Pizza God

 

The "PIZZA GOD" ???

Dom DeMarco

DiFARA PIZZERIA

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Tee Shirt

Dom DeMarco

"PIZZZA GOD"

TEE SHIRT on Etsy

DOM DeMARCO "PIZZA GOD"

"The PIZZA GOD" ? Dom DeMarco of DiFara Pizzeria New York is considered one of the Greatest Pizzaioli in The World, if Not Thee Greatest of All. We think he is, (The Best) and his Pizza is The Best you can Get anywhere in The World, including Naples Italy, "we think Dom's Pizza is Better," and many would agree. Get this one-of-a-kind Limited Edition T-Shirt of the Greatest Pizza Maker alive, the one we call "Pizza God" Dom DeMarco, Brooklyn, New York.

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WHEN ITALIAN AMERICANS COOK

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JOHN'S PIZZA with AMERICAN FLAG

by Bellino

FINE ART AMERICA

History of New York Pizza - Lombardi

 

The FATHER of NEW YORK PIZZA

FILLIPO MILONE

New findings uncover an untold history of early New York City pizzerias. Lombardi’s and John’s on Bleecker Street likely share a previously unknown founder.

A forgotten generation of late 19th century Italian pizza makers in America has been discovered, changing our understanding of how pizza arrived in the United States. After 10 years of searching through archival records for an upcoming book, Peter Regas is going public with his findings by launching pizzahistorybook.com and announcing a presentation at the U.S. Pizza Museum in Chicago on February 23.

Of this forgotten older generation, one baker stands out. Filippo Milone came to New York in the late 19th century and likely established two of the most famous New York pizzerias that still exist today, Lombardi’s on Spring Street and John’s of Bleecker Street.

Regas explains, “Filippo Milone likely established pizzerias in at least six locations throughout New York City. Of these locations, three later became famous under different names: ‘Pop’s,’ ‘John’s,’ and ‘Lombardi’s.’ Pop’s in Brooklyn closed decades ago, but the other two in Manhattan still exist. Milone, a pioneer in what has become a $45 billion industry, later died in 1924, without children to preserve his story buried in an unmarked grave in Queens.”

Peter Regas discovered this Filippo Milone pizzeria advertisement in the May 9, 1903 issue of Il Telegrafo, an Italian language newspaper published in New York City. [Peter Regas’ scan/New York Public Library]

The documents Regas discovered reveal a pattern of Milone establishing pizzerias—sometimes classified as delicatessens, groceries, or bakeries—and then handing them off to others while he moved on to other locations. Regas says, “Intentionally or not he planted seeds all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some of these pizzerias quickly died off. But three of his pizzerias became iconic lasting for decades. No one else can say that.”

Until now, Lombardi’s origin story has commonly been understood to be that Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombardi, opened a grocery store at 53 1/2 Spring Street around 1897 that eventually became America’s first licensed pizzeria in 1905. While proof of that license has never materialized, Regas has tracked down Gennaro Lombardi’s birth record, naturalization papers, and other supporting documents that tell a different story. Gennaro Lombardi first came to America in November of 1904 at age 17, classified as a “laborer”. If he became involved with the pizzeria at 53 1/2 Spring Street in 1905, it was as an employee not as an owner. By that time, it had already been established as a pizzeria probably by Milone in 1898 but certainly by another proprietor named Giovanni Santillo who followed Milone in 1901. 

Peter Regas discovered this newspaper advertisement for Antica Pizzeria Napoletana at 53 ½ Spring Street, featuring proprietor Giovanni Santillo, in the March 25, 1905 issue of Il Telegrafo. [Peter Regas’ scan/New York Public Library]

Likewise, John’s on Bleecker Street has long been understood to have been established in 1929 but documents show 1915 to be the actual year. In 1915 Milone took over a bakery at 175 Sullivan St. The 1916 city directory notes him selling “Pies” there which given Milone’s career is almost certainly a term for pizza. By the time John Sasso (a relative of Milone’s by marriage) takes over the pizzeria with a partner, the 1925 city directory lists “Pizzeria Port’Alba” at 175 Sullivan St. which, given his history, was likely Milone’s name for it in 1915. The pizzeria eventually moved to Bleecker Street and is known today as “John’s.” A neon sign in the window still shows the name “Pizzeria Port’Alba”—an echo of the true history of the pizzeria.

Regas, an independent researcher, was originally researching Chicago pizzerias when he discovered holes in New York’s origin story. His findings include the earliest known documents that mention pizza and pizzerias in America. While historians have speculated that businesses where the dough was made primarily for pizza, may have existed in America during this period, no record of these establishments, or their owners, has been brought to light until now.

Regas’ book on the history of pizza in the U.S. will be released later in 2019. He has started sharing information that supports his claims including archival records, newspaper advertisements with translations, photographs, and family stories at pizzahistorybook.com.

LOMBARDI'S PIZZA

LOMBARDI'S PIZZA

Spring Street, New York NY

Perhaps the most famous early 20th century U.S. pizzeria was at 53 Spring St. in New York City. Now called “Lombardi’s Pizza” (relocated at 32 Spring St.), it’s often claimed Gennaro Lombardi established the first U.S. pizzeria there in 1905. However recently discovered evidence shows this claim to be false in two respects: it wasn’t the first pizzeria, and it wasn’t established by Lombardi. City directories show Giovanni Albano’s pizzeria at 59 1/2 Mulberry St. (NYC) was already operating in 1894. Additionally, Filippo Milone, perhaps the U.S.’s most significant early pizza maker, very likely established the 53 Spring St. store as a combination pizzeria/grocery in the summer of 1898. By August 1904, Italian-American newspaper advertisements show a subsequent owner, Giovanni Santillo, operating “Antica Pizzeria Napoletana” at 53 Spring St. months before Lombardi even arrived in the U.S. in November 1904. Gennaro Lombardi may have worked for Santillo in 1905 as a newly arrived 17-year-old immigrant, but he didn’t own it in 1905. After a series of owners, Lombardi—who owned the pizzeria briefly in 1908—repurchased it from Francesco D’Errico around 1918 and ran it until he died in 1958. Once called “Antica Pizzeria Napoletana,” then “Grande Pizzeria e Ristorante Napoletano,” and then—after the family bought the building in 1939—”Lombardi’s Restaurant”, this post details the forgotten early history of the men who owned this legendary pizzeria. 

NEW YORK CITY DIRECTORY EVIDENCE:

City and business directories are the easiest and most direct way to find out who owned what in Manhattan at the turn of the last century. Searching directories for “53 Spring St.” or “53 1/2 Spring St.” (both addresses were used for the pizzeria at different times), one finds these owners and their occupations shown on the chart below:

If we had no other evidence, directories alone would be enough to falsify the claim Lombardi established the pizzeria in 1905. We have to wait until 1920 for Gennaro Lombardi to appear in a Manhattan city directory (shown in red). Directories are not perfect and its important to understand their limits. But to claim directories misidentified a business owner for more than 15 years is untenable. 

While city and business directories are a great source to find a proprietor’s name and address, they are sometimes ambiguous in the description of the business. Note, for example, how various directories described Filippo Milone’s occupation in 1899. At times he’s listed as a grocer, other times he owns a delicatessen, and still other times he’s a baker. All of these different directories describe the same store at roughly the same time. And note not until 1922 do the directories describe the store at 53 Spring St. as a pizzeria. To determine when this store started selling pizza, we need more detailed information. For this, we turn to NYC Italian-American newspapers.

ITALIAN-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER EVIDENCE:

Tommasi Braibanti owned the restaurant at 53 Spring St, probably from the summer of 1897 until the summer of 1898. Did he establish the pizzeria? Probably not. After finding this August 1897 advertisement in the newspaper L’Araldo Italiano, we can probably rule out Braibanti as he looks to be operating a pastry shop and not selling pizza in the ad below.

But what about if we go back to the baker who took over from Braibanti in the summer of 1898, one Filippo Milone. What was Milone “baking” in his grocery/delicatessen/bakery? Unfortunately, a Milone ad while he owned 53 Spring Street from 1898-1900 has not been discovered yet. But shortly after he left Spring St. he opens up a pizzeria at 130 W. 26th St. in 1901 and then a pizzeria at 192 Grand St in 1903. Both pizzerias were documented with ads:

Reviewing Filippo Milone’s entire career, we only have a evidence he baked pizza as opposed to a bread or a pastry. So when he’s identified as a “baker” at 53 Spring St., the strong likelihood is he’s running a pizzeria there between 1898-1900 and thus was probably the man who established the pizzeria at 53 Spring Street.

If we look at the 1902 Trow’s Business Directory, we see Giovanni Santillo is listed not under “Bakers” but under “Bakers, Pie.” Given the context of his career as a pizza maker, this strongly suggests the “pie” they are referring to is pizza, and 53 Spring St was very probably already a pizzeria by 1902. The next advertisement I found was Giovanni Santillo’s. Rarely are we this fortunate to get this much detailed information. We can definitively say that by August 1904, 53 Spring St. was a pizzeria owned by Giovanni Santillo. Note the vertical description of “pizza imbottite” (“stuffed pizza”) and the claim that Santillo, “was in one of Naples main pizzerias for a long time.”

In 1907 the following ad was published in “Piedigrotta alla Villa Vittorio Emanuele III” a pamphlet edited by Luigi Pane. 

The backstory here is that Santillo took a trip back to Naples with his wife Rosa during the period 1906-1907. Giuseppe Amabile, Rosa’s nephew, along with Agostino Perera ran the pizzeria in their absence. When the Santillo’s came back in October, 1907 Giovanni Santillo took over again. Apparently this caused a conflict with Perera as he thought he owned a share of the business. After a bitter falling out, in 1908 Perera left and briefly opened “Nuova Pizzeria Port’Alba” across the street at 50 Spring Street.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE:

What evidence supports Lombardi’s claims? The earliest and only known evidence showing Lombardi owned the business before 1918 is the famous photograph of Antonio Pero and Gennaro Lombardi in front of the pizzeria. Previously, the photo was thought to have been taken in 1905. However, a detailed analysis shows the photo was almost certainly taken in the fall of 1908 shortly after the 21-year-old Lombardi bought the pizzeria from Giovanni Santillo who then returned to Italy.

Antonino Pero & Genaro Lombardi

LOMBARDI'S

Spring Street, New York NY

1908

However, in 1908 Lombardi doesn’t remain owner for long. When the 1909 Trow’s Manhattan Business Directory is released in the spring of 1909 a baker named Francesco D’Errico (a relative of Lombardi’s through marriage) is now listed as the restaurant’s sole owner. D’Errico was previously a baker at 234 N. 5th St. in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). It appears likely that D’Errico and Lombardi exchanged businesses as Lombardi eventually appears for the first time in a directory in the 1912 Trow’s Brooklyn Business Directory as the owner of the bakery at 234 N. 5th Street.

WORLD WAR I REGISTRATION CARD EVIDENCE:

When did Lombardi buy back the Spring St. pizzeria from D’Errico? We’re fortunate WWI Registration Cards document when the buy back occurred. They show an ownership change after June 5, 1917 but before September 12, 1918. Since the 1918 City Directory still listed D’Errico as the owner the ownership change probably occurred sometime in mid-1918.

And from then until the day he died in 1958, Gennaro Lombardi was the owner of the pizzeria at 53 Spring Street. Initially called ….

CONCLUSION:

Putting together all the primary source evidence we get the following chart as to who owned the Spring Street pizzeria.

SUNDAY SAUCE

AMERICA'S FAVORITE ITALIAN COOKBOOK 

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

AMAZON.com

REAL SICILIAN PIZZA - Bagheria SICILY

 

SFINCIONE di BAGHERIA

SICILIAN PIZZA "SFINCIONE"

Of BAGHERIA

SICILY

alla NICOLA

NONNA BELLINO'S SICILIAN COOKBOOK

RECIPES From MY SICILIAN NONNA

DANIEL BELLINO Z 

AMAZON.com

MAKING SFINCIONE

BAGHERIA, SICILY

SFINCIONE di BAGHERIA

BAGHERIA, SICILY

alla NICOLA

Cooking Newport Steaks

.HOW to COOK PERFECT STEAK

The Perfect Newport Steak? What? I make it. Not everyone can. Number 1, you have to start with a Great Steak, a Newport Steak. A Steak not known to many. Well if you're fortunate to live in New York's Greenwich Village, you might know about them. Then again, you might not, cause just because you live in The Village, doesn't mean you know of this little thing of wonder, The Newport Steak. The Newport Steak is a thing of wonder, especially if you love Steak but don't want to shell out about $19.00 a piece or more to get one. That's uncooked from the butcher, a nice Prime Sirloin Steak that is. Now a Newport Steak on the other hand will cost you about $7.50 on the average, or roughly 2 1/2 times less than a Sirloin, and you do not give up on taste or quality. It's just as good. Maybe better.

   

A NEWPORT Ready for the PAN

.

.

Cooking My NEWPORT STEAKS

to PERFECTION

A Perfectly Cooked Newport Steak

"THE STEAK of GREENWICH VILLAGE"

Cooked by Cookbook Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Greenwich Village New York

As The ROLLING STONES 

Play in The Background

SWEET !!!!

It is said that The Newport Steak was created by Jack Ubaldi, an Italian immigrant who owned a Butcher Shop in New York's heavily Italian Greenwich Village some time around 1947. The Newport Steak is actually most commonly known as Tri Tip Steak and comes from the Bottom Sirloin portion of a cow. The Tri Tip is not well known nor much in demand. Well not among the masses, but we "Smart Ones" know better. We always get equal or better quality of anything, but always pay less. Thus the case of a Tri-Tip or if as we call it in New York's Greenwich Village "The Newport Steak" In California, Californians know it as The Santa Maria Steak.

   Anyway, Mr. Ubaldi, wanted to sell this lesser known cut to his customers, but didn't want to sell it as Tri Tip, he wanted a catchyer name. A name that would help sell this wonderful little steak, that was oh so tasty and cost far less than Sirloin, T-Bone, Porter House or Rib Steaks. He wanted a name that in the name itself would sell the steak. One day jack Ubaldi was looking at a pack of Newport Cigarettes and noticed that the logo of Newports was more or less the same shape of the Tri Tip Steaks that he cut. Right then and there Jack Ubaldi named his cut of Tri Tip 

"The Newport Steak" the name caught on and they've been selling Newport Steaks at Florence Meat Market on Jones Street in Greenwich Village ever since. They're are a couple other spots in the area where you can get a Newport Steak. Ottomanelli's down the block at Bleecker and Joes Streets sells them, as well as Pino's Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, and is a place where I often pick up a Newport Steak or two, along with ones from the original Florence Meat Market.

     Well, I picked up a couple the other night and cooked them for me and a friend. As usual, they came out perfectly. We had a Couple good bottles of wine as well, in a nice bottle of Villa Sesta Chianti and a fine Bordeaux. And if that wasn't good enough, and don't you think it should have been? We listened to The Rolling Stones while I cooked those "Tasty Steaks" some Roast Potatoes and Carrots. Those steaks, yes they were Perfect. Not many people can cook a Steak as Good as Me, "No Brag Just Fact." Yes it's Fact, I can cook a Steak Better than anyone of ever met or eaten a steak cooked by another, and that includes Steaks I've had at Sparks Steak House, Peter Luger and other places renowned for their steaks. If you knew me, you'd know I'm telling the truth. Ask anyone who has ever eaten a Steak that I've cook, "They tell you."

  Any way, yes the Steaks were perfect. My mouth is watering now just thinking about them. Dam, I tell you, Those Newport Steaks were "So Dam Good" they were practically "Orgasmic" I kid you not. Ask my Pal Chris, or my Buddies Raoul or Jimmy S, they'll tell you. So we had The Perfect Steak, drank Chianti, and listened to The World's Greatest Rock Band of All-Time "The Rolling Stones." And yes Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, "Sometimes Life Can Be Blissful." Yes It Can.

The Newport Steak 

Is Cut From Tri-Tip Bottom Sirloin

A Couple Nice Newport Steaks

All Ready to Cook Up

IS THE NEWPORT STEAK GREENWICH VILLAGE'S OWN ?

Is that little thing of Beauty The Newport Steak Greenwich Villages Own? Yes Boys and Girls it is! I don't know if anyone has ever coined it that. I do know that those of us in Greenwich Village and New Yorkers in other parts of the city know about it and that it is of Greenwich Village. And you see, just because you live in Greenwich Village doesn't mean that you automatically know about it, not everyone does. We are few and small a group. An elite group who know of the wonders of our beloved Steak of Greenwich Village and Italian Greenwich Village at that. 

Our beloved Newport Steak, those few of us who know about it, is a Greenwich Village Original created by an Italian Immigrant Butcher jack Ubaldi who created the now famous Newport Steak in the late 1940s when he had the idea of cutting the relatively unknown and inexpensive cut of beef known as the Bottom Sirloin in a different way and cut off a couple of Steaks from this piece of meat that was most often used as a roast in a larger piece or ground for Hamburgers, Meatloaf, or Meatballs. Today this cut of meat is normally known as Tri-Tip or Santa Maria Steak of Central California where it is grilled or roasted whole in one piece then sliced when serving. In France this cut is known as a Culotte which is popular in the Bistros of Paris and all over France.

So back to Jack Ubaldi who back in the 1940's invented what is now known to those "In The Know" as a Newport Steak. Jack cut the a piece from the Bottom Sirloin that was about 1 1/2" thick and had the shape of a Boomerang. When he saw a Newport Cigarette ad and noticed that his special cut of Steak looked like the Boomerang Logo of the Newport Cigarettes. Right then and there in his butcher shop on Jones Street in Greenwich Village, Jack named his special cut the Newport Steak. The rest is Culinary and Greenwich Village History, and Italian Greenwich Village History at that, as at that time Greenwich Village was heavily populated by Italians. The Village was filled with Bread Bakers like Zito's(now defunct) around the block on Bleeeker Street, Zapieri's, and Vesuvio as well as a host of other Bakeries, Italian Restaurants and Caffes like Caffe reggio and Caffe Dante, along with another fine Italian Butcher Shop in Pino's Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, in business since 1904. Raffetto's Pasta in Greenwich Village and Porto Rico Coffee are all over 100 Year Old Italian-American businesses as well. 

So the Newport Steak. Created by Jack Obaldi, is cut from the Bottom Sirloin are about 1 1/2 inches thick, weigh about 14 ounces and cost about $7.50 a piece and are well worth it. Heck they're a bargain compared to a Prime Sirloin which are about triple the price of a Newport. And the Newport is every bit as good as a regular New York Cut Sirloin. No quality loss what so ever. In fact, after getting on to Newport's I prefer them to a Sirloin, as do the others in the know on the Newport.

WHERE To GET A NEWPORT STEAK

FLorence Meat Market  "They Invented It" !!!  ... Jones Street, Greenwich Village, New York 

Pino's Prime Meats  .... Sullivan Street, New York,  NY

Ottomanelli's Meat market .... Corner of Bleecker and Jones Streets, down the block from Florence ...  Greenwich Village, New York

PINO'S PRIME MEATS

ITALIAN BUTCHER SHOP

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Pictures of Al Pacino in The GODFATHER

and Cast of The Soprano's

in Window at Pino's

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CIPRIANI DOWNTOWN

NEW YORK CITY

FLORENCE MEAT MARKET

INVENTOR of THE NEWPORT STEAK

Copyright Daniel Zwicke

GREENWICH VILLAGE,  NEW YORK

HOW to COOK The PERFECT STEAK

RECIPE in GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

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,

For Great Recipe and Instructions

On Cooking The Perfect Steak

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.

The Perfect American Meal

"BEST DAMN CHEESEBURGER iN NEW YORK"

The PERFECT AMERICAN DINNER 

The perfect American dinner. What is it you ask? Well I don't know. All I know is what I made for dinner tonight could be in the running. For 1, it's oh so very American. What is it you say? OK, I'll tell you. It's a Cheeseburger and some tasty Cremesicle Ice Cream. "What's so Special about that, " you say. Well for one, I make one of the Best Damn Cheeseburgers you'll ever eat. "It's Damn Good." So damn good ! Better than good. It's delicious. I know how to make a burger. And some Creamsicle Ice Creme? I haven't had it for years. Love it. Since childhood, way back in the 60s. "If You Know - You Know."

Anyway. I was at the cafe working on stuff (writing), and what for dinner I thought. I finished the Chili that I make my Tacos with last night, so what for tonight. "A Burger I think" ? And when I say burger, it's always a cheeseburger. "For sure." So I made my way to the supermarket to get some good ground beef. And when I say good, I mean good. Get the best you can. I walked in the store, and got a flyer (sale items). I browed it over. "Ah. Turkey Hill Ice Cream is on sale. I'll get some of that." I don't throw my money away, and always buy ice cream when it's on sale. Today is the day. I went over to the meat counter and looked over the meat. OK, Ground Angus Beef Chuck (80/20) for $7.99 a pound. I got one. A pound. All set. Now over to the ice cream. Looked over what they had, and when I saw the turkey Hill "Orange Cream Swirl" I went nuts. "Yeah." It instantly made me happy. I thought of my childhood and how much I loved this wonderful combo of lush Vanilla Ic Cream & Orange Sherbet. What a combination. "So good" !!! I had to get some. And so I did. I also got a new jar of dill pickle chips, and some New York State Cheddar to top my burger. I was all set.

I paid for the stuff and made my way home. I sliced the cheese first and set it aside. I got the BBQ Sauce, Mustard, Burger Bun, and salt and black pepper at the ready. Set my small frying pan on the stove, shaped my burger, and put a little olive oil in the pan. Threw the burger in and toasted my bun (Haha!). I seasoned the burger with salt & pepper as it was cooking. After a couple of minutes, I flipped the burger over. I seasoned the other side, and let the burger continue cooking. After a couple minutes, it was done.

I placed the Cheddar Cheese on the bottom bun and set the burger on top. Then I put a bit of Dijon Mustard on top of the burger, and on top of the mustard I put some BBQ Sauce. Put on 3 dill pickle chips, and topped it with the top bun, and I was ready to go. Ready to eat one of the best burgers in town. I kid you not. "If I must say so myself, I make one of the Best Damn Burgers in Town!" That's a fact. I bit in. "Yumm. So good." I told you. I ate the burger (cheeseburger) as slowly as I could. Didn't want to rush a good thing. Well I finished it. I enjoyed it, and I didn't get ripped off, paying maybe $24 for a burger, plus tip and tax, and you probably have a drink, so by the time you're done, you might have spent $60 or more for a burger and one drink. "Not me!" My burgers are better than practically and place in New York, so why throw my money away.

Now, on to dessert. Yes my Orange & Vanilla Creamsicle. "OMG?" The temperature and texture were just right, being outside of the freezer for about 40 minutes. I got my bowl and tablespoon and I dug in. Again, "Oh My God" ? So Good !!! Just like when I was a child in the 60s. I could not have asked for more.

And so, one of the Best Damn Dinners in all of New York City. Maybe not? I know many might not agree. But then, on the other hand, there's probably million people or more, just in New York City who would agree. And that's good enough for me. 

Basta !

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

GOOD HUMOR'S "CREAMSICLE"

VANILLA ICE CREAM with ORANGE SHERBET

"So DAMN GOOD" !!!

"This is WHAT I HAD TONIGHT"

TURKEY HILL "ORANGE CREAM SWIRL"

LOVE IT !!!!

It was just $4.99

The BADASS COOKBOOK

FAVORITE AMERICAN FOODS

And SECRET RECIPES

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"BIG SALE" !!!

52% OFF !!!

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