Now that’s amore.
Frank Pepe’s iconic, coal-fired pizza joint — a favorite of celebs and locals alike in New Haven, Connecticut — is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month.
Opened on June 16, 1925, by Italian immigrant Pepe and his wife Filomena, the no-frills “apizza” spot helped define the city’s signature tomato pies and sparked a cult-like devotion over the years — think long lines around the block even in the rain, sleet and heavy New England snow.
Now run by the family’s third generation, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has kicked off a yearlong celebration with a new tribute video narrated by hometown hero, New Haven pizza lover and Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti — and fans from both “pizza capital” New Haven and New York City are, well, eating it up.
“When I would serve the New Yorkers at our New Haven restaurant, they would tell me, ‘I’m from New York, and I come back and forth for your pizza — hands down,’” Pepe’s granddaughter, Jennifer Bimonte-Kelly, told The Post.
“New Yorkers are the toughest critics. When they said it was good, I got chills on my legs.”
Connecticut city and state officials joined the Pepe family — along with Giamatti, who has long touted the magic of Pepe’s and has been a fan since he was a child — to honor the milestone last week by christening the corner of Brown and Wooster streets as “Frank & Filomena Pepe Corner” in the heart of the city’s legendary Italian-American neighborhood.
Signature ‘crunch’ baked right in
A century in, Connecticut residents aren’t the only ones still drooling over the famous pizza — there are 16 other Pepe’s locations throughout the country, including outposts in Yonkers, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, Maryland and Virginia.
What makes this pizzeria so special that it has a cult-like following and attracts A-listers like Giamatti, filmmaker Ron Howard, Oscar winner Meryl Streep, former presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and more?
When it opened in 1925, Pepe’s helped define New Haven-style “apizza” (pronounced ah-beets), which is essentially thin pizza made in a coal-fired oven at 600°F or higher, which seals in moisture and creates a crispy, charred but chewy pizza.
The style is often imitated by other local pizzerias, but devotees say it can’t be duplicated — which is what keeps hungry fans coming back.
“It’s like our signature. When you bite into it, the flavor from the crust … tastes better than Italian bread. It just has that crunch to it,” Bimonte-Kelly told The Post.
New Yorker Joey Pascale agreed: “When people say New Haven pizza is burnt, they don’t understand it’s a char.”
Even after moving to NYC, the New Haven County native said he’s made the 90-minute trip to Pepe’s at the request of friends and co-workers who “crave it that badly.”
‘Apizza’ the history
The pizzeria’s long history kicked off when Pepe — who immigrated from Italy to the U.S. in 1909 — returned from WWI and settled in Wooster Square.
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 “apizza” on his head as he peddled them through the market.
By 1925, he’d saved enough money to open Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which quickly became a neighborhood staple.
In 1937, he moved the operation into a bigger space next door — still the main Pepe’s Wooster Street location today — where he and Filomena lived upstairs with their two daughters, Elizabeth and Serafina.
By the early ’60s, 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.
But his daughters had other plans.
Elizabeth and Serafina stepped in to keep things afloat while their mother, Filomena, continued to be the bookkeeper for over 40 years.
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’s original New Haven spot.
Fired up
The pep in Pepe’s famous pizza is its base.
New York pizza dough is usually whipped up with American bread flour — with a dash of sugar and oil in it — giving it a thin, foldable crust with a crispy edge.
On the other hand, the New Haven landmark uses a wetter, longer-fermented dough, which helps it develop a rich, almost ciabatta-like texture.
Pepe’s pizza is then crisped in 100,000-pound brick ovens heated with coal — replicas of the original built a century ago.
Every ingredient used in the pies is handpicked — from the tomatoes grown in volcanic soil near Mount Vesuvius to the clams shucked daily from the Long Island Sound.
Even the pecorino cheese is imported from Sardinia, Italy.
New Haven vs. New York
That exceptional combination is what has kept Pepe’s lights on and its doors open for the past 100 years — and what’s sparked an 85-mile pizza rivalry between NYC and New Haven, as some diehards swear Pepe’s blows Manhattan’s slices out of the water.
“New York style is what I call a ‘lifestyle pizza’ — made to be sold in slice form, on a cheap white plate, on the go. New Haven style is meant to be eaten at the table with family and friends,” Frank Zabski, founder of New Haven Pizza School, told The Post.
Nicholas Aucella, a New York City resident who grew up in New Haven County, is also a fan and has been going to Pepe’s with his family ever since he was born.
“It’s a true, authentic experience,” he explained to The Post. “The pizza is worth every minute waiting in line. The feeling you get from each pie is indescribable.”
Despite the praises from hungry customers, Bimonte-Kelly believes Pepe’s real secret sauce is a heaping dose of humility and gratitude.
“My grandpop taught me in life to treat people with honor and respect,” Bimonte-Kelly said.
“’You don’t boast,’ he’d say. There’s nothing to boast about because it could be taken away from you like that,” she added, snapping her fingers.
And it’s not just the delicious pizza that brings in hordes of customers — the New Haven location is also a place of nostalgia for locals.
“When you look at old pictures of Wooster Street and Pepe’s, it all looks the same,” Pascale said. “Nothing tops the old school atmosphere. I love getting a good seat in the restaurant with a view of Wooster Street and watching people walk by.”
‘Energy, humility, presence and passion’
“I’m just so grateful and humbled. I appreciate the love that the customers give to us. I’m always so blown away,” a teary Bimonte-Kelly told The Post of her grandfather’s long legacy. “I’m just so grateful and humbled. I appreciate the love that the customers give to us. I’m always so blown away.
“I go out into the line whenever I visit, and I thank the customers for coming in and for waiting in line,” she continued.
It’s something she learned from her grandpop, who she says used to “tip his hat” at people lining up for his pizza and greet everyone with a welcoming smile.
“I look around the restaurant to this day and feel the energy, humility, presence and passion of the people from the past and the present. I feel light, energy, love, togetherness, teamwork and resilience.”
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