LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - AUGUST 4, 2019 by Lynne Belluscio This summer we’re eating our way down Main Street with some kids for our summer pro- gram. The topic of pizza came up and I posted on “LeRoy Then and Now” for people to share their early memories of pizza in LeRoy. So far over 200 responses have come in. Some folks shared memories about home-made pizza. The historical origins of pizza go back hundreds of years, and to many different countries. It just depends on who you want to believe. Pizza migrated to the United States with Italian immi- grants. Commercial pizza may have started in the early 1900s in New York City - - or Boston - - or Philadelphia, but it is gen- erally accepted that after World War II, returning GIs enjoyed having the pizza they remem- bered having in Italy. I grew up in Rochester, near Mt. Hope Av- enue, and in sixth grade (1956) a bunch of kids went on a “date” to the new pizza parlor on the corner of Fort Hill Terrace and Mt. Hope Avenue. The building is long gone and I think replaced by a McDonald’s. Since Italian food was not part of my fami- ly’s traditions, this was the first pizza I ever had. To be honest, I don’t remember if it had pep- eroni but it was round and cut into pie slices. I do remember my mother making pizza from a box - - it was terrible. The crust was like Biscuick, and the sauce was tomato paste. A few shreds of cheese on the top didn’t make it any better. Until we moved to LeRoy, I didn’t know that there were different kinds of pizza. Meanwhile in LeRoy, if you wanted pizza, and your grandmother wasn’t making it, folks were headed to Bata- via. That was the closest pizza place. (Which brought me to look at the word “pizzeria” and “pizza parlor.” A pizza parlor has a place for people to sit and eat and talk - -thus a parlor. A pizzeria doesn’t always have seating.) It seems that early commercial pizza shops in Le- Roy appeared in the late 1950s. Folks remember stopping by Jenny Malone’s on Bacon Street for pizza. Don Thomas was making pizza in a little din- er on Bank Street (about where the parking lot behind the Bank of Castile is now). The restau- rant was the Dinner Bell, but it wasn’t listed as a pizza shop. This building burned in 1960 and Don and his brother Jim (or maybe his son Jim) moved into a garage on West Main. It was “take out” only, and you’d place your order and then they’d call your name over a loudspeaker, to pick up your pizza. Don and Jim’s became Pizzaland, and folks still come from far and wide, to get a pizza there. LeRoy has had a lot of piz- za shops, and I’m sure I’m going to leave one out, but here’s part of the list: Pontillo’s; Nino’s; Joe’s; Little Caesars; The Fo- rum; Gioa’s; Bus Terminal; The Bakery on Main; LeRoy Pizza at 1 Mill St.; LB Grand; Casi- no; Pizza Partners; Jersey Side Deli; Woody’s; Poohs; Pizza Arcade; Ray’s; Four Brothers; Pizza Hut; Capish; Pastore’s; Ficarellas. In addition to all the dif- ferent shops, there is discussion about sweet sauce, anchovies, deep dish, thin crust, thick crust, stuffed crust, Sicilian, Neapoli- tan, square, round, pan pizza and much more. So here’s a little more in- formation about pizza, which probably most of you already know. “Margherita Pizza” sup- posedly is garnished with to- matoes, mozzarella and basil, to represent the national colors of Italy on the flag of Italy. It was first served on June 11, 1889, in honor of the Queen Consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. In 1984, the Neapolitan Pizza As- sociation set very specific rules governing authentic Neapolitan pizza. These rules state that the pizza must be baked or prepared in a wood-fired, domed oven; that the dough must be hand kneaded and not rolled with a rolling pin (or any type of me- chanical means). The pizza must not exceed 35 centimeters in diameter or be more than 1/3 of a centimeter in the center. Hawaiian pizza, that is topped with pineapple and ham, was not introduced in Hawaii, rather, in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, in 1962, by Sam Panopoulos, a Greek-Canadian. Deep-dish, Chicago Pizza, requires a longer time to bake, and it is customary to put the cheese and toppings on first, and then spoon the sauce on top to keep the cheese and topping from over cook- ing. New York pizza should be a “foldable” slice. Sicilian pizza is usually a square piz- za with thick dough and is cut into squares or the “tavern cut” or “party cut.” St. Louis pizza is made with dough that has no yeast, so it is a very crunchy and crisp. Quattro Stagioni pizza has four different toppings. Each one represents a season: arti- chokes are for spring; tomatoes are for summer; mushrooms are for fall; and ham or meat and olives represent winter. I learned that Capish sometimes has Quattro Stagioni pizza on the menu. Some of the folks that shared stories about pizza, mentioned that pizza was of- ten served on Friday night, but many, in deference to church custom, did not have any meat on the pizza. Pizza marinara, which has no cheese or meat, is usually topped with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, basil, oregano and garlic. It traces its origins to the early 1700s and was eaten by poor sailors on board ship. It is considered to be a vegan style pizza. I’ve also read about sushi style pizza. Fact - - every day, 13% of the American public eats pizza. Pizza The Four Brothers Pizza Shop 10 Main Street (on the corner of Mill Street) T-shirts • Hats • Visors • Tank Tops • Jackets • Towels GREAT GIFTS FOR YOUR FAMILY • FRIENDS • ETC. 1 Church St., Le Roy, NY • 585-768-2201 • Fax 585-768-6334 • Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:00-5:00 E M B R O I D E R Y lpgraphics.net