It’s an idea that seems long overdue, but Connecticut’s famous pizzerias may get finally some official recognition from the state in 2021.
Two New Haven legislators — Rep. Patricia Dillon and Sen. Gary Winfield — have proposed a bill to designate pizza as the state food.
“For one thing, our pizza is great,” said Dillon. “For another, when you go to some states, you can get pizza in chain restaurants, but the pizza in Connecticut tends to be family-founding, family-owned, they have their own identity, their own following and they’re small businesses that really have a big footprint in their communities.”
This *piece* of legislation is fresh out of the oven, and there is no *topping* it… ???????? #nhv pic.twitter.com/M6cOf8jEwf
— DFA New Haven (@DFANewHaven) February 1, 2021
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The one-sentence Proposed House Bill 5656 would amend chapter 33 of the Connecticut general statues to “recognize the contribution of pizza to the state’s cuisine and economy.”
Dillon, who once lived around the corner from the late Flora R. “Flo” Consiglio — longtime operator of the famous Sally’s Apizza on Wooster Street in New Haven — said the proposed bill as a way of “celebrating the joy that we have.”
“There were pictures on the wall of Sinatra and all of these other people who had been there,” Dillon said. “[U.S. Rep.] Rosa DeLauro brought people there. And of course, just a block away we have Frank Pepe’s. There are great places in West Haven, Hamden, Stamford … but of course, as a New Haven-er, I think our pizza rules.”
Winfield, a New York native, said he traveled far and wide as a member of the military eating inferior pizza before arriving in Connecticut two decades ago.
“When I got to New Haven, I said, ‘I think I have to admit that this pizza’s really good,’ ” he said. “New Haven in particular is amazing, it really is. [This bill] is really kind of a fun thing. I’m from New York and I live in New Haven. Pizza is a big part of my life.”
While Connecticut has its share of quirky state ephemera — in addition to a state flag, flower and bird there’s also a state song (“Yankee Doodle”), a state folk dance and polka (square dance and ballroom polka respectively), even a state aircraft (the F4U Corsair) — edibles have so far stayed out of the statutes.
Connecticut is home to some of the oldest pizzerias in the country, including Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven (established in 1925), Zuppardi’s Apizza in West Haven (1934), Modern Apizza in New Haven (1934) and Jennie’s Pizzeria in Bridgeport and Monroe (1935).
A study by the career site Zippia found that Connecticut has more pizza restaurants per capita than any other state. A documentary film, Pizza, a Love Story, came out in 2019.
Last year — after Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana topped The Daily Meal’s list of the 101 Best Pizzas in America — Gov. Ned Lamont scrapped with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy over which state had the best pies.
Um. Guys. ??
You can slug it out for second place.
We all know who’s number one. https://t.co/G1ZwmUxMS9
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 16, 2020
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New Haven pizza activist Colin Caplan, author of the book Pizza in New Haven and an employee of Taste of New Haven, raised the idea with Dillon and Winfield of making pizza the state food. He’s also behind a petition on Change.org that was quickly racking up signatures on Monday.
“We, the people of Connecticut, and those born, raised, living, working, schooling, now, in the past or in the future, see pizza as a source of pride and appreciation for residents and businesses in the state and as an economic driver for the restaurant, pizzeria and tourism industry,” a statement on the petition reads.
“I run pizza tours, pizza classes, I write, teach and even live pizza,” Caplan said. “So it was the next logical step for me to consider something that was the obvious, which was pizza should be Connecticut’s state food.”
Caplan said the traditional takeout model used by most pizza restaurants in Connecticut has made them relatively resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. “They could transition and feed their clientele much easier than high-end restaurants or bars,” he said. “There have been pizzerias that are closed, and this is an unprecedented time for any business, but some pizzerias happen to be doing very well. If you think about why, part of it is because we love pizza so much.”
So far in 2021, lawmakers have filed more than 2,000 bills — many only one sentence long — during the ongoing legislative session, which lasts until early June. Republicans have said that the Democratic majorities in the state House of Representatives and Senate are losing focus and forgetting about the number one issue facing the state and nation: the COVID-19 pandemic.
Should lawmakers be debating whether or not we make pizza the state food?
Dillon said the bill is about community and recognizing the importance of the restaurant community in Connecticut, which has been so badly disrupted during the pandemic.
“People don’t usually eat pizza alone,” Dillon said. “You can, of course, but it tends to be a community thing.”
Michael Hamad can be reached at mhamad@courant.com.
