NJ pizza legend Al Santillo returns home to hero's welcome after stroke recovery
Santillo was hospitalized in April after suffering the stroke, a setback that came as he and his family were only weeks from reopening the century-old Elizabeth pizzeria.
Al Santillo, the owner of Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza and a fixture of the New Jersey pizza scene for decades, returned home Tuesday to a crowd of well-wishers after a four-month stay in a rehabilitation facility following a stroke.
Santillo was hospitalized in April after suffering the stroke, a setback that came as he and his family were only weeks from reopening the century-old Elizabeth pizzeria. The shop has been closed since a fire heavily damaged the building in January 2024.
"It was way harder than I thought it was going to be," Santillo said of his recovery. "I had a stroke back in April. Made a lot of progress when I first got there. I couldn't walk at all. Now I could walk with a walker."
Fellow pizza shop owners from across New Jersey turned out for Santillo's welcome-home celebration outside the shop, greeting him with applause as he arrived.
"It pays homage to the fact that he is a true Hall of Famer, "said Guy Madsen. "He's an iconic personality, he's larger than life, and he means the world to New Jersey culture."
The outpouring of support is not new for Santillo. After the 2024 fire destroyed the pizzeria's century-old brick oven, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy donated proceeds from his One Bite Pizza Festival toward the rebuilding effort, raising more than $30,000.
Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza, founded in 1918, is currently listed for sale.
Asked whether he might return to the oven himself,
"Maybe next month you're going to come and see the famous one-arm pizza maker!" he joked.
And of course, Tuesday's celebration featured plenty of pizza.
