Pizza Styles

For NY vs Chicago vs California vs Hawaiian vs, even Detroit styles. I get it and easily find references on the net, However, I've come across claims of "Philadelphia style" (like Spinelli's claims) or heck, I think a post here even alluded to "Louisville style" (really?).....and others. So what is the skinny, so to speak, on i.e., Philly, Louisville, et al? Could one put some corn kernels on a pizza and call it Lincoln, Nebraska or Monsanto style? Or, are these more esoteric regional/city style claims simply cities trying to stake a pizza identity where nothing distinctive really exists?

Side bar; If not for my line of work, I'd be interested in Colorado and Washington state styles!

[Robin Garr]

Philly-style, in the opinion of this once and temporary New Yorker, is New York-style, but made in Philly.

Louisville-style is actually a recognized term in the pizza biz: Think the Big Wick, the Clifton, or, probably the progenitor of them all, the Impellizzerri's pie: Thin crust but piled high with cheese, toppings and more cheese.

[Robin Garr]

Don't forget St Louis-style, too, made with Provel, a Velveeta-like cheese, and cut in squares ("Party Cut"), not wedges. The party cut makes its way all the way over to Southern Indiana.

I always thought pizzas like Impellizzerri's were more like casseroles than pizzas. A casserole with a crust. So an Italian pot pie?

But Louisville style came from fun city pizza on preston were Benny and Tony Impellizziri worked as teenage kids and the guy who owned it was from new york as I was told by the family who I was married into at on time

And yes I did spell the name wrong on purpose as a joke to my ex

IMO, no discussion of pizza styles is complete without mention of "New Haven" style. Emphasis on charred crust and a minimum of toppings. Make mine an apizza, please.

IMO, no discussion of pizza styles is complete without mention of "New Haven" style. Emphasis on charred crust and a minimum of toppings. Make mine an apizza, please.

That sounds more like the European-style pizzas similar to what Coal's makes.

Robin, your descriptions are exactly like what I think they would be, especially Philadelphia which really doesn't have its own style and just copied New York!

My thought is that California style pizzas can be in a the above but in place of yummy traditional toppings just throw on vegetables including sprouts! Hawaiian pizzas are not really a style but just a selection of toppings which are pineapple with either ham or Canadian bacon.

The Slice blog tracks regional pizza styles. They call it Ohio Valley as opposed to Louisville.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2 ... tyles.html

[Robin Garr]

But Louisville style came from fun city pizza on preston were Benny and Tony Impellizziri worked as teenage kids and the guy who owned it was from new york as I was told by the family who I was married into at on time

That's fascinating! Thanks, Matt! On the other hand, didn't Benny and Tony work for their own father, and split into competitors after he died?

The only other question I would have about that narrative is that I've lived in NYC, as a teen-ager and again in the '90s, and I never saw anything there that even remotely resembled the Impellizzeri's (or Impellizziri's ) pie.

I'm not doubting your facts, just thinking out loud ...

The Slice blog tracks regional pizza styles. They call it Ohio Valley as opposed to Louisville.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2 ... tyles.html

What they are calling it Ohio Valley pizza is really nothing like what people around here call Louisville style pizza. A Louisville style pizza is piled high with toppings with cheese below and above the toppings on a relatively thin crust. Many times it's very difficult to pick up and eat a slice and you end up eating it with a knife and fork! If you ever had a "Big Wick" you'll know what I'm talking about.

[Robin Garr]

What they are calling it Ohio Valley pizza is really nothing like what people around here call Louisville style pizza.

Yeah, that sounds more like Pizza King and other Southern Indiana pizza styles, which I always assumed was an offshoot of St Louis pizza without the Provel cheese.
I totally agree with Mark about the Big Wick, which in my mind falls into the same category with the big pie at Clifton's and the Impellizzeri pie.

Ok. Robin they both worked at fun city pizza on preston I think were tinks bar is and the guy who owned it went to prison I was told there dad had a meat market were the pizza place was that Benny owned they took his pizza style and put there families butcher's shop sausage on it and it sold so well they closed butcher shop and opened and opened a pizza place , Tony his brother opened one and so did his cousin John ( under diff name )at 4th oak in 90s if that helps any .

Dont know were the pizza style came from but the guy who owned fun city pizza was from new york I was told and real shady like Tony Montana but never met him was just what heard !?

Ok. Robin they both worked at fun city pizza on preston I think were tinks bar is and the guy who owned it went to prison I was told there dad had a meat market were the pizza place was that Benny owned they took his pizza style and put there families butcher's shop sausage on it and it sold so well they closed butcher shop and opened and opened a pizza place , Tony his brother opened one and so did his cousin John ( under diff name )at 4th oak in 90s if that helps any .

Robin delete this if you like,I may become long winded . Benny did work at Fun City Pizza, I didn't. I was selling real estate. Dad was looking to move his meat market from the west end. I found a location that was a closed pizza place (MR. A's).Jan 1979. In Sept. 1979 I came to work for my father.Dad passed away in 1987.Benny and I ran the business until 1990 when Benny decided to open a store in Middletown (next to How Cow).I ran the Bardstown Rd. store , the Middletown store closed in Sept. 1994. Benny came back to Bardstown rd. I bought the assets from Middletown and opened on Vieux Carre in Nov 1994. In 1998 family issues came between Benny and I. Benny and I agreed it was in both of our interests for us part ways. John,our cousin, was never a factor. He came to me wanting to transform a bar to a pizza place but it never really materialized . As for Benny and I, we are still brothers and still very close.