Today, New York is synonymous with pizza. Famed for its wide, thin base that’s stretched by hand, the city’s slices are served in larger-than-life, cheese-and-tomato triangles that are folded before eating. Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombardi is often touted as the man behind NYC’s first licensed pizzeria, having allegedly launched the eatery at its original 53 Spring Street location in 1905. But new research suggests the mastermind behind the restaurant may have been someone entirely different.
Chicago-based pizza researcher Peter Regas, for instance, thinks a forgotten group of pizza makers may have paved the way for the famous Lombardi. Studying business directories, he landed on the Spring Street address. But the name next to it? Francesco D’Errico. “It appears Gennaro Lombardi had the business before Francesco as well as the period after,” Regas told Gothamist.
While this eureka moment didn’t prove that others were likely baking and selling pies on Spring Street before Lombardi did, it further fueled Regas’ research, leading him to another man: Filippo Milone. The statistician now believes that Milone was likely the first purveyor of pizza at that location. He also found that Milone brought his pizza-making expertise over from Naples and won over New Yorkers by opening around half a dozen pizzerias throughout the city, including the eatery now known as John’s of Bleecker Street. So what does this mean? Well, that Lombardi wasn’t the first man to set up a pizzeria in the city. And what’s more, there were plenty of pizzerias that came before the Spring Street site, too.
Pizza, a history
Today, there are more than 1,800 pizza restaurants in New York City, and there’s something for everyone, whether you’re scanning for a gourmet Italian restaurant or the iconic $1-per-slice spot. But pizza first became a staple in the U.S diet after World War II, primarily due to returning American soldiers who had developed a taste for it while stationed in Italy.
But who invented pizza in the first place? You might think it all started with the Italians, but they were actually influenced by the humble Mediterranean flatbread: the ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Roman tradition of loading baked dough with spices, herbs, and cheese. But yes, it’s Naples that came up with the version of pizza we all know and love. The initial 17th-century dish was just a mix of garlic and tomato sauce layered on bread, and it was referred to by locals as “pizzaiola”.
Fast-forward to 1889, and the Margherita was born. Dressed with mozzarella, fresh basil, and, of course, tomatoes, the pizza mimicked the colors of the Italian flag, and was designed to commemorate Queen Margherita of Savoy. Italian immigrants to Europe and America spread the word of the delicious snack in the 20th century, and today, different parts of the world boast their own variations of the Italian classic. There’s the Chicago deep dish, the Flammkuchen of Germany, and Sweden’s kebab variety. But we have a soft spot for the New York slice (not to be confused with the Brooklyn style), and all the bakers who made it what it is today.
