In 1915, our Great Grandma Rose packed up the family and took the long journey by boat from Naples, Italy to The United States of America.

She carried the family book of recipes in her one suitcase. The recipes became her legacy and cherished by our family.

Salvatore, our uncle, observed and learned how to prepare grandma’s pies at a very young age. Our Mama taught him how to make Pizza Ala Casalinga. Translation….housewife style pizza. This is the kind of pizza you’d get in Italy when you were invited to someone’s home. Fresh basil and tomatoes came from our modest garden. Mozzarella cheese was bought at the Italian deli in New York city’s Little Italy. The pizza was baked in a pan on top of the stove as Mama didn’t have an oven. We struggled to make ends meet but always made room for another.

Years later, our uncle decided to take his passion for food and start a pizzeria. He named it, Little Italy Pizza. The first two pies he offered were our famous Grandma’s pizza and our Margarita pizza. All made from our Great Grandma Rose’s recipes.

Today our family of pizzas start with Great Grandma Rose’s sauce and our family’s secret crispy crust. Over a 100 years later, our Great Grandma’s legacy has served millions of slices throughout New York city.