Latest news with #pizza
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Staten Island's 'Classic Pizza' Brand Is Ending After 36 Years
A beloved pizza brand is ending after 36 years in business. It's called "Classic Pizza," and the restaurant chain was located in Staten Island, NY. For a time, the brand was growing with four other restaurants, but now it's coming to an end as the family moves on. According to SiLive, the owners are the "creators of a stellar 'Pizza Rustica' and the last stewards of the 'Classic Pizza' brand," which was well-known in Staten Island. The brand was a Rocchio family legacy that spanned two generations, the site reported. The original owners were Pat and Patricia Rocchio. The Staten Island restaurant on Richmond Road is closing on Father's Day weekend, bringing an end to the family's "pizza legacy," the news site reported. According to SiLive, at its height, the Classic Pizza brand was growing, as it "was part of a small local empire, with four locations run by fellow family members." On June 16, the pizza restaurant will switch ownership and will be called Pizza Mia, SiLive reported. "Classic Pizza was established in 1989. It is family-operated and has been doing great things for its neighborhood. We offer a variety of different pizzas and go above and beyond to satisfy our customers," the restaurant's website says. The restaurant was being run by Brandon Rocchio, who is stepping aside due to health concerns, according to SiLive. "Step into a world where every slice tells a story, where each bite is a journey through the flavors of Italy. At Classic Pizza, we've perfected the art of crafting pizzas that stand the test of time," the restaurant's website promises. "Classic pizza is by far the best pizza on Staten Island! I come all the way from New Jersey to bring home three pies every weekend," a customer testimonial reads on the Island's 'Classic Pizza' Brand Is Ending After 36 Years first appeared on Men's Journal on May 31, 2025
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Italian chef reveals how you've been cutting your pizza wrong - and the surprising tool you should be using instead
An Italian pizza master has revealed that you've likely been cutting your pizza all wrong. Davide Argentino, who previously won the 'best pizza dough in the world' accolade, says you wouldn't catch anyone in Naples using a pizza cutter. The renowned chef, who works at Forbici, a new Neapolitan pizzeria in Manchester, also says that cutting a pizza into regular slices isn't a traditional method. In fact, he explains using scissors to cut pizza is much more common in Italy than we might think, particularly in Naples, the birthplace of pizza, and for good reason. 'In Naples, how you eat pizza is as important as how it's made,' he told HuffPost. 'Traditionally, pizza is served whole, quartered with scissors and folded - never sliced with a pizza wheel. 'The pizza wheel is something invented in America - it's not Italian. You'd struggle to find a pizza wheel if you travelled around Naples.' A classic pizza cutter features a round blade attached to a handle, to be pressed into a pizza and pushed across the surface to cut through it. Davide Argentino, who previously won the 'best pizza dough in the world' accolade, says you wouldn't catch anyone in Naples using a pizza cutter However, they tend to drag toppings across the surface and shred the crust if you have to go over a cut multiple times. In Forbici - which translates to 'scissors' - Davide has banned the pizza cutter and instead provides every guest with a pair of scissors at the table to cut into their own meal. The method is said to protect the integrity of the pizza dough, which is made using a 12-hour fermentation process that helps to create a sponge-like structure in the dough. This light, airy dough results in a soft and flavourful crust once it's been baked. Davide added: 'Cutting with scissors preserves the delicate, airy crust created through a long fermentation process. 'It's about protecting the craft, respecting the dough, and inviting guests to experience pizza as it's truly meant to be.' Pizza fans on social media clearly understood his pain, with Reddit users extolling the virtues of using a pair of scissors instead of a cutter. 'Rolling the cutter is messy, usually ends worse for the toppings and is more work than scissors that cut through whichever kind of crust you prefer,' one user said in the thread r/unpopularopinion. 'If you want a crispy crust, it's like the pizza cutter is a wrong tool for it.' Another wrote: 'Once you go scissors you can never go back. I have a specific pair of pizza scissors.' A third chimed in: 'I have pizza scissors!! People make fun of me, but I love them. Way easier than a pizza cutter and you can use them right when the pizza comes out of the oven instead of having to wait for it to cool. 'They also fully cut through the crust and cheese whereas a pizza cutter sometimes doesn't and you end up pulling globs of cheese from other slices or breaking the crust at weird spots.' But many were sceptical of those who used scissors to slice their pizzas. 'Clearly you either can't use a pizza cutter properly, or it's as sharp as a bowling pin,' one person jeered. Others claimed the author of the post just wasn't using pizza cutters 'right' or that they simply needed a new, sharper one. Cutting pizza with a pair of scissors - sometimes known as 'pizza shears' - may not be that popular outside of parts of Italy, but the method has certainly had its moment in popular culture. In the 1986 film Cobra, starring Sylvester Stallone, the actor retrieves a box of cold pizza from a fridge and sits down at a desk to eat it. But instead of just grabbing the singular slice left in the box and eating it like that, Stallone picks up a pair of office scissors and proceeds to cut a section of the pizza with them. He then snacks on the smaller slice he snipped off while watching TV and tending to his gun. The memorable moment may have had fans of the film scratching their heads at the time - but it turns out Stallone was right all along.
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth helps serve pizza to teenagers
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth was helping serve up pizzas to local teenagers on Thursday. Freiermuth was joined by Steely McBeam, the Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, and the Little Caesars Love Kitchen to hand out fresh slices and play games with kids outside Rezzanine Esports in Collier Township. Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth helped serve pizza to teenagers on Thursday. KDKA "It's just great to give back to the Pittsburgh community," Freiermuth said. "They've been so good to me and my family, so it's great to see the smiles on these kids faces and be able to provide some joy." The Little Caesars Love Kitchen is a big rig pizza kitchen that travels across the country on wheels and works to help feed people in need.
CNET
2 days ago
- General
- CNET
This Pizza Steel Takes My Pizza to the Next Level
I've made a lot of pizza at home over the years. In fact, last weekend I made a yummy summer flatbread pizza with burrata, pesto, prosciutto and peaches. In the past, I've used everything from baking sheets to pizza stones, and while they all sort of got the job done, nothing really nailed that crispy, golden-bottom crust I get from my favorite local pizzeria. And making pizza with these tools was often too much of a time investment for me to even bother. That changed when I got my hands on the HexClad Hybrid Pizza Steel. I honestly didn't think a slab of steel could upgrade my pizza game this much, but here we are. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Let's talk about specs At first glance, it looks like a fancy, large metal frisbee. It's a 14.5-inch round pizza steel that fits up to a 14-inch pie and it's surprisingly lightweight for the size -- just about 4.5 pounds -- which made a big difference when I was sliding it in and out of the oven. What sets this one apart is its build: It's a tri-ply combo with a super-conductive aluminum core between layers of stainless steel, topped with HexClad's trademark laser-etched nonstick surface. That means it heats up fast, cooks evenly and won't cling to melted cheese like your standard pizza stone. Bonus: It's oven- and grill-safe up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, dishwasher-safe (hallelujah!) and comes with built-in handles that actually make it easy to move without risking a tragic drop of your just-baked pizza. Why I love my pizza steel (and how I use it) Let's start with the crust, which is honestly my favorite part of any pizza. (You will never find leftover pizza crust left on my plate.) I made the same pizza dough I always make and popped it onto the HexClad steel. During the baking, the bottom crisped up as if I had used a wood-fired oven. It had that slight char and audible crunch when I sliced into it. I've never gotten that kind of result with a stone, no matter how long I preheated it. Macy Meyer/CNET And I love that I didn't have to wait 45 minutes to get started. The aluminum core heats fast, so I wasn't burning daylight waiting for the oven to catch up. The nonstick surface worked flawlessly, too. Whenever rogue cheese and toppings slipped off, I was able to wipe them right off without any elbow grease. Cleanup was laughably easy. I usually dread scrubbing my cooking gear, but this one? A quick rinse, a swipe of the sponge and that was that. No baked-on mess, no overnight soaking required. I even tossed it in the dishwasher once to test the claim, and it came out looking just the same as it did before the wash. Tricky storage I think this steel from HexClad is just about perfect, but it does have one downside. Even though it's lighter than a lot of baking steels, it's still a solid hunk of metal. And while it's not heavy-heavy, it's not exactly dainty either. This might just be a "me"problem, but I've found that storage can be tricky. It's round and wide, which means it doesn't slide easily into my drawers or my kitchen island cabinets. I've had to store it on top of my fridge since that's the only place in my kitchen that can hold a kitchen tool that's both this flat and wide. My final verdict If you're serious about homemade pizza, the HexClad Hybrid Pizza Steel is a total game-changer. I didn't expect it to make that big of a difference, but it did. The crust, the convenience and the easy cleanup all add up to a tool I now reach for weekly for my pizza nights. Is it a bit of an investment? Yes. But if you make pizza even semiregularly (or know someone who does and you're looking for a solid gift idea), then this thing pays for itself in better pies and quicker cleanup. Even at full price, it's a great value for the performance. Considering this steel has almost 300 5-star reviews, I'm not the only one who thinks so. If you're looking for other useful, fun gifts for your favorite hostess or the chef in your life, here are our favorite kitchen gifts under $50. You can also read my reviews of my favorite Everything Maker, and my favorite coffee and espresso system.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Boss of pizza chain admits prices are too high
When customers complained to a pizza chain that it was too expensive, you'd think the boss would fight back. But Mike Burns, CEO of &pizza, agreed, and yesterday he slashed prices and simplified the menu to win back diners. The chain, known for its oblong pies and bold branding, has dropped the price of its pizzas with unlimited toppings from to a flat $12. That's a drop from the previous $12.99 for specialty pies, plus $1.50 for each topping — or $13.99 for a build-your-own option that only included a few free toppings before extra charges kicked in. 'The restaurant industry has been nickeling and diming customers for years - including us,' Burns told 'We are stopping that. This is a permanent pricing strategy.' 'Previously one of our pies that was listed at $12.99 is significantly more expensive once you add additional toppings at $1.50 each. So in reality a $12.99 American Honey with, say mushrooms, was $14.49.' Knots, drinks, and cookies also got cheaper. Besides lowering prices, &pizza, which has stores in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, announced its plans to begin franchising in March. Customers who walk into a store may notice its knots side option costing $6. Before the changes, the chain's knots were offered at various prices typically ranging between $5.99 and $6.49. 'Our knot pricing was also all over the place and I couldn't tell you a good reason why — so now they are all $6,' Burns told Their cookies are now available to purchase for $1, a 50 percent decrease from its original price. 'We were selling them for $3.49, and 'selling' was a loose term, because nobody's buying a cookie for $3.49,' the CEO revealed. The company opted to expand its price decreases for both beverages and food. While keeping the $3.49 Coca-Cola price tag, &pizza decided to bring other canned sodas down to $2. Besides price dips, &pizza introduced a $7 half cheese pie and a drink combo meal, designed to increase foot traffic. Founded in 2012, &pizza aims to have 300 units by 2030. Its popularity in the East has inspired the chain to look into franchising locations in the DMV and Mid-Atlantic regions. 'The ampersand stands for unity and bringing communities together, and we feel like in order to do that, the owner of those restaurants has to live in those communities,' Burns told QSR . 'So if we're going to develop in El Paso, Texas, or Tallahassee, Florida, or Charlotte, North Carolina, the person should live in that market because they know the people, they know the area.' Burns credited the chain's franchising process as one of the reasons why they explored the possibility of price drops. 'We've had dozens of discovery days with potential franchisees, and across each a common question has been 'can we reduce pricing?' Or 'your pricing structure is too high.' So we listened,' Burns explained. There are no plans to open restaurants on the West Coast anytime soon, but the process itself has been moving faster than expected. 'It just shows that there's passion for the brand. We feel we're different than normal fast-casual pizza, but we hope that the people out there see that potential to grow their personal wealth,' the CEO added. &pizza's cost decrease comes after restaurant chains hiked prices for reasons such as inflation and tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. The financial strains have also taken a toll on business owners, including a Pizza Hut franchisee who put 127 restaurants up for sale last year . A &pizza competitor, Pizza Hut has suffered financial hits over the years and its same store sales shrank by 2 percent in the first three months of 2025. Several fast casual restaurants who weren't at risk of closures were found to have significantly raised prices over the last 5 years. Experts discovered that Waffle House increased prices by 96 percent . Its competition has also been financially strong, including CAVA, a Mediterranean 'Chipotle' set to open between 62 and 66 US locations this year.
