NEW HAVEN, Conn. — On this National Pizza Day, there's no question that Connecticut takes the cake...or the slice...for some of the best pizza around! People travel from all over the country and world to New Haven for a slice.
The tradition and tourism all started with the big three pizza pillars, Frank Pepe's, Sally's Apizza, and Modern Apizza... with one of them leading the way.
"To look at today, it blows me out of the water," said Jennifer Kelly, Co-owner of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, who is also one of Frank Pepe's grandchildren.
Kelly said the restaurant was her grandfather's baby. He started it all in 1925 by rolling dough out of a bakery, creating the classic pizza we know and love today. Soon, people who knew and loved him felt like he could make a killing out of his recipe.
"He said Frank, you have something here. Go out, sell it. So Pop pushed the cart throughout New Haven," Kelly said.
Eventually, Frank and his wife claimed "the spot" in Wooster Square, and now his grandchildren are carrying the business on in his memory.
"There's so much love, and gratitude, humility, honor, high respect, the way that this team carries out our legacy," Kelly said.
Part of that legacy is only using specialty ingredients, like whole milk mozzarella and other fresh products imported straight from Italy. And of course, there's the coal-fired oven where the pizzas are cooked.
"We have three ovens in our New Haven unit," said Kevin Gagliard, Director of Operations for Frank Pepe's.
The heat from that oven eventually caught on, and others in the family began whipping up more competition on Wooster Street. That included Pepe's nephew, Salvatore Consiglio, who opened Sally's Apizza in 1938.
"The neighborhood keeps it going! It's exciting, it's fun! It's drama," Kelly said.
"When he went on his own, he perfected it. It was a totally different animal, different product," said Ricky Consiglio, part owner of Sally's Apizza and Sal's son.
Sally's is now owned by a company called Lineage Hospitality, but the family tradition and passion behind the product remain.
"TLC. That's it, that's the secret. Tender love and care of your product. As far as the ingredients go? Yeah, it's a secret," Consiglio said, as he laughed.
That secret is one Ricky said he will always keep near and dear to his heart.
"It's the legacy that my family has in it. Aside from the phenomenal flavor, and taste of it, it's part of my blood. It's part of the family's blood," Consiglio said.
But, New Haven-style pizza doesn't just run in the family. Another competitor sits around the corner.
"Everyone calls me Billy Modern," said William "Billy" Pustari, Owner of Modern Apizza, which is on State St in the Elm City.
Pustari bought the restaurant 35 years ago, with a long history of making pizzas since he was 13 years old. The history of the restaurant goes all the way back to 1934.
"One of the first pizza places around. Our pizza is probably like the cheese, Italian Bomb, and probably the Clams Casino, probably the three ones that we're really known for," Billy said.
And they're known for those flavors across the country.
"It's crazy, I would have never imagined," Billy said.
Billy runs the restaurant with his wife and his children help out in any way they can, including in the kitchen. He's also been working with the same workers for decades, who he considers family, too.
"It's special. I mean, I always make a joke, I need three boys because I need enough people to run an oven," said William Pustari, a cook in the kitchen and Billy's son.
William said he hopes to carry his father's legacy on one day, too.
"I have to! It's in the stars, I have to," William said.
So what is it, some ask, that makes New Haven pizza so special?
It's the product, the people, and the passion that goes into it. Putting New Haven on the map, and keeping the competition going.
"We're more friends than competitors. We're all in it together," Billy said.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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