The smell of bubbling cheese, roasted tomatoes, and a crisp, charred pizza crust has a way of stopping us in our tracks. In Yonkers there is no shortage of pizza chefs willing to tempt us with their unique and delicious pies. Welcome to The Great Pizza Chefs of Yonkers, Parte seconda.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
Pepe’s pizza, with its thin, crispy crust and lightly charred edges, falls somewhere between American and Neapolitan styles.
The story of Pepe’s Pizza began nearly a century ago. In 1925, Frank Pepe opened a bakery in New Haven. One day, he topped one of his yeast breads with tomato and cheese and baked it in his coal-fired oven, creating his first pizza pie.
[Editor’s note: With this story, we are pleased to welcome Marie Rama to The Ledger as our new food editor. More about Marie here.]
His dough was double-hydrated and doubly fermented, producing a crust that was soft and pliable yet exceptionally crisp when baked. The coal-fired oven added the delicate char that became one of Pepe’s hallmarks.
Today, Pepe’s is still family-owned and has successfully expanded to 17 locations. The Yonkers restaurant on Central Avenue is the only Pepe’s in New York State.
When Pepe’s opened in Yonkers 16 years ago, Jobani Calixto had just graduated from Lincoln High School. He walked in, was hired as a dishwasher, and proceeded to learn every aspect of the business. Today, he is Pepe’s enthusiastic general manager.
Mr. Calixto is also deeply involved in the Yonkers community, donating freshly baked pies to fundraisers for the police and fire departments, other first responders, and the schools.
On our visit, a Pepe’s Value Sampler featuring three individual pies was set on our dining table, fresh from the oven. Each was delicious, but the Pecorino Romano and Tomato Pie was especially memorable.
The tomatoes are an important part of Pepe’s tradition. The Pepe family personally visits Italy to select and import the tomatoes used in its sauces. The company also sells its own Frank Pepe Italian Peeled Tomatoes.
Unlike some of the smaller pizzerias in Yonkers, Pepe’s has ample dining space and often hosts graduation, retirement, and even wedding parties.
Pepe’s Pizza, 1955 Central Park Avenue. 914-961-8284.
Roaming Wood-Fired Pizza: Have Pizza Truck, Will Travel!
Making an excellent pizza takes physical stamina, mental alertness, and years of experience, especially when your pie is baked over a wood-burning fire.
On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., Chef Peter Rossignuolo artfully tosses his pizza dough, adds sauce and assorted toppings, and slides each pie into the oven built into his roaming pizza truck.
On Tuesdays, he can be found parked at 104 South Broadway from noon to 2 p.m., slinging pies to customers who know where to find him.
The oven, fired with hardwoods such as oak or apple, can reach temperatures of 800 degrees — hot enough to quickly cook the pizza while giving the crust and edges a distinctive char.
Before opening his roving pizzeria, Chef Rossignuolo owned Da Marino, a five-star Manhattan restaurant frequented by celebrity guests. After about ten years, however, he wanted a shorter workday. He envisioned — and created — his roaming pizza truck.
Today he bakes between 50 and 70 pies a day and, upon request, caters all kinds of celebrations, including weddings, corporate events, birthdays, graduations and even golf outings.
Born near Naples, widely regarded as the birthplace of pizza, Rossignuolo immigrated to the United States in his early teens. Like many professional cooks, he learned from a family member, apprenticing alongside his grandmother, who herself owned a wood-fired pizzeria in New Rochelle.
For his pizza sauce, Rossignuolo uses Stanislaus tomatoes from California, which he considers among the finest available to restaurateurs and food manufacturers.
On a sun-filled late-summer afternoon, a steady stream of customers gathered around his truck, picking up pre-ordered pies or patiently waiting for pizzas made to order. The aroma of wood smoke and baking dough was like a Siren’s call – irresistible!
Roaming Wood Fired Pizza: 104 South Broadway on Tuesday, noon–2 p.m. 999 Saw Mill River Rd., Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. For orders and catering: 914-334-9577.
In Yonkers, at least, the answer to what makes a great pizza seems clear: give a good pizza maker a hot oven, good ingredients, and a little imagination—and there will always be someone waiting for the next slice.
