Washington Post Named us the #1 NY Pizzeria in Colorado. 3 locations: 1560 Big Thompson Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517 & 325 Main Street., Longmont, CO 80501. 116 Peridot Ave, Loveland CO 80537, Loveland is a drive-thru! At age 15, he was put on a boat which arrived at Ellis Island some 6 months later causing his pants to be too short.. By the 1920's, he had moved to the Bronx then eventually settled in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn buying a brownstone that my great Aunt resides in to this day- in her 90's! Growing up in New York with access to the authentic Italian food of Brooklyn and Long Island, I did not realize how lucky we were to have access to so much great food until moving to Colorado. There are 7 good to excellent pizzerias within a square mile. Long story short, while growing up, every Friday night was pizza night and that pizza came from Mama's in Copiague, NY. In 2009, I started making pizza out of necessity. We had driven from Wyoming to near Pueblo in search of something that reminded us of home. My first few tries were not great but I was making at home and my family were the testers. What happened next was the purchase of a pizza stone and many iterations of dough and sauce as I searched for the holy grail. Remember, pizza is very personal. What I like, someone from Kansas may not. After hundreds of attempts, I had honed in on what satisfied my mind's taste so I shared it with others. When a neighbor - also from NY - screamed from her front door "I LOVE YOU", I knew that it was close. This is a normally very quiet person who says very little....
Onward and upward! With a huge audience at Summitview Coffee on the other side of town, we began with a modest (small) oven. When I say we, I mean Anthony Francher and I. Having two Anthonys in the same place- both from NY - was a blessing. We cranked out many a pizza bagel, then Sicilian pizzas while introducing locals and people from all over the world to NY sauce(remember, this was a coffee shop, not a pizzeria). The sauce is key to the pizza's authenticity. You can buy dough and ready made cheese. Sauce out of a can tastes like sauce out of a can. Childhood friend and mentor Chef Chris Gonzalez taught me the basics of proper sauce, then said "fly". 10 years later, it has taken on a life of its own. Our house specialty is the Godfather. An Italian culinary delight featuring prosciutto di parma, capicola, genoa salami, provolone, fresh garlic, pepperoncini and roasted red peppers! It can he had as an 18" round or Sicilian. Backing up the Godfather is our Sicilian Pie. It's a rectangular pizza with thicker dough and sauce that has a kick. We also have a 26" Mega-Don pie and if that's not enough, an 11-lb behemoth called the Hell's Kitchen! In 2019 we added a 36” pizza called the “Tony 3 Feet”. On the deli side, we have prosciutto di parma, capicola, Genoa salami, pepperoni, black forest ham and bacon. Supporting cheeses include provolone and fresh hand-made, homemade mozzarella.
