[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 107 (Monday, June 23, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





HONORING FRANK PEPE PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR 100TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 23, 2025

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, there are few things that define my 
hometown of New Haven, Connecticut and my childhood neighborhood of 
Wooster Square more than a specially crafted food that draws people 
from across the country. It is called apizza, which is pronounced ``ah-
beetz'' and is the original way ``la pizza'' was pronounced in Southern 
Italy. This year, the institution that started it all, Frank Pepe 
Pizzeria Napoletana, is celebrating its centennial anniversary. I could 
not be prouder to stand today to join the Pepe family, the City of New 
Haven, and the Wooster Square community in celebrating this remarkable 
milestone.
  Frank Pepe's story is that of the quintessential American immigrant, 
the story that we all conjure when we refer to the American Dream. 
Immigrating to the United States as a teenager in 1909, Frank served 
this Nation in the military during World War I, before returning to New 
Haven where he worked in a pasta factory and then a bakery on Wooster 
Street. He aspired for more and one day inspiration struck in the form 
of apizza, a style of pizza from his hometown of Naples. Frank first 
began selling his tomato pies by walking through the Wooster Square 
market, the pies stored on a uniquely fashioned headdress, eventually 
saving enough money to buy a wagon. His pies grew ever more popular and 
in June of 1925, Frank took over the bakery and established ``Frank 
Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana.''
  Frank met and married his wife Filomena and together they not only 
ran the pizzeria but raised a family. The business continued to 
flourish, employing a crew of relatives, some of whom branched out to 
open their own restaurants after learning the ropes at Pepe's. Over the 
years, both the menu and restaurant expanded as has the Pepe family. 
Today, Pepe's is a fourth-generation family-owned business that has 
built its reputation on two of its most famous pies. The first, known 
as a classic New Haven, is topped with tomatoes, grated pecorino 
cheese, garlic, oregano, and olive oil; and the second is a wholly New 
England inspired white clam, which boasts fresh clams, garlic, oregano, 
grated pecorino romano, and olive oil. The original location at 163 
Wooster Street is now known as the Spot, and, if you find yourself 
dining there, enjoying a slice while drinking a Foxon Park soda, made 
by the Naclerio family in nearby East Haven since 1922, then you are 
probably eating the exact same meal in the exact same place that 
someone did 100 years ago.
  There is something special about New Haven apizza. Some say it is the 
coal-fire; some say the brick ovens; some say it is the char; some say 
it is the water used to make the dough. Personally, I believe it is 
generation after generation of dedication to the craft. One thing is 
for certain; it all began with Frank and Filomena Pepe, their 
entrepreneurial spirit and their dream of something their own.
  Wooster Square is the heart of New Haven's Italian American community 
and at its center are the immigrant families around which it grew. 
Frank and Filomena Pepe, the patriarch and matriarch of the Pepe 
family, were pillars of the Wooster Square community. They ran a 
successful business in the center of the neighborhood on Wooster Street 
and were deeply engaged with their community and neighbors. Today, the 
City they called home will recognize them by dedicating the street 
corner across from their fami]y business in their honor, a most fitting 
tribute to their invaluable and innumerable contributions.
  As a daughter of Wooster Square, a New Haven native, a Member of 
Congress, and a family friend, I am so proud to stand today to join all 
of those gathered in extending my heartfelt congratulations to the Pepe 
Family as they mark the centennial anniversary of Frank Pepe Pizzeria 
Napoletano. The legacy they have created, both as a successful business 
and as the epicenter of New Haven's pizza culture is indeed remarkable. 
As we say in Italian--One Hundred Years ``C'ent Anni.''

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