Now that\u2019s amore.<\/p>\n
Frank Pepe\u2019s iconic, coal-fired pizza joint \u2014 a favorite of celebs and locals alike in New Haven, Connecticut \u2014 is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month.<\/p>\n
Opened on June 16, 1925, by Italian immigrant Pepe and his wife Filomena, the no-frills \u201capizza\u201d spot helped define the city\u2019s signature tomato pies and sparked a cult-like devotion over the years \u2014 think long lines around the block even in the rain, sleet and heavy New England snow.<\/p>\n
Now run by the family\u2019s third generation, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has kicked off a yearlong celebration with a new tribute video<\/a> narrated by hometown hero, New Haven pizza lover and Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti \u2014 and fans from both \u201cpizza capital\u201d New Haven<\/a> and New York City are, well, eating it up.<\/p>\n The legend of Pepe\u2019s began a century ago, when Italian immigrant Frank Pepe (above) came back from WWI, rolled up his sleeves and rolled out dough in New Haven\u2019s Wooster Square. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n The century-old Connecticut institution has drawn a cult-like following for its coal-fired pies. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I would serve the New Yorkers at our New Haven restaurant, they would tell me, \u2018I\u2019m from New York, and I come back and forth for your pizza \u2014 hands down,\u2019\u201d Pepe\u2019s granddaughter, Jennifer Bimonte-Kelly, told The Post. <\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers are the toughest critics<\/a>. When they said it was good, I got chills on my legs.\u201d<\/p>\n Connecticut city and state officials joined the Pepe family \u2014 along with Giamatti, who has long touted the magic of Pepe\u2019s<\/a> and has been a fan since he was a child \u2014 to honor the milestone last week by christening the corner<\/a> of Brown and Wooster streets as \u201cFrank & Filomena Pepe Corner\u201d in the heart of the city\u2019s legendary Italian-American neighborhood.<\/p>\n Signature \u2018crunch\u2019 baked right in<\/p>\n \u201cThe Holdovers\u201d star and New Haven pizza fan Paul Giamatti celebrates Pepe at the recent 100th anniversary shindig. Lisa Nichols<\/p>\n A century in, Connecticut residents aren\u2019t the only ones still drooling over the famous pizza \u2014 there are 16 other Pepe\u2019s locations throughout the country, including outposts in Yonkers, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, Maryland and Virginia.<\/p>\n What makes this pizzeria so special that it has a cult-like following and attracts A-listers like Giamatti, filmmaker Ron Howard<\/a>, Oscar winner Meryl Streep, former presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and more?<\/p>\n When it opened in 1925, Pepe\u2019s helped define New Haven-style \u201capizza\u201d (pronounced ah-beets), which is essentially thin pizza made in a coal-fired oven at 600\u00b0F or higher, which seals in moisture and creates a crispy, charred but chewy pizza.<\/p>\n The style is often imitated by other local pizzerias, but devotees say it can\u2019t be duplicated \u2014 which is what keeps hungry fans coming back.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like our signature. When you bite into it, the flavor from the crust \u2026 tastes better than Italian bread. It just has that crunch to it,\u201d Bimonte-Kelly told The Post.<\/p>\n Plenty try to copy Pepe\u2019s signature char \u2014 but fans say no one nails it like the original, which is why fans keep flocking back for another slice. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n Pepe\u2019s pies didn\u2019t just win fans \u2014 they built a full-blown pizza cult, with die-hards lining up \u2018round the block in rain, sleet or New England snow for a century strong. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n New Yorker Joey Pascale agreed: \u201cWhen people say New Haven pizza is burnt, they don\u2019t understand it\u2019s a char.\u201d<\/p>\n Even after moving to NYC, the New Haven County native said he\u2019s made the 90-minute trip to Pepe\u2019s at the request of friends and co-workers who \u201ccrave it that badly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Apizza\u2019 the history<\/p>\n Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, the legendary coal-fired pizzeria out of New Haven, Conn. \u2014 beloved by A-listers and hometown heroes alike \u2014 just hit the big 1-0-0. kirkikis \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Frank Pepe and his wife Filomena (above) fired up their no-frills \u201capizza\u201d joint on June 16, 1925 \u2014 and New Haven\u2019s been hooked ever since. The coal-fired classic helped put tomato pies on the map and inspired a century\u2019s worth of die-hard fans. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n The pizzeria\u2019s long history kicked off when Pepe \u2014 who immigrated from Italy to the U.S. in 1909 \u2014 returned from WWI and settled in Wooster Square.<\/p>\n After marrying fellow Italian immigrant Filomena Volpi, he hustled tomato pies out of a bakery where he worked at the time, balancing trays of his signature \u201capizza\u201d on his head as he peddled them through the market.<\/p>\n By 1925, he\u2019d saved enough money to open Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which quickly became a neighborhood staple.<\/p>\n The New Haven location has become a Connecticut landmark. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n In 1937, he moved the operation into a bigger space next door \u2014 still the main Pepe\u2019s Wooster Street location today \u2014 where he and Filomena lived upstairs with their two daughters, Elizabeth and Serafina.<\/p>\n By the early \u201960s, Pepe was ready to hang up his apron. With no sons to take over the coal-fired pie shop, selling the business seemed like his only option. <\/p>\n But his daughters had other plans.<\/p>\n Jennifer Bimonte-Kelly (left) and her sister, Genevieve Bimonte. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n Elizabeth and Serafina stepped in to keep things afloat while their mother, Filomena, continued to be the bookkeeper for over 40 years. <\/p>\n Today, following the passing of her mother and aunt, 68-year-old Bimonte-Kelly is keeping the family legacy alive as co-owner of Pepe\u2019s original New Haven spot.<\/p>\n Fired up<\/p>\n Pepe\u2019s helped create New Haven\u2019s signature style pizza. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n The pep in Pepe\u2019s famous pizza is its base. <\/p>\n New York pizza dough is usually whipped up with American bread flour \u2014 with a dash of sugar and oil in it \u2014 giving it a thin, foldable crust with a crispy edge.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the New Haven landmark uses a wetter, longer-fermented dough, which helps it develop a rich, almost ciabatta-like texture.<\/p>\n Pepe\u2019s pizza is then crisped in 100,000-pound brick ovens heated with coal \u2014 replicas of the original built a century ago.<\/p>\n The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n The white clam pizza, created by Frank Pepe, is made with fresh clams, garlic, oregano, grated pecorino romano cheese and olive oil. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n Every ingredient used in the pies is handpicked \u2014 from the tomatoes grown in volcanic soil near Mount Vesuvius to the clams shucked daily from the Long Island Sound. <\/p>\n Even the pecorino cheese is imported from Sardinia, Italy.<\/p>\n New Haven vs. New York<\/p>\n Pepe\u2019s dough is unique compared to other pizzerias in the tri-state area. Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana<\/p>\n That exceptional combination is what has kept Pepe\u2019s lights on and its doors open for the past 100 years \u2014 and what\u2019s sparked an 85-mile pizza rivalry between NYC and New Haven<\/a>, as some diehards swear Pepe\u2019s blows Manhattan\u2019s slices out of the water.<\/p>\n