WE’RE MAKING A BOOK ABOUT NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORKERS, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR MOST BELOVED FOOD.

BY FIVE GUYS FROM NEW YORK

NYPIZZAPROJECT@GMAIL.COM

NYPIZZAPROJECT.COM

TWITTER: @NYPIZZAPROJECT

FACEBOOK.COM/NYPIZZAPROJECT

ELEGANTE PIZZERIA BAY RIDGE

This is a book about pizza, but not about food. The New York Pizza Project is the

work of five New Yorkers who set out to capture the stories behind the slices.

Like many New Yorkers, we have a special connection to pizza, particularly to

the neighborhood pizza places we grew up going to—the after school hang-out,

the late-night-hole-in-the-wall, the shop where we first learned to fold a slice.

We’re venturing to slice spots throughout the five boroughs, recording inter-

views and snapping photos. The result is a mosaic of portraits and anecdotes

that highlight the unique relationship between New Yorkers, their city, and their

iconic food..

the PREMISE

C A TE G ORIES4

EATERS SHOP BLOCK MAKERSThe The The The

T H E M A K E R SBehind every slice is the story of a pizza maker. We talk with the men

and women who spend their lives kneading the dough, perfecting

the sauce, and paying the bills. For some it’s a dream job, for others

it’s simply the best way to earn a living. For everyone it’s hard work.

We present their stories to highlight the spirit of real New York pizza.

“This is part of New York. You can’t take away the slice of pizza from the city of New York and the culinary history of this town. It’s part and parcel of who we are. And its non-discriminatory. ‘Gimme a slice of that, gimme a slice of that, gimme a slice now!’ This is the world that we created. So there are the guys that say ‘I’ll have ten pizzas to go,’ and the guys that say ‘Gimme a slice!’ A little poor urchin like in David Copperfield, but instead of porridge, its ‘Gimme a slice, please...’ We’ve satisfied the need, and Patsy was the master at this, of what the people needed.”

JOHN

“45 years. Same place. Nothing’s changed. No boss. No nothing. When I got started, it was 15 cents a slice...1963... I have two boys and granddaughters and grandsons...they are students. Immigrants start pizza places and restaurants. Students start businesses...I work 12 or 15 hours a day, you know? Seven days a week. No holiday, no nothing.”

GEORGE

FRANK

“When you do things, it’s gotta come from the heart. In the end, the food tastes better. I

don’t know why, but it does. If you’re someone who has that passion, then the food will taste better. It’s cooked with love. It’s that

touch that makes the masterpiece.”

ROSE

“My husband started. Then me. Then my whole family started. My kids. Everyone. We

wanted to do everything by family. That’s why we are the best. We don’t trust employees.

That’s the reason it’ s all family run.”

“I spend two days a week with my family. Sometimes they come here. When I can’t go there, they come here. Sometimes on my birthday they come here. What are you gonna do though? Work is work...When I came to the United States I was 13 years old. I started in the place where they made the movie Saturday Night Fever, Lenny’s Pizza in Bensonhurst, that’s where I was washing dishes and making deliveries.”

LORENZO

“I was a construction guy over there in Napoli. I was in the army first, for one year, and after that, I was out. I moved here when I was 24 and was in the bread business for 12 years. I went into the pizza business and bought this pizza shop because I had four kids and bread is a lot of time. You work all night and part of the day. So I figured with pizza, you know, you can live a little bit.”

CARMINE

THE EATERSGrabbing a slice is a New York tradition. It’s a quick, inexpensive, and

convenient experience shared by everyone from the unemployed to the

investment banker. We talk with people as they grab a slice and ask them about

their city, its pizza, and everything in between. The result is a collection of stories and

portraits that lend insight into New York, New Yorkers and their connection to pizza.

ALEXIS, ANDREW, ANGELINA, DANIELLE

“I’ve been coming to this place for 40 years. I used to be part of a group of four or five people that would come here late at night ... a little club of us and we used to meet at twelve or one in the morning. One was a Japanese lady, one guy worked for Con Edison, one was myself, and one was a realtor, and we would just come in here and talk, and hang out all night.”

MICHAEL

LOUISE

“The neighborhood’s changed but I still come to Sacco’s. I get a slice of pizza with pepperoni, not too hot, and I take the cheese off. Because I don’t want cheese.”

“I happen to work two blocks away and I’m on my way home back to Prospect Heights and I’m too hungry to get on the train without eating something, so pizza is an easy thing to eat. When I get home, I’ll have something for dinner.”

CHRIS

VINNY AKA BIG V

“My fathers and uncles all been comin’ here forever. Anybody tells you in the neighborhood where to go, it’s here. The daughter and son helps out, he brings in his family. Nobody bothers you, every-one comes in with their families. I come here every day. Believe it or not, you cant beat it.”

“We’re getting favors for my mommy’s friend’s birthday…its a secret. Pizza’s a special treat today. This is the best pizza I ever had.”

CHRISTINA

ADELINE AND MALIK

“Just passing by, we like the pizza, the taste, so I always come in. I grew up near Park Slope. I remember coming here as a child with my mother. I come here because I like the taste. This is a little of what I remember from my childhood.”

THE SHOPYou know you’re in a legit New York pizza place the minute

you walk in the door. They all emit the same unmistakable

New York vibe. Through candid photographs and anecdotes,

we celebrate the sights, sounds, and smells of the often imi‐

tated, never replicated, spirit of these New York institutions.

VI PIZZA

IVANA PIZZERIA

“It’s no frills. It just has an oven and ingredients and you make it and that’s it. Someone works in the back and that’s it. They’re all different. Some

are bigger, some are smaller. But you have your gas oven and you have your garlic knots and that’s it.”

-Tony, Eater, Washington Heights

FAT SAL’S PIZZA

“When I think of New York pizzerias I think of hole-in-the-walls. They are very in-and-out. Definitely some sort of religious paraphernalia. Tiling probably. Fluorescent lighting.” -Zachary, Eater, Fashion District

VINNIE’S PIZZERIA

“The parlor is simple but very dynamic. The pizzas are constantly being made and

people are constantly funneling through, so the place is alive. It’s fresh pizzas,

fresh people.”

- Rob, Eater, Greenwich Village.

PINO’S LA FORCHETTA

THE BLOCKNo matter what part of the city you find yourself in, chances are you’re only a few

blocks away from a pizzeria. Some have been around for decades and seen the

city change. Some are new comers and hope to stand the test of time. They are all

an essential strand of the city’s DNA. We capture images of pizzerias and the blocks

they live on to explore the relationship between the city and these iconic institutions.

ROCKET JOES PIZZA

RIZZO’S FINE PIZZA

“It’s not like most areas in the city, everyone here works together. When people run out of stuff or have too many customers, we all help each other out. Most places, when you have the same type of businesses on the same block, we have eight pizzerias on the block, in other areas, they are at war, here, everyone gets along. We’re all cool. We all hang out, get coffees together, we’re all friends.”

- Frank, Owner, Ivana’s, Arthur Avenue

THE ORIGINAL RAY’S PIZZA RESTAURANT

BAY RIDGE

“The neighborhood is always changing. Every four or five years you see different people. You get a different

crowd. The population out here is getting bigger too. It wasn’t very busy like this. I would say in the past

20 years it has gotten more crowded. I guess it’s too crowded in Brooklyn. Now it’s more expensive here. Not as much as the City, but it’s expensive. It’s been

good for our business.”

-Giorgio, Owner, Staten Island

“ Everything in here has changed … the neighborhood has changed. There used to be a lot of poor people.

Now there is a lot of rich people.”

- Pablo, Owner, Washington Heights

NYPIZZAPROJECT@GMAIL.COM

NYPIZZAPROJECT.COM

TWITTER: @NYPIZZAPROJECT

FACEBOOK.COM/NYPIZZAPROJECT

Contact U!