Zagat once claimed of Totonno Pizzeria Napolitana (totonnos.com), “Only God makes better pizza.” And this legendary pizzeria has certainly received its share of cult-like worship since its beginnings in 1924, when Anthony “Totonno” Pero opened his own pizzeria in Brooklyn’s Coney Island (he had trained for years as a pizzaiolo at the legendary Lombardi’s in Manhattan and had a place across the street before moving to the current location). An Italian immigrant who was a baker in Italy, he developed his own pizza recipe, which is still followed today: “imported Italian tomatoes; a dry mozzarella that’s made especially for us, with very little salt; and olive oil,” says Louise Ceminieri, granddaughter of Anthony, who co-owns the shop with her brother and sister, Frank Ceminieri and Annette Balzano. “The recipe, combined with the coal-fired brick oven we use, creates its own unique taste.”
This recipe remains unchanged even despite wildly fluctuating prices (Louise recalls paying up to $127 for four cans of olive oil and $90 for a bag of flour), and she prides herself on not cutting corners—easier since the family owns the building and, according to Louise, “never spent five cents on advertising.” She also partially credits Americans’ insatiable desire for pizza. “Pizza is going to make money, no matter what kind you make, because people love it so much,” she says. It doesn’t hurt, however, that Totonno appears in dozens of cookbooks and guidebooks the world over—the pizzeria even won an America’s Classics award from the James Beard Foundation in 2009.
In the ’90s, the pizzeria began expansion, opening two locations in Manhattan by licensing with partners, but the original location suffered a setback in 2009 when a fire destroyed part of the restaurant. However, the family persevered and reopened in February 2010, much to the relief of fans worldwide, and the pizzeria remains the longest-operating in one location in the United States. “We had to rebrick and reinsulate the oven, and I was really afraid that the pizza wouldn’t taste the same,” Louise remembers. “But we made some test pizzas before we opened, and I said, ‘Could it be possible that it tastes even better?’"
LOMBARDI'S PIZZERIA
53 SPRING STREET
MEW YORK NY
LOMBARDI'S 1905
SPRING STREET
GENARO LOMBARDI (L)
ANTHONY PERO (R)
Anthony Pero was the Pizzaiolo at Lomabradi's Pizzeria on Spring Street in New York.
He is said to be the 1st Ever Pizzaiolo (Pizza Maker) in Amaerica, beginning to make Pizza
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Enjoy three Pizza tastings from some of Greenwich Village’s best-known pizza restaurants
Discuss the art of making pizza with one of New York’s top pizza chefs
Walk in the footsteps of some of America’s best-known writers, artists, and musicians along quaint tree-lined streets and architecture
Toast to Village legends at two of the West Village’s most famous and notorious bars
Full description
Explore the best pizza and beer in Greenwich Village, a historical and cultural mecca on the Westside, with the help of a licensed tour guide. You will enjoy learning interesting tidbits and increase your cultural knowledge, all while savoring three pizza samplings and two beer tastings.
About the Pizza:
No neighborhood does pizza quite like Greenwich Village, with everything from amazing coal-fired thin crust pies, to traditional New York slices dripping with mozzarella cheese and oil, to newer pizzaiolos (pizza makers), many recent immigrants from Italy, who are showcasing how pizza is cooked in their home regions in the Old Country. Three amazing spots have been scouted to try three different styles of pizza. You will examine what makes each so unique, from inspiration to ingredients, to ovens.
About the Beer:
Drinking in Greenwich Village has always been as big a part of the culture as music, painting, and writing. Not even a little thing like Prohibition stopped the party, the Village was home to some of New York’s most famous speakeasies, and you will enjoy a beer at one of its better-known former speakeasies. Learn how they snuck in the booze and kept their customers from getting arrested while enjoying drinks in the bars that helped transform Greenwich Village into The Village, as much a state of mind as a physical neighborhood.
You will be walking the same streets as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jackson Pollock, Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, and other Village legends, chatting about what drew them all to this amazing corner of New York. You will schmooze, take photos and sightsee as well as eat and drink, learning the amazing stories of the Village and all of the establishments you visit.
