Gov. Lamont proclaims New Haven the ‘Pizza Capital of America’
The group included elected officials and a dozen pizza powerhouses, like Pepe’s, Sally’s and Modern.
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One hundred pizza enthusiasts packed into Ernie’s Pizzeria in New Haven for a big announcement from Gov. Ned Lamont on National Pizza Day. The group included elected officials and a dozen pizza powerhouses, like Pepe’s, Sally’s and Modern.
“We now declare New Haven the Pizza Capital of America,” Lamont told the crowd as he held up the proclamation to loud cheers.
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“Sorry New York and New Jersey and Illinois,” said State Treasurer Erick Russell.
Native Nutmeggers have long known that title is true. Just ask New Haven pizza guru Colin Caplan.
“It's like the best food you've ever had. It's thin, crispy, chewy. It's been licked by the fire. This is actually not just food. This is a lifestyle. This is everything you ever wanted and more,” explained Caplan.
There was a time you could only find New Haven pizza within city limits, but these days, the perfect pie is no longer a secret.
“Now it's spread all over Connecticut, and there are over 100 cities in this country that profess New Haven style pizza. The best rated pizza in Los Angelos, Ozzy’s—New Haven style. The best rated pizza in Chicago that's not thick and saucy is Peace Pizzeria, and that's New Haven style, so we've got it,” Caplan told News 12.
The governor and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker got to try their hand in the kitchen. And who better to take a lesson from than Ernie's owner, Pat DiRiso, who makes every pie there. His parents opened the neighborhood parlor on Whalley Avenue in 1971. DiRiso told the group his parents came from nothing, and he still remembers looking out the window waiting for their first customer.
New Haven pizza may have started from humble beginnings, but any way you slice it now, it's big business.
“We did some calculations. Based on how many pizzas get made every single day, we know there's actually $100 million of pizza being sold in New Haven every single year. And that's because over 2 million people come and eat our pizza every year. It's an amazing enterprise,” said Caplan.
