Andrew Thierry Bellucci (January 21, 1964 – May 31, 2023) was an American cook.
Bellucci was born on 21 January 1964, in Jersey City, New Jersey. [1]
Initially developed his skills in the East Village, Bellucci's fascination with the history of pizza drove him to rediscover the heritage of New York's pizza-making, tracing its origins to Naples immigrant Gennaro Lombardi. [1] This led him to resurrect a defunct coal oven in Little Italy, persuading Lombardi's grandson to endorse a pizzeria bearing the family name. [1] Later, Lombardi's Pizzeria was established. [2]
Bellucci emerged as a distinguished figure in New York's pizza scene in the 1990s, crafting artisanal pizzas that later influenced a new generation of chefs. [1] His renown was overshadowed by an earlier crime involving embezzlement at a Manhattan law firm, leading to his arrest and a 13-month prison sentence. [1]
Following his prison sentence, Bellucci ventured through a phase of professional obscurity, later resurrecting his culinary career in Malaysia. [1] His return to New York saw him fulfill a lifelong dream of opening his own establishment, Bellucci Pizza, in Astoria in 2020. [1] Further developments included a legal dispute over the naming rights to Bellucci's initial pizzeria in Astoria, which was eventually settled in a federal court in December 2022. [2]
Bellucci died on May 31, 2023, due to a heart attack. [3] [4]
On August 28, 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells robbed a PNC Bank near his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. Upon being apprehended by police, Wells was murdered when an explosive collar locked to his neck detonated. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into the murder uncovered a complex plot described as "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI".
Totino's and Jeno's are brands of frozen pizza products owned by General Mills.
Gennaro Lombardi was an Italian immigrant who moved to the United States in 1897, and known for allegedly opening the first pizzeria in the United States, Lombardi's. He opened a small grocery store in New York City's Little Italy. An employee of his, Antonio Totonno Pero, also an Italian immigrant, began making pizza for the store to sell. Their pizza became so popular that Lombardi opened the first US pizzeria in 1905, naming it simply Lombardi's.
New York–style pizza is pizza made with a characteristically large hand-tossed thin crust, often sold in wide slices to go. The crust is thick and crisp only along its edge, yet soft, thin, and pliable enough beneath its toppings to be folded in half to eat. Traditional toppings are simply tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. This was a popular meal amongst poor Italians due to the ratio of product from the limited produce.
White pizza, pizza bianca or a white pie is a style of pizza that does not use tomato sauce. The pizza generally consists of pizza dough, olive oil, garlic, cheese, salt and sometimes toppings including vegetables such as spinach, tomato, and herbs. Ricotta is a common type of cheese used on white pizza in the United States. Sometimes white sauces such as bechamel are used.
The history of pizza begins in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced basic flatbreads with several toppings.
The DeCavalcante crime family, also known as the North Jersey Mafia or North Jersey crime family, is an Italian-American Mafia organized crime family that operates mainly in northern New Jersey, particularly in Elizabeth, Newark, West New York, and various other North Jersey cities and the surrounding areas in North Jersey. It is part of the nationwide criminal network known as the American Mafia. It operates on the opposite side of the Hudson River from the Five Families of New York. It maintains strong relations with many of them, as well as with the Philadelphia crime family and the Patriarca crime family of New England. The Decavalcantes are considered by some to be the "Sixth Family".
New York held various elections on November 7, 2006. Most notably, elections were held for the state governor, attorney general, comptroller, and for the U.S. Senate, all of which saw Democrats win and build on their existing majority. While Democrats had already been a strong force in the New York City area, most of the Democratic gains in 2006 occurred upstate. Former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer won the 2006 gubernatorial election by a record margin, while Andrew Cuomo replaced him as the new attorney general. Alan Hevesi was re-elected as comptroller, despite mounting ethics concerns. Hillary Clinton was re-elected to the Senate. For the first time in over 50 years, all major statewide elected offices were held by one party. For the first time in over 60 years, they were all held by Democrats.
Patsy's Pizzeria is a historic coal-oven pizzeria in New York City. Opened in 1933, it was regarded as one of New York's original pizzerias for its use of traditional New York style thin crust pizza.
Totonno's is a pizzeria located at 1524 Neptune Avenue in Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. It was established in 1924 by Antonio "Totonno" Pero.
Pizzeria Bianco is a pizza restaurant in downtown Phoenix, Arizona established in 1987 by Chris Bianco, and has earned very positive reviews by notable food critics. Nationally recognized for its pizzas, the restaurant's small seating capacity can lead to wait times that sometimes surprise casual patrons. The restaurant features a wood-fired oven and homemade mozzarella cheese used in pizzas primarily fashioned by the owner himself. In 2013, the restaurant established a second location in the Biltmore Area of Phoenix. In 2022, the restaurant opened a third location, in Los Angeles.
Papa's Tomato Pies is a historic pizzeria selling Trenton tomato pies in New Jersey. It was founded by Giuseppe "Joe" Papa in 1912 on South Clinton Avenue in Trenton, New Jersey. Papa's is the oldest family owned and longest continuously operating pizzeria in the United States. Papa's is the second oldest pizzeria in the United States after Lombardi's Pizza, but Lombardi's closed for a decade from 1984 to 1994 and was reopened under new management.
Ann Kim is a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Domenico De Marco was an Italian pizza chef, who founded the pizzeria Di Fara Pizza on Avenue J in Brooklyn in 1965. He received national recognition for his restaurant and was considered a godfather of pizza in Brooklyn.
Scarr's Pizza is a pizzeria at 22 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Rizzo's Fine Pizza is a pizzeria in New York City, with locations at 31-33 Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens and 17 Clinton Street in Manhattan.
Lenny's Pizza was a New York City pizzeria in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, established in 1953.
Pizza Thief is a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon. The restaurant has a "sibling" adjacent bar called Bandit Bar.
Chris Bianco is an American James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur in Phoenix, Arizona. He operates restaurants in Arizona and California.