ‘Pepe’s’ and rival, ‘Sally’s’ in New Haven, CT. International chains and franchisees abound such as Pizza Hut and Domino’s, serving tasty food at affordable prices.