Frank Pepe and Franco Pepe. Two pizzaioli both alike in name, hail from the fair land of Campania, home to Italy’s richest pizza culture. Yet the similarities end there. Here’s a look at the two of the most iconic names to have ever fired up pies on both sides of the pond.
Franco Pepe, Italy
From: Caiazzo in Caserta, an inland province of Campania that’s just under an hour’s drive from Naples.
Pizzeria: Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo, located in an 18th-century palace that seats 140.
The Story: Pepe, a third-generation pizzaiolo, opened Pepe in Grani in October 2012 after working for years at his family’s nearby pizzeria. Caiazzo hasn’t been the same since. People started traveling from all over Italy, and eventually the world, to try his pizza, which has led to a mini tourism boom for the once-sleepy town with a population of 5,000. He initially didn’t take reservations, so visitors had several hours to kill after putting their name down, which prompted locals to open businesses to them. Nowadays, reservations are required due to the pandemic.
Franco Pepe (ph Giacomo Bretzel)
Signature Pizza: All of his pizzas encompass the flavors and fragrances of the surroundings. The Margherita Sbagliata, or “mistaken Margherita” is of particular note. It’s made with PDO buffalo mozzarella from a nearby producer that’s topped with four pairs of parallel red stripes resembling equal signs, composed of a passata, similar to a purée, made from Riccio tomatoes, a local juicy variety, then spangled with dots of basil and extra-virgin olive oil reduction. All of the pizzas are rimmed with a fluffy, light cornicione (crust). Though in Italy, most people leave the cornicione behind as they find it too heavy on its own after an entire pizza. As a way to reduce waste and encourage balanced eating, Pepe serves a salad alongside the pizza so that patrons have a reason to not leave their crust behind.
Franco Pepe's Margherita Sbagliata (ph Giacomo Bretzel)
Elsewhere: Luckily for Italians, Pepe’s pizza can be found in other places besides Caiazzo, where it’s always made by hands that learned from the maestro directly. His pizza is available on the lunch menu at Identità Golose Milano and at La Filiale, a kiosk that’s part of the luxurious Albereta hotel in Franciacorta, the sparkling wine-producing region in Lombardy that’s about an hour outside of Milan.
Frank Pepe, United States
From: Maori, a town in the province of Salerno in Campania, just south of the Amalfi Coast. He passed away in 1969, but his legacy lives on through the next generation.
Pizzeria: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut. The pizzeria opened its doors in 1925 in the spot next to where the pizzeria stands today, and it’s been in its current location since 1937.
Frank Pepe Pizzaria Napoletana (ph archive)
The Story: A poor and illiterate Frank Pepe emigrated to the US when he was 16 years old. After fighting for Italy in World War I, he returned to New Haven with his wife and got a job at a bakery. He then branched out on his own, opening his own bakery and eventually the now-epic pizzeria. He began serving just two types of pizza: one with tomatoes, grated cheese, garlic, oregano, and olive oil, and the other with anchovies. The original tomato pie remains on the menu while anchovies are offered as a topping. His pizzeria is considered a key player in New Haven’s pizza culture, hatching the style for which the city is known. What made New Haven pizza so particular was that it was originally fired by coke, a byproduct of coal. It became unavailable in the 1960s so pizzaioli moved on to only using coal.
Signature Pizza: White Clam Pizza with clams, grated cheese, garlic, olive oil, and oregano atop a coal-fired thin and crispy crust. The pizza dates back to the 1960s, when raw littleneck clams were popular in Rhode Island. Pepe served them at the restaurant but decided to use them as a topping, making pizza history as it’s considered one of the country’s best pies. In 2018, The Daily Meal named it the best pizza in America.
Frank Pepe's White Clam Pizza (ph Diana DeLucia)
Elsewhere: 11 additional outposts around Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and in Yonkers, New York.