PIZZA – The One Italian Word Everyone Knows! – FeMike's (aka IronMikes) Blog

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This article by me appears in April 2025 edition of – Italian Roots Newsletter April 2025

PIZZA – The One Italian Word Everyone Knows!

My last entry into Bob’s email talked about a “Common Language – Nebaletan” where I argued Nebaletan was shared across our American-Italian landscape. But there’s another thing that unites us. No, it’s not the art by the Italian greats Michelangelo, DaVinci, or Caravaggio. It’s PIZZA (yes, all caps, because pizza deserves the respect).

PIZZA: The Great Unifier

Sure, the passion for PIZZA extends beyond “us” to the Amerigans, but also to every culture on earth! “We” can argue endlessly about sauce vs. gravy vs. sugo, but when it comes to pizza? No argument. It’s ours. Period. End of discussion. And, let’s be honest, the world is a better place because of it.

Now, PIZZA isn’t just about filling our bellies—it’s part of our shared American-Italian DNA. But its influence stretches way beyond that. Walk into any pizzeria (please, not Papa John’s… oh, di mi (as my mother would say…aka dios mio, aka OMG), and look around.

A Pizza Moment in the Middle of Nowhere

Case in point—recently, I was in northern Arizona, on Navajo tribal land, eating at (what else?) a pizzeria. Two families sat next to us—one Hispanic, one Navajo. I noticed their kids rocking Serie A (the Italian league) soccer jerseys.

Now, I’m obsessed with Serie A (it’s my version of religion), especially my beloved Napoli squad—nicknamed “Il Ciucciariello” (the little donkeys). So naturally, I asked the kids if they knew the origins of their jerseys. Turns out, no one—not even their parents—had a clue.

But as we talked about Italian soccer, something clicked: here we were, completely different backgrounds, different cultures, and yet, PIZZA brought us together. There’s one thing that transcends borders, languages, and opinions, it’s a good slice.

Pizza Never Gets Boring

Think pizza is boring? Ha! Tell that to my blog – femike99 (aka IronMike’s Blog).

In 2024 alone, I made 134 pizzas from scratch in 24 separate baking sessions. That’s down from 208 pizzas in 2023!

That’s not counting the 50 pizzas I bought from local joints and, many times, those 50 make it to the most sacred tradition of all—cold pizza for breakfast before a long bike ride. (The Breakfast of Champions.)

Over the six years of my blog, I’ve documented 174 purchased pizzas (see here) and 630 homemade ones—and counting. And guess what? I’m still not bored. If anything, my love for pizza only deepens. I’ve learned that I can approach the pizzaiolo/pizzaiola (head pizza chef) in even the busiest joints, and ask about their dough, sauce, and their cheese.

Recently, we stopped in a new joint outside of Buffalo (Pizzeria Florian). The pizzaiolo, Jay, also started Jay’s Artisan Pizza which a Top 100 in the World pizza (the only list that I trust). When I mentioned my blog, Jay sat down and talked with us for 10 minutes. I had no intent to “interview” but I learned a lot but especially was reminded about how small PIZZA makes the world.

If it was Boring, Why Do We Disagree Vehemently?

Want proof that pizza isn’t boring? Just Google “Best PIZZA Near Me” and watch the internet implode.

The moment someone utters the word “best”; the arguments begin—and unlike Middle East peace talks, these pizza debates should last forever. Because as tastes evolve, so does the pizza landscape. And that, my friends, is a good thing.

For example—my buddy from Brooklyn and his wife from Staten Island swear by a Rochester joint’s NY-style PIZZA. I, on the other hand, usually find NY-style just… “good” – for several reasons. Though they never say, I think they were disappointed in my assessment, but hey, that’s what makes the PIZZA world go ‘round.

Paulie’s Favorite – Joe’s Brooklyn Pizza (in Rochester!)

Why Start Blogging About Pizza?

Because I can! I love putting my opinions out there and then stirring the (pizza) pot with my readers. It’s like that Arizona pizzeria—different people, different places, different takes on pizza.

But honestly, my PIZZA obsession started when the PIZZA scene in my adopted hometown of Rochester, NY, took a turn – not that the PIZZA was bad (see below), the PIZZA lacked a certain pizzazz that comes from exacting standards that are the trademark of an artist – like our early immigrant ancestors.

Like most Rust Belt towns, the immigrants who built the PIZZA culture eventually moved on, and with them, that original passion. New owners took over, but it was never quite the same. Some cared, some didn’t, and the few originals that did survive weren’t making pizza with that same LOVE as that of an ARTISAN.

So, I started searching— I was looking for my old, lost favorites — Bay-Goodman in Rochester, Anita’s in my birth town outside of Cleveland. I wanted any place that could take me back to those favors and the memories that they invoke. Funny enough, I can’t remember what I ate yesterday, but one bite of the right sauce, and BOOM—I’m back in 1970, eating a pie with my family from Anita’s (which, to this day, I swear was seasoned with wacky-tobacky and not oregano).

The 1st Pizza Blogged – Nima’s (Palmyra, NY – along the Erie Canal during Covid)

Just Like Art, There’s No Bad Pizza!

I only have three pizza ratings: Great, Good (close, but not Great), and Meh. That’s it.

Even a “Meh” pizza isn’t bad. I’ve eaten “meh” gas station pizza with an ice-cold Coke while 70 miles into a bike ride in the middle of nowhere, and in that moment? It was GREAT.

Of course, when I got home and realized it was freezer-burned, reheated cardboard that had been spinning on a metal turntable all day… my opinion changed. But you know what? It still wasn’t bad.

So, in parting, I will say this: The search for GREAT PIZZA is never over. I truly hope yours is not either. And as you search, think about the great Italian works of art – Michelangelo, DaVinci, Caravaggio, and PIZZA!

Ci vediamo…in pizzeria! (See you later…in a pizzeria). Ciao!🍕